Working from home can be a good strategy to use by a person who wants to start a small business and keep expenses low. Statistics show that there are more than 26 million small businesses in the US and a good 16 million of these are solopreneurs working from their basement office, kitchen table, and living room or even from their bedroom. Working from home can let you keep your expenses reasonably low until you have saved enough money to expand your business, rent office space and hire more people to help you.
Are you ready to Work from Home?
But that said, are you a good fit for a work-from-home job? Are you ready to work from home? Maybe you are the kind of person that needs to be close to other people to chat with. In that case, you might be better off getting a virtual working space. The isolation that comes with work-from-home jobs can be tougher to handle than many people imagine, especially if you are used to working in the traditional office arrangement. There are a host of other challenges that come with these jobs. People who are close to you might be a source of distraction and can constantly interrupt you by calling you on the phone or asking you to run errands for them around the house. It’s also quite common to find people who work from home living like hermits and neglecting their social lives to a point where the strain ruins their health. Below are some tips that you should use to evaluate whether working from home is right for you:
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Are you capable of maintaining a high level of self-discipline and remain focused on your work?
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Can you set good work schedules and stick to them?
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Are you capable of communicating effectively even in situations where there is limited or no visual feedback?
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Are you comfortable working alone or are you the type of person who needs to constantly talk to other people?
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Can you effectively separate your home life from your work life?
If after this evaluation you decide working from home is ideal for you, then remember to do the following things in order to improve our work-from-home experience:
Get a Break from your Home-Office Twice a Week
Arrange to go for social networking functions, schedule your client appointments and find a place to work with your laptop away from home. You can work from bookstores or public libraries for a change. There are other establishments such as Starbucks that offer free WiFi.
Join a Group
You can build a group to act as your check-in list. You should join other business owners and form a group as a means to stay motivated. Having regular conversations with like-minded people can be a great boost to your morale.
Develop Strategic Alliances
You should find other work-from-home businesses that you can join hands with and pursue bigger opportunities. You can develop joint promotions as well as trade resources. Be sure to work out a way of compensating for leads by working out a referral fee agreement.
Working from home has both its pros and cons. But the benefits certainly outweigh the challenges and this work model can lead to a highly satisfying career. So do not be afraid to take that step of faith and leave the comfort zone of working for your boss to go and start your own work-from-home job.
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