06.05.07

7 Tips for running a successful ‘work at home’ business

Posted in Work at Home Tips at 7:47 am by Andrew

• Understand that your business’ success depends solely on you and therefore develop a level of self discipline and motivation that enables you to remain completely focussed on the objectives of your business.
• Know what the objectives of your business are and stick to them. Don’t get distracted into other ideas or variations of your business until you are satisfied that the original core idea is developed and working. Many businesses that fail in the early days do so because they try to grow too quickly and expand into additional areas before their core product is fully developed and marketed.
• Ensure you have a clear division between your personal and business lives. This is especially important when families with children are involved so the time spent working and the time spent with the family are entirely separate. Also make sure that the area you use for your work is clearly defined and as separate as it can be from your living space
• Understand what your regulatory requirements are. There are a multitude of forms, requirements and deadlines that you have to meet with Companies House and the Inland Revenue which will impose fines if the deadlines are not met. It is therefore critical that you understand and can comply with these requirements.
• Make the best use of the Internet as your communication channel. Working from home does not always provide the easiest network to develop contacts and market your product which can all be done through good use of the internet.
• Organise your day. One of the keys to successfully working at home is the self discipline to focus on your objectives and if you’re not organised it is easy to become distracted and involved in something trivial that detracts from the main business in hand.
• Ensure your systems are backed up. Most businesses being run from home rely on small networks which are not backed up regularly and with so much else to do it’s easy to overlook the importance of this until it’s too late. Losing a database of clients can be critical for a small business so ensure you have the necessary equipment in place to back up regularly and adequately support your business.

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