Many small businesses start out working from home. There are many benefits to this but there are also many challenges. With a vast number of people now being self employed (voluntarily or not from choice) the opportunity of working from home is a cost effective option in tough times.
Before embarking on this quest though there are a few things you need to ask yourself.
– Are you a self motivated driver that can prioritise and organize tasks easily (after all there’s no longer going to be a boss breathing down you neck pushing deadlines, you’ll have to manage deadlines yourself)
– Can you arrange things so that you save time and money by cutting out the commute to a normal job (could your existing job be done from a remote home office or can your new business idea be managed from your house)
– Do you have the space to set up a home office (running it from your child’s bedroom and tripping over toys all day won’t make you feel very professional)
– Can you manage the disruptions from family and friends who now feel you’ve got all day free to chat to them (unscheduled distractions can severely inhibit your efficiency)
– Are you outgoing enough not to become a hermit and lose valuable networking opportunities within you local community (reduced social interaction could see you withdraw from the business community you need to gain work from)
If you feel you can manage that these aspects then really there are just three key things you need to do before (or today if you haven’t already done them!) in order to make your transition and work life effective, efficient and fun!
First:
Set the ground rules. Not only for yourself in terms of working hours, dress code etc, but also in terms of visiting hours for family and friends.
Second:
Set some routines eg check emails only twice a day; do admin on alternate Friday afternoons; invoice clients every Monday evening;
Third:
Establish systems that will enable you to quickly and efficiently deliver your valuable service. Find shortcuts, templates, standard documents etc that will enable you to leverage what you do with one client to delivery more effectively to the next one. Don’t keep re-inventing the wheel, put systems and processes in place that will enable a seamless delivery of services.
Every business, no matter how large, or how small, grows by focusing energy, following effective systems and networking within the business community. If you’re going to work effectively from home you need these key lessons … embrace them and move forward with confidence.
Tags: home office, small business work environment, SOHO, working from home
