There’s nothing like having a home business earning just enough for you to get by… except one that’s doing better than that. Reaching that level feels great, but most of us quickly want more. We want to do more than just make it. How do you get there?

Most home businesses reach a plateau where you just can’t seem to do any better. Everything you try is just more treading water. You don’t do any worse, you can do it just about forever, but you aren’t reaching the greater goals you’ve set for yourself.

There is something you can do about that. It’s not always comfortable. Simple little thing called making a change.

Making a change isn’t always comfortable. It means taking a chance that things won’t work out. Sometimes changes make things worse. But if you think it out and have a plan, and can keep doing the basics that hold your business in place, that change can help your business to grow.

What to Change?

What you change in your business depends on what you do. If you’re blogging, try something new such as making videos or guest blogging. Do something that gets your name out there more.

Your change must be a positive thing. Don’t make it something you dread doing, although it can be uncomfortable at first. I’m doing some very basic videos for one of my sites. It’s not a comfortable process for me yet, as I always feel that I’m talking too fast no matter how I try to slow down. But video is another potential source of traffic. It’s getting to be a bit more fun.

The changes you make should be a part of your overall business strategy. Don’t change just to make a change; know why you’re doing it and what you want to get from it. Doing things randomly rarely benefits a business.

Improve and Add to Your Skills

Whatever you do with your business, you must keep improving your skills. Read everything you have time for in your industry. Try new things. Buy carefully chosen tools that will make your work easier.

You don’t want to keep your skills at the same level all the time. In too many industries you’ll be overtaken by those who are keeping their skills up to date and adding new skills. Your old skills will keep you going for a time, but eventually you’re better off with keeping them updated.

Just look at the changes the availability of social media has made to all kinds of online businesses, and even to brick and mortar businesses. All kinds of businesses are using sites such as Twitter and Facebook to keep in contact with current customers, find new ones and offer deals. They’re also great mediums for finding out when someone has a problem with your business or product. Just as more and more people are now disappointed when a business doesn’t have a website, they’re becoming disappointed when they can’t find them on social media.

Making the right kind of change isn’t just good for your business, it’s vital. Don’t just sit at a comfortable plateau and wonder why your business isn’t growing. Make a change and push it to grow.

It’s been a busy couple of weeks for me. My husband has gone back to work. School has started for my daughter. This whole pregnancy thing.

No wonder my poor son is barely on speaking terms with any of us. He’s just overwhelmed by it all!

His speech therapy started back up today, which I hope will help, but I’ve definitely noticed that with all the changes he is getting more and more reluctant to talk at all. I joke about having to master the art of interpreting interpretive dance, as he prefers to dance around to get my attention when he wants anything, whether it be a snack or company while he goes potty.

And dang it, he used to do that one alone! Now he refuses!

I do think it’s just all the changes. It’s a lot for a 3 year old to absorb, and it’s making him less willing to speak and more clingy. He’s wanting that reassurance that I can give him.

Helping him is a balance between reassuring him that everything’s all right and letting him know that he cannot literally just dance around the subject when he wants something. He has to speak up.

Combining being there for him with encouraging the independence he will need when the baby comes is challenging. I need him to play more on his own so that he’s not so completely shocked by the amount of time a baby takes.

At the same time, I don’t mind letting him be my sweet little boy who loves to snuggle close to Mommy. It’s not always convenient, but it calms him down more than anything.

Now if he’d just let Daddy so much as cuddle him when I’m available! So often if I’m in the same room he won’t tolerate so much as a touch from his Daddy. I’m pretty much looking forward to the Daddy’s boy phase.

I think….