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Running a small business from home can have its benefits. Whether your business is a just to generate a small income on the side or it is your life’s work, it can be the making of you or it can be the breaking of you. Depending on the nature of your business, and what your home life is like, working from the couch or the back office can be a double-edged sword. Looking at the benefits and the perils in equal measure, here is some hearty advice for the new entrepreneur running a business from home.
Change Your Mindset
Yes, you are working at home. But does that mean you can answer a couple of emails and then sit down to watch a film? If you are running a business, think about what you would do if you ran an organization from an office. Because if your business gains more customers and increases its revenue, then you will have to upscale and think about hiring people. So, while the toaster is in easy reach, remember what you’re doing, which is running a company.
Make Your Business As Professional Looking As Possible
It is hard to do when you share your home with a wife, child and a cat. But if you are running a service out of your home, such as a homeopathic clinic, then having a room dedicated to that will help to preserve some professionalism. If you are liaising with clients from the other side of the world and you are concerned that your address doesn’t look “businessy” enough, you can use services such as Yourvirtualofficelondon.co.uk to have an address that makes your brand that bit more professional. So even if you are working out of your home in the meantime, you are still communicating your business to be one of the main players.
Don’t Always Work At Home
If you are suffering from being indoors, the benefits of a different environment offer mental refreshment. So for example, if you are running an online business, take the laptop out with you and sit in a cafe with a lovely cappuccino or herbal tea. Don’t have a laptop but have a large monitor and tower? Invest in one, it is a business expense you can claim back when it comes to doing your tax return.
Get All The Benefits You Can
You may also be concerned about the drain on your resources that comes from working from home, such as electricity usage, and even the social aspect may be something you can miss, and may suffer from the occasional bout of “cabin fever”. A benefit of running a business from home is that you can get commercial electricity rates, which can save you money in the long term. It does depend on the nature of your business, so it’s worth looking at that in more detail to see if it will suit you.
While working from home is a great help when it comes to childcare etc, remember that it is a business you are running. Good luck, and enjoy time at home.
