Working from Home, Do You Have the Right Personality?
By Julia Nitschke
Many people each year decide to fire their boss and work form home. This can occur in many industries, particularly in areas where computer based work is the norm. Fields such as Internet marketing and e-commerce are popular, however there is also a growing number of people who work form home in other industries. Any small business can commence at home, particularly to minimise start up costs.
Working from home is a popular choice as the infrastructure is already established. Usually people have a telephone line or mobile phone, which can be used for business. A room or portion of the living premises can be used as an office base, particularly if you have the sort of business where you go out and see clients. Examples of these types of businesses are accounting, bookkeeping and consulting. This is of course just to name a few, the choices are endless.
If you do commence an at home business, before taking the plunge it is a good idea to assess if you have the right personality. It is amazing how many people want to work from home. It sounds like utopia, being your own boss, master of your creation, but in reality it can be solitary and demanding.
Instead of being in an office environment having contact with other people, you are alone. Unless you go out and see clients on a regular basis, contact with others can be minimal. Some people find this difficult and an unexpected drawback to working from home.
Another area where people misjudge the reality of working from home is the necessity of being jack-of-all-trades. You may be a fantastic consultant in human resources but can you also be the receptionist, the bookkeeper and the marketing department? It is a good idea to outsource any jobs that are not in your field of expertise, however in the start up stage this is often not a financial reality for many small business people based at home. This equates to long hours of other types of work and often a steep learning curve.
One of the major concerns for people is finding the ability to balance home life and work life. It is very difficult to do this even when you have an office to go to, but when you have your office at home, it is easy to allow work and home to become blurred and not know how to handle the separation of the two. It is wise to set boundaries and have a strategy ready to tackle this before you start working from home.
Other considerations may be -
Are your services or products needed?
Have you done a business plan?
Do you have the right insurance in place to work from home?
Do you need to arrange any special operating licenses?
Do you need professional memberships to operate?
Do you need advice from an Accountant?
Do you have enough capital to start your business and run it effectively?
Do you intend to employee staff if you grow?
How will you attract customers and market your business?
These considerations are only a few when considering a home business venture. Probably one of the biggest questions of all is, will you be in your pyjamas at 9.00am or will you be ready to start the workday?
It is easy to think of being your own boss, but it comes with a lot of hard work, dedication and sometimes a complete personality shift. If you have the desire and you are willing to put in the hours and effort, it can be a rewarding experience. Keep yourself motivated and positive when things get tough. Have positive people around you who support your work choices. Find business support in local commerce groups or networks. Find a mentor who has succeeded and most importantly of all have fun and enjoy being your own boss.
About The Author
Julia Nitschke is an Accountant, Mother and Business Author. She specialises in small business and assisting people to set up their own small business. To find out more visit
http://www.onlinegurus.bigpixie.com
