How to successfully run a business from home

Working from home has always been a good option for parents juggling school runs and childcare. However, since the pandemic, working from home has become an even more possible and attractive option for those in the workforce.

There are more options than ever for you to run a business from home. Here, we discuss some of these options and how to make sure your endeavour is a success.

Create a good work environment

Even though you are home, you need to consider the space in which you will work. What kind of workstation do you have? Do you have the proper chair and desk?

You need to create a space where you feel productive. Decide where this is, even if you work best when you are at a coffee shop. Ideally, you will be able to create an area at home where you can get into ‘work mode’ as soon as you sit down.

For a lot of work from home parents, creating a good work environment will also mean creating good boundaries. Consider how you are going to structure your workday so that you can focus on work during ‘work time’ and your family when they need you.

Perhaps getting up really early in the morning to work, before the family is up, will suit you best. Or you may be productive after you have put your children to bed. When you are spending time with your children, you should move away from your desk and your emails so that you don’t let your work life bleed into your home life.

You should also let yourself clock off at the end of the day. Working from home can end up meaning you are always working if you aren’t careful. In the long term, this could affect your productivity.

Get help from an expert when you need it

Even though you are working from home, you should hire an accountant to manage your taxes and finances. A business of one might seem simple enough, but you can save yourself a lot of time and energy and, often, money, if you get an accountant to help you.

Don’t hesitate to outsource any other tasks that your expertise doesn’t cover. There are endless options when it comes to finding someone to freelance for you. So, when you need images, or website development or graphic design, find an expert that will do it well.

Make it work for you

Ultimately, there are no hard and fast rules for how you should be working from home and running your business. You need to find systems that work for you. The point of working from home is that you can take advantage of fitting your work around your life so don’t be afraid to do it.

Some people are very disciplined and will stick to a rigid schedule in order to be productive. This is not the case for everyone, and you should not feel guilty for not sticking to ‘the rules’. Find your own rhythm and take advantage of the perks of working from home – like taking a long lunch or working out in the middle of the day.

Finding the right business for you will be part of how you can make sure you get the ideal schedule for you and your family. You will need to think carefully about how the type of business you run will fit into the way that you work from home. There are thousands of options for anyone looking to buy an existing business in order to hit the ground running.

Building a business from scratch will take a lot of hard work but doing it from home has the great advantage of keeping your costs low as you don’t need to pay for office space.

Home-based franchises are another popular option as you can get training and support which is a great perk when working alone.

The success of your venture will depend on, first and foremost, your passion and commitment over the long term.

*At the time of writing Matthew Hernon was an Account Manager at Dynamis, looking after Business Transfer Agents and Franchises across BusinessesForSale.com and FranchiseSales.com. Updated in October 2023.

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