One of the things that can help you earn a little bit more in your home business is to be assertive. Interestingly, people who are too agreeable make less money. This comes from a study reported in the Daily Mail:

Personality traits can have the same impact on earnings as intelligence,’ he added. ‘Our statistics show that being nice does not pay for women, whereas working hard does.

‘This is probably, in part, because agreeable people are too passive in conflict situations and are poorer wage negotiators.

‘Traditionally, women are more passive and likeable at work. This shows that to be successful in the workplace, women have to adapt to more alpha male-like behaviour.’

This can apply in your work from home situation, just as it applies in the office. How many times have you accepted low-paying work, or not given a true estimate of the value of your time and effort, in order to be more agreeable to the person you were trying to woo. While you may feel that some of this type of “niceness” is required during tough economic times (you might have to take what you can get), it is important to realize that unless you are assertive, you will not be paid what you are worth.

Asking for a raise when you work from home requires that you understand your value. While you may need to compromise, there is no reason why you can’t show a little assertiveness: Go out and get what you are worth! But you have to show that your product or service is worth the price. And, you have to be in a position to walk should you be completely lowballed. That’s part of being assertive.