I’ve been working from home for a few years, and I will admit, it can be tough. But it is possible to be successful when you work from home, no matter what your business is.
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Time Management is for successful people
I’m going to go out on a limb here and take a guess that you have made the decision to work from home because you either A) have kids and want to spend more time with them or you don’t want to send them to childcare. Or B) you have a medical reason for not being able to leave the house or your health makes it easier for you to work from home than travel to a workplace somewhere. Either way, you have some type of life commitment that takes priority, and this means you need to manage your time really well. Working out a schedule and sticking to it can make a big difference to how well you do. It is also important to remember that just because you work from home, it doesn’t mean that you are always available. Friends and family will try to take advantage of the fact that you work from home and will expect you to drop everything for them when they see fit. Do not feel bad for saying no to people who want you to drop everything because it’s convenient for them to grab a coffee.
Passion and Enthusiasm is always needed
There is no point in starting a business if you are not excited about it. I’ve seen so many people start off in a business for the wrong reasons and have it fail because they weren’t excited about it. I love what I do and I have been known to get sucked into my work at times. I also plan things and mull over details in my mind. I wake up in the morning and look forward to seeing what is on my agenda for the day. Your business should light a fire within you. Don’t get into a business because you think it is a get rich quick scheme because they rarely have any staying power and you will get bored of it quickly. This should be something that makes you think about retirement and give it the middle finger. Anything less than that and it isn’t worth your time.
Determination
Did you know that around 30% of businesses fail in the first year? But just because you get over the first year, it doesn’t mean that you are out of the woods yet. 50% fail in the first five years, and 66% in the first ten years. I don’t want my business to fail, and I’m pretty sure you don’t want yours to fail either. Those figures are scary but we all need a reality check. Running a business is hard and we need to approach it with determination. There will be many things that will try to knock you down but don’t let them stop you from being successful. Well-meaning family and friends might bring up concerns (and you should definitely listen to them for feedback) but don’t listen to those who just want to put you down.
IT Skills
It might seem obvious but a lot of people run headfirst into a business and they don’t have any sort of IT skills. Computers can make running your business so much easier if you know how to use them properly. Spreadsheets are great for tracking basic accounting, word documents make communicating with customers and other businesses easier, and graphic design programmes mean that you can make your business signage as pretty as you want. There are loads of free courses to help you get the most out of your laptop, even YouTube is packed with information about how best to use the magic box at your fingertips. Have a search online and you will find plenty of resources to up your IT game.
Networking
Don’t be afraid to talk about your business and tell people about it. I was so awkward about talking about my writing when I first started, nobody knew what I did. Most of the time, I just lied and said that I stayed at home with the kids. And when I did tell people, they were excited and wished they had known about my stuff sooner. Do not be a victim of your own self-doubt. Post on social media, tell people what you are up too, and find out people who are business owners. They don’t even need to be in the same line of work as you. There are plenty of places online and in real life where you can meet with other business owners to share ideas and your goals. You never know, they might even be interested in your using your business and you have bagged yourself some new clients.
Never stop learning
One of the things I will never forget from my time as an employee was the training. You had your basic training (which was normally six weeks before they let you loose) and throughout your time there, you will have been pulled out from time to time for more training. Laws changed, software updated, new trends were identified. As an employee, you were made to take part in training updates. As a business owner, you should continue to learn and study for around 10 hours a week to make sure that you excel in your chosen field. That might sound like a lot but it is two hours for five days a week which will help you to grow. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you know it all because it is that moment that someone else will overtake you and you will see your business fail.
What are your top tips for being successful? Or do you have a dream of running your own business? Let me know in the comments!
Great post working from home sounds great but there are so many other things you need to be aware of
I really could do with working on my IT skills. They really aren’t the best. Time management is key. When you work with social media it’s hard not to be distracted.
I’ve worked from home for the last couple of years as I’m a PhD student and it helps to keep my costs down! It is really hard, especially when there are so many easy ways to procrastinate at home. Thankfully because I’m part of a university I don’t have to worry about the wider infrastructure stuff like IT and training as they cover all of that even if you’re remote!
My husband works from home and it does take a lot of effort for him to actually get on with work because he becomes very distracted
I have been WFH for many years now and I agree with these tips, I always time block but also I am not 100% stuck to just work as boredom comes quickly in those circumstances
I am really making the most of the chance to work at home, as it has meant I can fit in my physio and other stuff and it’s really helped with my chronic health issues.
For me it’s making sure I don’t get distracted when I work at home. I think it’s so important to have good time management skills x
I started my blog 9 years ago, as a hobby first. but it is now my job and I love it. as I set the hours it’s very flexible, so I can have time off if one of my kids is ill etc.
Some great tips here. I always thought it would be easier, but in many ways it is harder as there is no support network to help
Some really great tips you have here . I am always on the hunt for new tips and tricks to help me out
These are great tips! I find networking and time management is a great skill to have especially if you are new to working from home
This is a great post , when working from home for what ever reason, having a schedule, determination and focus is a must. Its can be very easy to get distracted.
I have been working from home for 4 years now and my biggest obstacle is having a dedicated time to do my work. My family thinks that because I am home, they expect that I will attend to their every whim. This has to stop if I want to reach the success I dream of.