Not everyone who sets up a home business will be successful, so it is important to plan well in advance. Obviously one of the main factors in achieving success is building your reputation and producing high quality work, but you will also need to consider where you work and marketing your business.
Finding a Location
One of the hardest parts of working from home can be trying to keep your work life and your home life separate, as it can be all too easy for them to merge. For this reason it may be best to create a separate work area and for certain types of work this will be a necessity anyway.
The key to getting this right is to work wherever you feel most comfortable and can be productive. It is not always necessary to have your own office or room, especially in the beginning whilst you are waiting for your marketing to work and your business to get going; just do what works for you.
Avoiding Distractions of Home Life
This can be a tricky one and will often require a lot of willpower. The best way to combat this is to have some sort of schedule to your day. It is important to take breaks so perhaps use this time to allow yourself to unwind and watch the TV or pop into town.
You may also find if you are the one in charge of the day to day running in your house that you get caught up with the dreaded housework. Doing a little here and there is ok, but try to keep it to a minimum and do not let it interfere with your work. Obviously if you are really pushed for time one day then leave it, your work, clients and marketing are more important!
Planning your Time
Try to make sure that everyday you plan your day out so that you can incorporate everything that you need to get done. As with any standard office job, it is best to keep your working hours fairly regular so that you become used to when work time actually is. The benefit of working from home is that you can choose these hours and start and finish whenever would suit you best. It is however advisable that you make sure you keep your hours reasonably standard as communicating with your clients, marketing and finding new work is much easier this way.
Chris Jenkinson is a UK based internet marketing consultant providing an outsourced marketing service to business owners and company directors.