Many business owners prefer to start their businesses from home, regardless of the type of business they want to get involved in.

By combining work and domestic life, your outlays are reduced considerably, however there are pros and cons associated with running your business from home:

Pros:

·It is cheap; your costs are low and you don’t have to pay rent.
·You save money on petrol travelling to and from work.
·It is a good way to test your business before expanding and signing a lease.
·You save time, as you don’t have to travel to and from work.
·You set your own schedule; you can work any hour of the day or the night.
·It is appropriate if your customers don’t have to come to you to get your product or service and your business relies on you going to your customers.

Cons:

·It could be extremely isolating and sometimes you may miss out on industry development.
·Many business owners find it extremely difficult to concentrate on their work when they are at home with all the domestic distractions.
·You are unable to rely on the outside world for motivation.

Some tips to consider when working from home:

1.Set aside a room in the house as your office.

2.Start at a set time and finish at a set time.

3.Get dressed in work clothes rather than working in your pyjamas.

4.Ensure your family members or friends understand and appreciate your working schedule and don’t just barge into your office any time. Any family issues should be discussed during morning tea, lunchtime or afternoon tea. Friends should also respect your working hours and not just pop in any time it suits them.

5.Wake up at the same time every day.

6.If customers or suppliers visit you at your home office, always make sure you and your office present well. You need to be professional and look professional.

7.If possible have a separate entrance to your office and a separate phone line. Nothing is worse than a customer contacting you and a family member answers “hello” rather than “good morning, ABC Business Solutions”.

8.Ensure you have some form of interaction with your industry peers. Take every opportunity to meet with them, talk and listen to them and discuss solutions with them. This can be easily achieved by organizing a monthly breakfast or lunch with a group of like-minded business people.

Lama Kalla Small Business owner, Author of “Women in small business – Setting up your business right the first time” e-book, which is dedicated exclusively to every woman eager to succeed in small business TODAY!!!

http://www.womeninsmallbusiness.com

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