Studies show that the number of people who work from home is rising every year and it’s understandable as it’s more comfortable, because they don’t have to leave their pajamas (well, most of them). Some have their own businesses, but others are just trying to earn an extra income to support their lifestyle or they have the opportunity given to them by their employers. Some of them work as freelancers as copywriters, DIY and handmade craftspeople, and creators of video content (vlogging is on the rise and more popular than ever). These can be either part-time or full-time jobs.
Working from home may be very convenient and can work beautifully for some people, but it’s not made for everyone. It is however very flexible, as you make your own schedule, and it’s also low-cost, because you don’t have to pay extra bills on rent, electricity and so on. On the bad side, it can easily interfere with your personal life and even ruin your alone time or holidays. Keeping that in mind, if you started your business from home and you want to keep it that way, it probably works for you. In addition, we would like to show you 5 steps to running it successfully.
1. Set boundaries between your professional and personal life
While you don’t have to dress up for the job, because nobody is going to see you and frankly it’s not mandatory, you might want to have a proper work environment, including suitable clothing. You have to set the mood for working and if you stay in your pajamas, you’re going to want to be lazy, because that’s their effect. It’s all about habit and if you are not a very motivated person, you will find yourself losing time and being unproductive, even if you like what you do.
On the other hand, if you’re a workaholic, you have to know when to shut down the computer or stop whatever you’re doing and spend time with yourself and the family, walk the dog, go to a movie and so on, otherwise you will mix everything and your work will take over your life. This can happen even if you have an office job, but whatever you do, you have to set your personal and professional boundaries in order to establish a work-life balance.
If it helps, have a space especially set for this, like a corner of your room or an annex to your house. You can turn a barn, workshop or any other kind of side building into an office, depending on what you do.
2. Keep a schedule
Working from home is like having any other job, so even though you decide on what you do and when you do it, you have to have a schedule. Why is it important? Because you have to have some kind of delimitations and routine. You don’t necessarily have to always have the same timetable, but at least dedicate a few hours every day (like 2 or 3 at the beginning and increasingly more as you feel the need). But pay attention to what you decide and how to set your goals and terms because you need to keep some free time for yourself as well.
As a tip, actually write down your schedule if you don’t feel motivated enough to start every day, because this method has been proven to be effective. Maybe you also need to have a to-do list and check things off of it as you accomplish them. There are many other solutions; you just have to find whatever works for you.
3. Work on your marketing strategy
Oftentimes when working from home, people tend to ignore the marketing part, let alone the market research, and choose to just post on social media as free advertisements. There’s nothing bad in doing this, but it’s not enough by far.
For a good marketing campaign, based on legit data, research is needed on the market. It’s a little bit complicated (depending on your business field) and it takes a lot of time and expertise. But there are companies that will do it for you on a professional level, such as, for example, Sapio Research. Based on what they find, you can have a targeted, on-point marketing campaign that will show results fast.
On the other hand, don’t get discouraged if you won’t have much to do in the beginning. This is how things work and it will be slower until people get to know your company and products or services, and get acquainted with them, because you are new on the market.
4. Don’t hide it
Many people probably think that working from home is not a very serious job and it’s unprofessional. This happens, maybe, because of the fact that for the majority having a job automatically means that you leave home in the morning, go to an office and work from there. Also, there is the common belief that if you work from home, you probably don’t have enough money to pay rent or other bills and that is probably because you are not quite good at what you do.
Demolish those myths with your skills and professionalism and be aware of the fact that people need honesty. So be frank and sincere about your working arrangements, especially with your clients.
5. Try to separate the family life from it
When you have a home office, especially if it’s in the house and not in an annexe, it can be hard to keep your family or other cohabitants out of your working space. That is maybe because they confuse you (the professional) with you (the person). This is why it’s important to keep things separate and set clear boundaries so family members will not interrupt working hours. You can lose focus and concentration; if you have a video call with one of your clients it would be awkward to have them bursting into the room you’re in. Besides, they shouldn’t be exposed to your work as it doesn’t concern them. If you have young children, try to do as much work as possible while they are asleep or doing other activities.
