The New “Working From Home”
Make working from home work for you
Shelley Rosen’s illustrious career in Chicago’s advertising and marketing community allowed her the opportunity to travel the country and the world to meet with clients, sign new business deals and collaborate with some of her industry’s most well-known leaders. And while she loved her job, sometimes she just wanted to throw her bus pass out the window and go home.
“I purchased a gorgeous home and was never in it,” Shelley explains, who’s currently the CEO and founder of Chicago-based Airlift Ideas, Inc. “I loved working. I loved my home. I was determined to find a way to have the best of both worlds.”
And this, she did. In the spring of 2006, Shelley launched her own consulting company right out of her home in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood. “I eliminated hours and hours of stress simply by cutting out the commute to work,” she says. “The focus I have by just being able to walk downstairs to my office is truly liberating.”
Shelley is just one of countless women in the Chicago area finding success working from home. Statistics show that nearly 40 percent of the working population telecommutes at least a few days a week, with this number sure to rise in the years ahead. And while the prospect of working from home is tempting for many, making it a successful venture is largely determined by the personality of the individual.
“It’s definitely a huge transition,” remarks Amy Bolyard, a life coach and founder of Chicago-based Thrive Consulting. “Working from home isn’t for everyone. One must look at their strengths and the drive they have for their chosen profession. Often, those who thrive on solitude are going to thrive much more than someone who enjoys the camaraderie and energy of working in a team environment.”
Yet, experts agree that people with just the right amount of discipline and structure in their personal lives have a wonderful chance of making the working from home option work in their professional lives.
“Women can’t allow their professional life bleed into their personal life,” says Amy, who works out of her condo in the South Loop. “There’s always that temptation to be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. But you have to carve out time that will be off limits. There has to be time that remains sacred.”
is a graduate of Northern Illinois University Journalism and has worked for seven years in Chicago’s advertising community before becoming a stay-at-home mom in 2001. For the next seven years, between changing dirty diapers and drying tears, she began writing again. She covers a variety of issues for TCW, including health and fitness, dining, and business and workplace trends.
