It’s an idea that has crossed everyone’s mind at some point and seems to be entering the public consciousness more and more: leaving the rat race and working from home.
No more tiring and expensive commuting, less stress and more time with your family. But what is the reality of working from home – is it as fantastic as people imagine?
There are many things to think about before you decide against separate premises and work from home. Although it conjures images of a cosier, laidback existence the reality is that there are drawbacks to weigh up against the obvious benefits.
Cabin fever
Before deciding that it is the right option for you, it’s probably worth considering whether you’re the type of person who can deal with running a start-up on your own at home. Make sure you’re not just looking for the easy option, because it isn’t as cushy as it seems.
Working from home offers flexibility but it also requires self-discipline and organisation. You’ll need to be able to avoid procrastination, manage your time well and be able to adapt.
Is your home actually a suitable place to conduct your professional life and to run a start-up business? Will you be able to keep your working life and personal life apart while they’re coexisting within the same four walls?
Commuting is a pain, for sure – but why not consider living closer to where you work instead?
And having a clear separation of your personal and work life means that when you finally get home you really appreciate it. Working and living in the same place, day and night, could induce cabin fever.
It’s worth considering how your family will react. It is one thing to be disciplined yourself but you will also need the support of those around you. Crucially, isolation is a big drawback of working from home. You will probably be alone a lot of the time and won’t have as many social networking opportunities as you have in an office, where you can share ideas face-to-face with colleagues and build up bonds around the water cooler. You can keep in constant contact with any people you employ by conventional phone calls, conference calls and through email, but certain nuances of face-to-face communication cannot be replicated.
If your stationery has a residential address clients and customers might consider you an amateurish operation, and it could be problematic finding somewhere to meet clients. Click here to find out how by creating a virtual office you can avoid such problems.
It’s also worth bearing in mind that there may be red tape to avoid. You may need to revise your insurance policy to cover business equipment in the home, for example. If you live in rented accommodation, you might need permission from your landlord or council before you are allowed to operate a business from home.
Benefits
Working from home, you can fit work around your family instead of the other way round, which contributes to an altogether better quality of life. Operating your business from home also reduces your running costs dramatically – a massive plus for cash-strapped start-ups.
Gillian Nissim, the founder of workingmums.co.uk, runs an internet business from her home in London. And as a mother, she finds working from home to be mostly preferable.
“The advantage is the flexibility,” she says. “I have two young children who I need to collect from school and I can fit my work around that.
“The business is internet-based, so I can link up with people who work for me via technology.
“There are no office costs and no overheads, which is a big bonus; cost is probably the main factor.”
One thing Gillian does lament is “spending a lot of time inside the same four walls.
“I sleep here, eat here and work here,” she admits.
“I try to keep my office separate, but it can be very tempting to check emails at all times of the day. I have to make an effort to switch off.
“On the whole, however, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.”
Even if you prefer working in the office, having things set up so you and your employees can work from home at a moment’s notice is useful if you need to put in extra hours at the weekend, or if there were ever a problem – for instance if your office building was evacuated because of fire or a bomb threat, or if inclement weather made it difficult to get into the office.
Tips
Firstly, plan ahead effectively. Good time management is crucial and by reviewing your goals at the start of the day you have more chance of meeting them. Make a schedule of tasks for the day and build a routine.
Define your workspace. Making a mental and physical distinction between your home and your working life is essential, both to resist distractions and to prevent work from consuming your life.
Creating a dedicated working area is essential. Separate telephone lines for home and business could help you to maintain a boundary.
Take the assembly of your home office seriously. It should be comfortable, well lit and properly equipped.
Place your desk or workspace near to a natural source of light and organise an efficient filing system before establishing your start-up. This means you avoid the risk of papers piling up during your first few hectic weeks in business. There are now a wide variety of home office workstations which are fully mobile and can be moved from room to room.
Get out of the ‘9 to 5’ mindset. If you work better early in the morning, for example, then use the time effectively and finish earlier.
Try to mix with people as often as possible to stave off cabin fever. You could attend dedicated start-up networking events or meet up with old colleagues, friends and business associates with whom you can discuss new ideas.
And finally, try to get the balance right. Take care that your office and working life doesn’t encroach onto your personal life as you could just end up back at square one in terms of your work/life balance.
Another thing to consider is whether you are liable for capital gains tax and local property taxes, which are usually applied where one or more rooms are reserved entirely for business purposes. To avoid liability, try to work in the normal home environment, maybe in a quiet corner of the living room or from the garage. Alternatively, where one room must be set aside for business purposes, leave a few small items of domestic furniture in the room.
