So You Want To Work From Home?

So you want to work from Home! Why? This is the question you should answer before you set up a business that can be run from a home.

Is it because you are fed up of working for a boss and know you can do a better job running the same kind of business? If this is the case remember starting up a business should not be a way of buying yourself a job. There are many costs and heart aches with becoming self-employed

Maybe it is because you have young children and you feel you would be able to run a business at home while taking care of their needs. This is a reasonable assumption. But running a business from home can never be part-time. If your children are of the age where they cannot look after themselves you will need a Nanny to take care of them while you are running the business.

Have you been made redundant with a reasonable payout, looking for some business that can be run from home? Maybe you think you will become a Consultant in your chosen field. This is a useful fall back but a lot of planning and research is required before you can change your home study into your business premises and start advertising for work.

The three reasons I have just mentioned are why most people choose to work from home. They are all valid but as you can see there has to be thought given to the decision. However, there is one important factor that most people don't consider 'do you have enough money to support yourself until the business becomes viable'?

If you can establish that you have enough money to cover your costs until you can draw an income from your business then any dream is possible. Your next step should be to draw up a plan of how you will set up the business and how it should be run. Remember, you are working from home but you don't need the business to encroach on your home life.

I have heard many people say the worst thing they did when they started their business at home was not to get another phone. Rule number one: Always have a business phone separate from the home phone. Even if you work with a mobile, make sure the mobile phone is different from your personal phone. Believe me there is nothing worse than someone ringing you at 11 o'clock at night to cancel an appointment or ask a question. If you have an answer phone or voice mail that problem is solved.

You will also need to define your hours. You won't have travel time to worry about, but that doesn't mean you should work more than the regular eight to nine hours a day. You need to spend quality time with your family. Decide a time when the office will open and when it will close. You might not stick to those times precisely when you first start the business, but you will be grateful for that decision once your business is starting to make money.

Write down how you see your business in ten years time. This might sound silly but if you do not have a plan to grow, you never will. Remember the business might be run at home but it should never be just a job. In ten years you should be aiming to have a business that is making enough money so it can be sold. If you are not looking at it that way you should be working for an employer. Without some incentive there is no point in establishing the business in the first place.

After planning how big you want the business to be in ten years, work out a growth plan. I know of many people who work from home, all they have is a job, not a business. They make an income but the business is nothing without them. If they are sick, no one gets paid. You need to have a growth plan so you can eventually get to a stage where you have people working for you that can be allowed to get on with making you money.

Sound difficult? Not really. But you can see that planning is the required element. Many people say they would love to have a business and work from home, but like anything you need to plan to achieve it. Once you have made up your mind then discuss it with someone who can pull your ideas apart. Don't get disheartened, it is a good way to make you review your plan and make it plausible. Adjust the concept accordingly then go to it.

Work out and register a business name; something that tells what you do but doesn't include your personal name. Once you start making a profit you can instigate a logo. That can be costly but gives you more impetus.

Try and set up your business so you are unique in someway to every other business in your field. It will help when you start your promotions; you will have something to sell and encourage people to use you.

I can recommend working from home. But never let working from a home office determine the caliber of the business. Do the research and the planning. Think professional and big and you will soon have a blossoming organisation of which you can be proud.

I hope you found this article interesting. My name is Julie Finch-Scally and I am the franchisor and founder of The Duster Dollies. The Duster Dollies is a cleaning business with a difference. We are booking agencies for domestic cleaning. This means you don't actually do the cleaning.

I have written a Cleaning Business Guide which might help you with ideas as to the kind of business you can start from home. You can get your free eBook of The Guide from franchisecleaning.com.au franchisecleaning.com.au

All you have to do is ask.

Hi I am Julie Finch-Scally. I started my own business from home in 1993. Since then it has grown from a small business to a franchised organisation. It was my intentions right from the beginning to become large enough to be a franchise, and I managed to do that within my ten year business plan. Running a home business can be achieved by anyone, but you do need a plan.