How to Run Your Business From Home
If you’re looking to run a business from home, then you’re in luck. Now is the time to start this kind of business, not only because it works great for you, but also because it’s something professionals are now doing all over the world. More and more companies are hiring remote teams, and even health professionals such as therapists are seeing their clients online. So if you’ve decided you want to run a business from home, whether it’s in dropshipping or offering legal services like lawyer Aaron Kelly, it’s a great time to get started.
But like any business, there are some guidelines you should follow. So if you want to be successful in running your business from home, here are some tips to follow.
Create a dedicated workspace
Many people dream of working from home because they love the idea of working from bed. Or from the poolside, sipping on a cool drink while answering work emails. But have you ever tried to work outside on a sunny day? The glare on your laptop screen makes it completely impossible. And working from bed is a great idea in theory, but it’s likely you’ll be too tempted to relax. It’s important to create a specific space that you psychologically associate with work.
If you’ve got an actual office in your house, that’s great. But if you’re living in a smaller house or apartment, you have to get creative. You may have to create a workspace in your living room or make your guest room a half office. Whatever you choose to do, remember to be organized and clean, as an uncluttered room means an uncluttered mind. To learn more about strategies for creating a home office, check out this article.
Additionally, don’t forget that you can get a tax deduction for having a home office. So if you want to spend a little extra money sprucing it up, that’s fine! According to TurboTax, “Your home office business deductions are based on the percentage of your home used for the business or a simplified square footage calculation…The most exact way to figure this proportion is to measure the square footage devoted to your home office and find what percentage it is of the total area of your home. If the office measures 150 square feet, for example, and the total area of the house is 1,200 square feet, your business percentage would be 12.5 percent (150 ÷ 1,200).”
There are lots of great resources out there for how to create the perfect at-home workspace, which is no surprise considering that 3.7 million employees worked from home for at least half the time in 2017.
Get online, and get connected
If your home office is where you get your work done, then the Internet is where all your meetings with your clients are. Sure, you might have a few connections in the area if you’re transitioning from consulting in person to consulting online, but most of your customers are going to come from the connections you make online. The same goes for anyone you choose to partner with or hire if you’re planning on having a remote team.
So the first thing you want to do is create a great website. It should have information about you that lists your experience, what services you offer, and reviews of your services or products. If you’re running an ecommerce store, then providing clients with images of what you sell is essential. Additionally, don’t forget to make your website mobile friendly. We’re spending five hours a day on our phones now, so it’s likely that someone will come across your website on their tiny phone screen instead of on a computer. Not sure how to make your site mobile-friendly? Check out these tips from Hootsuite.
Additionally, it’s a smart idea to have a blog on your website or to blog on a platform like Medium.com, which entrepreneurs like Brian Magierski do to spread the word about forthcoming business ventures. It’s a great way to draw in clients. For example, if you’re offering accounting services for expats abroad, you can write guides on what forms clients need to fill out when filing taxes from another country. And if they want your help with those forms, they can hire you.
Don’t forget to be active on social media, too. It can boost your popularity and help you find other people in the same industry. To learn more about how to make meaningful connections with your customers on social media, take a look at this article from Forbes.com.
By using these strategies, the business you’re running from home will be successful in no time. By setting up your office, website, and making connections online, you’ll do well in whatever business venture you’re looking to start.
Why have you decided to work from home?