Starting a Business from Home Is Not For the Faint-Hearted

Read about running a business from home, and the kind of considerations you need to make if you plan to be home-based in your business ventures.

Working from home has been painted as the dream. Entrepreneurs and start-ups have become more common because the internet has made business accessible to anybody willing to give it a go.

Lots of successful entrepreneurs paint a picture of serenity, living the high life and enjoying the kind of schedule most of us would dream of. Makeshift beach offices, Instagram stories featuring work trips to tropical places and gorgeous coffee shop meeting setups with totally effortless vibes are common, but are they for real?

Well, clearly some people have some experience of working from home in a way that enables them to live a picturesque life. Of course it enables you to travel and plan your own schedule. Of course you can set up a beautiful looking office. But you don’t hear the kids screaming from a photo. You don’t feel the jetlagged, caffeine fuelled real feelings of a 24 hour trip abroad just for one meeting with a client who didn’t even turn up on time. You also don’t get to see the real struggle of concentrating on an important online Skype call whilst your cat rips apart the sofa and then throws up on the new carpet in your eyeline.

It might sound negative, but it is so important to understand the reality of working from home. By understanding the potential hazards of making this change in your working life you are much more able to be prepared for it, and can even set things up to avoid those problems as well.

Here are some of the potential negative aspects of working from home, and some helpful suggestions on working around those problems:

Being Distracted

Being distracted when you try and work at home is a huge problem. Even on your own you might notice your cat is being cute and just have to go in for a cuddle, and a selfie, then maybe a little play with the laser pen – before you know it, Twinky has taken up half an hour of your working day. There are so many potential distractions when you work from home. A really good solution for this problem is to work really hard to limit the distractions that might occur. Keep your working space private (including locking Twinky out!), and enable yourself to truly focus on the work in hand, maybe banning yourself from your phone or social media for set periods of time, with ten minute walk and relax breaks after certain tasks are completed.

Noise

Noise can be distracting and unprofessional on calls. Do ensure that your office is somewhere there is minimal noise and try to minimise any noise pollution there might be.

Schedule

Getting out of bed in the dark, to a cold house is hard enough when you know your job is on the line, let alone when you are your own boss. Who do you have to answer to if you lay in? Or if you decide your bed is far too comfy for an early start? If you struggle with motivation or organisation you will really need to work hard on creating a schedule and sticking to it if you want to succeed in business. There is nothing wrong with making the most of the lack of commute or of your control over your schedule, but you do need to be disciplined and ensure you’re working as hard as you need to be.

IT Problems

At work if the internet goes down your boss understands that’s why your report was late. When you are running your own business an IT problem can cost you an important client. Ensure if you are not tech-savvy that you have access to someone who is, especially in the case of an emergency. Cloud storage is a must for all home businesses.

Family Boundaries

It is possible your family may not understand your boundaries at home. Your partner may think it is OK to ask you about this, that and the other whenever you’re in eyesight, or your kids might think you’re accessible if you’re at home.

Do make it clear that when you are in your office, you are not accessible unless it is an emergency and if they do walk in on you taking a business call, ensure they understand they need to be quiet whilst you’re doing it. To further extend the boundaries, ensure family and friends who are used to popping by give you notice, as they may think you’re always available for a cup of tea and a chat just because you work from home now.

If you are not fortunate enough to have an extra room, bedroom, attic, basement or garden room that can be converted into your office then you are going to need to think carefully about how you ‘zone’ your existing space. Psychologically this will give your productivity a boost. Working on the kitchen table or the couch is not going to help you be productive.

Storage Space

Storage space can be a real issue if you have stock and it quickly fills up your home office and spills out into the rest of the home. Sometimes having your office filled with stock can be stressful too. Consider using some business storage to give your business some breathing space. This is cheaper than office rental and more secure too.

Clients & Employees

With no office you do not have somewhere to meet clients or to place employees. Ways around this are scouting out the most professional coffee shops and cafes for business meetings and considering remotely based employees unless you really need someone hands on. Many co-working spaces offer meeting rooms which can be hired by the hour.

No Way to Shut-Off

You can’t always shut off from work when you have left the office, so imagine how much harder that will be at home. Creating a really good office space should help you utilise that space alone, and then shut the door on that work space when you’re done, still maintaining a sense of downtime in the rest of your home.

Starting a business from home can be incredibly rewarding, but it can also be incredibly difficult. By understanding the potential hurdles and tricky situations involved in working from home you can do everything within your power to minimise those issues or work around them. The payoff is often worth it, and there will always be compromise needed to properly live your dreams. In this case, Twinky might be loudly attacking her litter tray whilst you’re on a client call, or you might have to quickly learn the art of only having an hour lunch break at home, but the reward is a fulfilling, independent career that you have built yourself, which makes it all worthwhile.