My Mother in the Early 20th Century Outside My Grandather’s Homebased Office

Today 50% of all businesses in the U.S. are homebased and having a homebased business is certainly enticing for many reasons, but let’s see if you will find success with a business in your home.

Some businesses are certainly more conducive to being in a home environment than others. Factors like having customers coming and going or having employees could make being homebased impossible. Cities and neighbors usually discourage this for various reasons.

In my soon-to-be released book, See Dick and Jane Start a Homebased Business, you will find several details to help decide whether or not a homebased location is right for you.  It also provides a step by step method to set up and run a successful operation from your home.

Lets view some things to consider. These include being personally disciplined and being able to set effective boundaries for yourself, your family and your friends and neighbors.

Since family may be one of the main reasons you are thinking of a business in your home, let’s explore that first. Your family must be behind your decision. A supportive spouse is also critical to business success.

Do you have children? Depending upon their ages they can be trained to respect your business needs.

When our kids were old enough to answer the phone, we had so intimidated them that they refused to touch the business phone. Cell phones and texting are really helpful these days.

Depending upon the business, you might even be able to hire them to help in the business. Our kids were very active in our family FUNdraising business from a young age.

Daughter Julie and Son Todd Helping Their Dad Identify Winning Bidders

After the birth of our third child, I hired a gal to do light housecleaning and get the baby when he woke up.

If you start when they are young, they will grow to understand the difference between Mommy time and business time. If you can effectively schedule your work hours, even family chaos can be controlled. Balance is the key. Plan to spend undivided, quality time with family (even if you have to schedule it) and they will respect your dedicated business time.

My first homebased job was making evening market research calls. My husband would put the kids to bed, so I could work for a couple of hours each night.

Family is probably the most important thing to consider before branching out.

Though your family needs to respect your business time, you must also set some personal boundaries.  You must learn to set household chore boundaries.  Basically if you treat your work hours as you would for any other job, you will be successful. Leave your office work only for short breaks and meals. Learn to ignore vacuuming, laundry, dishes piling up, etc. and don’t go watch TV in the middle of the day!

It is probably important to evaluate your personality at this point. Are you an effective time manager? Can you set goals and accomplish them? Can you overlook the household responsibilities that you see when you take your break?  If this is a difficulty you may not be a good candidate for a home office.

 Location of your office is also an important consideration for many reasons. There may be tax advantages based on it’s location and usage, but be sure to get advice from your tax professional before going further. As I understand it, if your office is never used for any purpose other than for business you should be fine.

As the kids grew up and needed their own separate bedrooms, we moved the washer and dryer to the garage and my office was located in the 8 x 10 laundry room for years. It was even featured in an article in the local newspaper.   

Wherever you locate the office, lack of privacy can become a problem. Household noises, interruptions and family demands may need to be addressed, since it is very important to present a professional image. Ringing doorbells, barking dogs, fighting kids, etc. are not conducive to that professional image. However, once these things are handled I personally think a home office is far superior to being in a company cubicle.

Other ways to improve your professional image include changing the statements you make.  For instance, instead of saying, “I’ll call you when I get home.” Try saying, “I’ll call you when I get back to the office.”  It is the subtle things that will make the difference. If brochures and collateral will be used be sure they are of the highest quality possible. Also dress for success.  Even if you won’t be seeing clients on a particular day, it will help your professional image attitude if you conduct office business in something other than your bathrobe! It’s a psychological thing.

Feeling isolated can sometimes be a problem. Though you may be behind a computer most of the time, Playing background music can help. You will probably have to do some sort of marketing to bring clients to the business. If that’s the case, joining a Chamber of Commerce or Business Club will help with isolation, improve your professional image and your business will grow.  If most of your business is done on the computer, occasionally take your laptop to a coffee shop for a change of scenery. Once you have thought through these considerations, you can begin to acknowledge the many benefits of a home business.

For a start you can…

* SAVE ON EXPENSES by no longer commuting and eating lunch out

* SAVE TIME by not commuting, giving you more time with family and friends

* Explore TAX SAVINGS

* LOWER OVERHEAD - no additional rent, utilities, internet, etc.

Once you understand the disadvantages and advantages of owning a homebased business, you are ready to successfully proceed.