With advances in technology making it easier to work remotely every day, many small business owners and entrepreneurs are choosing to combine their professional and home lives by working from home.
Running your business from home has obvious advantages, from saving cash on rent to cutting out a lengthy commute to spend precious time with your family. But there are some obvious traps too, from avoiding distraction to keeping loneliness at bay.
We asked two small business owners who run their companies from home and some business experts for their top tips to make your home-based business a success.
The first step for operating a business from home is to set up a workspace, which is separate from the couch or the dining table.
Finding a workspace that is dedicated to your business is essential, says Tammy May, who founded personal budgeting company MyBudget from her home in 1999 and has been named an EY Entrepreneur of the Year and South Australian Business of the Year. “This way you can get some peace and quiet when you are working, especially if you have children at home.”
MYOB human relations manager Rachel Lehmann also says it’s important to set up a proper office when working from home “so you’re not just working with your laptop resting on your lap in front of the TV”.
Lehmann recommends choosing a room with a door, which will make the space feel more like an office.
Lehmann says anyone who works from home, whether as a sole trader or for a larger company, will get more done if they get themselves into the ‘work’ mindset each morning.
“We find productivity goes through the roof when someone imagines they are at work,” says Lehmann, who recommends setting work hours and sticking to them. “This means advising your friends and family that you are not available during this time.”
Lehmann says imagining other aspects of a ‘traditional’ office-based job can also help. “Work as though someone is still looking over your shoulder and they will be doing a performance review,” she says.
Also high on May’s list of tips for working from home is to spend time making sure your technology needs are set up correctly.
“There is nothing worse than being stuck without an internet connection or not having a printer that works, for example,” says May.
May also recommends having a back-up plan to get you through those inevitable internet outages.
“I keep a USB internet dongle spare just in case,” says May. “I can also take it with me when I travel or work remotely.”
Part of setting up an appropriate working space at home is about making sure the space is safe to work in, says Lehmann.
Things such as having a comfortable working chair and a computer stand at the right height are important, as is making sure there are no cords you can trip over.
The safety of the home office is especially important if your employees are also working from home, says Lehmann. “The home office is considered a workplace so if someone trips and falls, it could still be a workplace claim,” she says.
Just as students who have assignments due are known to have sparkling clean bedrooms or a fridge full of home-cooked meals, May says entrepreneurs who work from home can also fall into the procrastination trap.
“Don’t treat working at home like a licence to do things other than work,” says May. “It’s very tempting just to put the washing on or clean out your wardrobe. But if you were in an office at work, you wouldn’t be able to do these things. They can be distracting and derail you. Before you know it you haven’t really achieved much for the day.”
May suggests acting like you’re actually going to work. This means getting up in the morning, getting organised and not sitting “around in your pyjamas all day if you can help it”!
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Eloise is an experienced business journalist and editor, who has held senior editorial roles at SmartCompany since 2014. Prior to joining SmartCompany, Eloise was news editor at Books+Publishing, the trade press for the Australian book industry. Eloise has degrees in media and communications, marketing and business management, and political science. You can follow her on LinkedIn, and Twitter at @ellykeating.
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