This year, if you’re thinking about starting a company, you are probably at least considering the possibility of running your business from home?
This year, if you’re thinking about starting a company, you are probably at least considering the possibility of running your business from home? Why? Well, first, it’s cheaper. Instead of buying or renting an office you can do everything from the comfort of your home instead of for a minimal cost. Just think about how much energy you will save alone. Of course, cost cutting isn’t the only benefit of a home run business. If you’re a mom as well as a business owner, working from home means you’re going to have more time for your family. It means that you’re not going to be stuck in the office at five pm when your kids have already been home for two hours. It also simplifies how easy your business is to run. Rather than being in control of a full team of staff, you’ll just be responsible for making sure that your business operates effectively. There will be very little added responsibility which is great news if you want to cut the stress.
However, if you are running your business from home, you need to set it up the right way. Otherwise, you’re going to run into quite a few problems.
Productivity And The Home Office
If you’re running a business from home, you need to make sure that you are as productive as you would be if you were working from an actual office. This means that you probably shouldn’t work from the comfort of your bed. We know what you’re thinking. I find I’m quite productive with my laptop on my knee and a cup of coffee by my side. Great, but you have to admit it’s going to be a seesaw. If you don’t feel like working one day, you can play literally roll over and have a nap for a couple of hours. You can’t do that in an office, and so you shouldn’t be able to do that in your home.
Instead, you need to set up a place where you complete your work on a daily basis. This is where you always work from, and it will give you a good routine which is useful. It allows you to stick to your goals and ensure that deadlines are met as they should be. At least it will, as long as you work to a schedule. Despite working from home, you shouldn’t decide to go shopping halfway through the day. People around you should also not be able to treat you like their time is yours. You may be there for your kids, but only after you’ve completed work. So, just because you’re there when they get in from school doesn’t mean they should immediately have your attention.
Health Issues
There are numerous health and safety issues you can run into working from an office. You might think that by working from home you escape these problems and you do. But, there are others you need to be aware of like RSI. If you’ve never experienced RSI describing it as annoying would be putting it mildly. RSI can be a nightmare, particularly if you are anxious to maintain a high level of productivity. It can send incredible, sharp pains down your arms when you type and will be particularly painful around the wrist. The best way to prevent RSI is to work with good posture and adopt a proper typing technique. You can also move around as much as possible. If you want to avoid losing time through the day by doing this, try a sit to stand desk. This allows to move the desk to standing height when you’ve been sitting for too long. It’s very useful, particularly if you’re getting pain in your legs as well.
Stay Connected
Working from home means it’s almost a guarantee that you’ll be operating your business using a virtual staff. A virtual staff means that people won’t be working from your home, obviously. Instead, you’ll be working with people from different areas. For instance, some might be working from an actual office and you may also use outsourcing companies to complete processes in your business. Staying productive means that you need to keep connected to these individuals. How you do this is entirely up to you. Though, most home businesses use instant messaging and cloud servers. With cloud servers, it’s possible to everyone in your company to receive the information they need even if they are half a world away.
As you can see then, there are a few different issues to take into consideration when running a home office. But, with the right setup, it can still be the perfect haven.
