Working From Home

“I’m constantly working, even when I’m at home.” – Art Alexakis

Working from home might seem like the dream. No traffic to battle through, no set hours in the office, no structure of when to take your break and for how long. But it isn’t always the dream it is made out to be. It requires serious consideration before committing to working from home.

When you are planning your business it is worth deciding if working from home will be effective for your business type and structure. It can be more cost effective to work from home and with modern technology it is easier than ever to work from home. Meaning that you no longer have to have a specific type of business to work from home … but there are still a few businesses that it will suit better than others.

With all that said it is worth looking at the implications working from home can have. Both on you, your family, your customers and your supplier, you need to decide if your new business can be run from your home or if you need to look at other options.

Face to face meetings become tricky – if your business requires you to meet face to face with others, inviting them into your home isn’t always the most professional or practical option. This means you could start racking high mileage on your car or catching more public transport to meet customers.

You’re always at work – because you live where you work, it can be easy to lose the clear divide between work and home life. It can be too easy to check your emails late in the evening and you soon find yourself working more hours than you would do working in an office.
Friends and Family can be distracting – being at home means people assume you’ve got a flexible working pattern. They will sometimes see it as an invitation to distract you from your work, maybe they’ve taken the day off their job and want you to go out for lunch with them. This can be damaging to your workflow and your business, as most people who don’t work from home (your suppliers and customers) will be out of contact after the normal work hours … and if you’ve filled your time with non-business related tasks you miss the opportunity to do business.

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It takes will power – it can be hard striking the right balance when working from home. Battling the natural distractions and working to your optimum proficiency is not a walk in the park. It might take a while to get the balance right but if you manage it, it can be very rewarding and work in your favour. Sometimes, to sit in the garden with a cuppa for 10 minutes can help clear your head and provide clarity on something.
Planning permission – some types of business run from your home will need planning permission. Read our article on planning permission to find out more.

When deciding if working from home is right for your new business it is advised that you speak to others that you know work from home. Ask them what advice they would give or if you don’t know anyone, speak to a business mentor or advisor to get an understanding of how effective working from home with your business idea will be.

Working from home can be great but itn’t always the dream that it is made out to be. Think about the type of business you are setting up and your own circumstances and disciplines that will benefit or hinder the choice of working from home.
Thoughts on working from home – Yorkshire Powerhouse

Yorkshire Powerhouse,

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