When I was still working in the corporate world, “work from home” was almost like a special privilege for executives like us. Sometimes it was even viewed as an unattainable ideal.
The advantage of being in the corporate world is that you feel secure. As long as you do your work and abide by the rules, you will get your salary at the end of the month. It’s that simple. In exchange, you drive to and from work every day, often in traffic; and you’re bound to the 9-to-5 lifestyle. You follow instructions from above and the system is structured so that with hard work, you can climb the corporate ladder in order to become a better-paid employee. But, some of us yearn for more. We don’t want to be employees our whole lives. Instead, we want to call the shots and be the creators of our own destinies.
On the other hand, when you start thinking about running your own business at home you might have doubts and wonder: “What will the family think of this arrangement? Will they worry about my earnings when I don’t have a regular job?” These thoughts can be worrisome but the key is to get started and to keep working. The more successful you become, the more comfortable you will be about your decision.
STARTING YOUR OWN BUSINESS:
Most entrepreneurs start off by running their businesses from home. It saves them money, but it is not easy. There are distractions like television, kids, and perhaps worst of all, the great temptation to lie in bed all day.
A few tips to beat laziness and stay productive:
- Register a business address with a service center that is close to your home. They can support call handling, mail handling, and even offer meeting room facilities on a pay-as-you-go basis. Coming from a corporate background, you will want to have a formal office presence to maintain a professional business image.
- Set up a formal daily schedule. For example, get up at 7 am, do some exercise, brew your own coffee and make your breakfast, then turn on the computer at 9 am. Keep it as regular as possible so that you keep the routine.
- Find out what motivates you. It is not easy being your own boss so you will need to refresh your motivation daily. Whether it’s a quote, personal development books, audio courses, or seminars; keep learning and sharing with others so that you remember that you are not on your own when it comes to building a business.
- Set goals. Know where you want you and your business to be in the short, medium, and long term. Revisit these goals at least three times daily.
- Carve out a corner or a room just for work. Make it neat and tidy so that you are willing to stay there and work. If you need some fresh air, change to a different place for work, e.g. a café with Wi-Fi service. This can give you inspiration too.
- Set up good communication systems for speaking to clients and colleagues. Skype is a good tool and it is free. Additionally, you can use your phone/email/text messages, etc. I also recommend setting a day or two apart every week to meet and discuss work with your colleagues and business partners at a certain time. This will make your work efficient, especially when everyone gets accustomed to this regular schedule. Everyone will know that their time at home is for work and not socializing.
- Set a daily time to switch off. This doesn’t have to be every night, however, if you’re serious about working from home for the long haul, you have to make the lifestyle sustainable. That means you’ll need time away from the computer and the stress of work.
- The most important part of running your own business is to stay focused. There are no presidents, supervisors, or managers who will look over your shoulder to make sure that you are getting your work done. You have to manage everything yourself.
- Speak to family and people you live with so they understand and respect your workspace and time. This is why it is also important to switch off. Let loved ones know that you will prioritize spending time with them for part of the day if they give you the needed space to build your business.
Many famous entrepreneurs work from home. Some telecommute so that wherever they go, their businesses go with them. Richard Branson, the founder of the Virgin Group in the UK, is often photographed working from his home on his privately-owned Necker Island in the Caribbean. Branson runs Virgin from the comfort of his holiday home with a mobile phone or laptop in hand. His business skills have made Virgin one of the largest corporations in the world and even some of his former employees such as AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes have followed in Branson’s footsteps and founded their own businesses.
Working from home can be the first step towards success in starting your own business. By keeping costs down, you can use the additional income to grow your business and accelerate your journey towards success.
It is all up to you. Your efforts can make or break the business but if you want to keep the freedom of working for yourself and create a potential future in which you can create a business system that can run itself and offer you more free time, you’ll persist and keep working towards your goals.
Though working from home is not for everybody, once you get used to it, you will enjoy the freedom, the focus, and the extra family time so much. What you save is not just office rental, but also the traveling time and cost, which can make you more productive in building your business than you are as an employee.
