Setting Up Shop
Fifteen percent (15%) of the U.S. job force or 20.7 million people work from their home according to the U.S. Department of Labor. You might ask yourself, can these people truly be productive? Can I make a career from the comfort of my own home? Are there employers that will allow such an arrangement? My answer to all of these questions is a resounding yes! Provided you have the opportunity, the proper environment, the appropriate capabilities, personal characteristics, and technology; you can enjoy a successful career from home. This article is the first of several that addresses the various avenues and related obstacles surrounding those of you who wish to or currently work from home. Frequently I hear people ask “what opportunities exist,” “what do I need to get started,” “do I need to incorporate and how,” and “do I need a Website?” I will address all of these questions later in the series, but for now, I wish to discuss one of the most critical aspects of working out of your house; your work environment. In a home based business or home office situation, your work environment is the cornerstone of your success. In the paragraphs that follow I will help you identify, assemble, and equip your workspace to become your foundation for a productive and successful career at home.
When working from home, where you decide to establish as your workspace is extremely important. Your work environment is where you will spend most of your time. This area will become your office and it should fit your business needs. Our first objective is to identify the workspace you will be operating out of. For some, this may be an unused room in your home, and for others, this may be a corner of your bedroom. Regardless of where your workspace is, you must select an area that will be comfortable to you and your needs. You need to ensure that you can have a quiet area where you cannot be disturbed. Areas such as your living room or den are not ideal because of distractions such as the television or family members can decrease your productivity. You are a professional and you require a professional work environment. If you do not have an area where you are free from common household distractions, you will need to take the steps necessary to safeguard yourself and your work from them. For example, if you have a television in your workspace, I would suggest that you do not allow it to be on during normal work hours. You will need to explain this to family members to prevent them from disturbing you. Once you are able to stake your claim as to where your office is, and protect it from normal disturbances, you are well on your way to success.
After you have identified your workspace, the next step along our journey is to assemble your work environment. This is getting a desk or setting up a computer, adding pictures, wall hangings, installing a phone, etc. Your goal is to establish an area that you are eager to visit and spend time in each day. Personalization is important here. As I mentioned earlier, your work environment should be comfortable to you. Not in the sense that you would have no problem taking a nap in your workspace, but that you can work comfortably and allow your talents free range to operate. For example, if you work best with ambient music, make sure you have a CD player in your office with appropriate music. A particular picture might give you inspiration and you should insure that it is hanging where you can see it. All of these things create an atmosphere that fosters productivity.
There are certain tools that are required by your business or within your industry, make sure they are available to you while at home. If you were a mechanic, you wouldn’t try to fix a car without wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers, etc? No, you are expected to use the tools of the trade. For most of us a computer is a necessity, a common work tool required by our profession. If you do not already have one I suggest you get one. If you are in the market for a new PC, I recommend PCMall.com or CompUSA. Both of these vendors provide quality name brand equipment and support, not to mention they cater to the home office/small office user. More critical than a PC for most home based businesses or offices is phone service. There are many who will simply use their existing phone service, but I would encourage you not to give into this impulse. There are several reasons or advantages for separating your personal phone line from your business or office. The first advantage is that there is no contention between you and your family members for use of the phone. Second, your business number will allow you to present a professional image. When people call your business number there is no need to try and distinguish the call between a personal or business call. You know that the call came in on your business line and you can answer accordingly. If you have an answering machine or voice mail on your business line you can have a professional sounding message as opposed to the message they would receive on your personal answering machine. Image is very important when you are operating out of your home. For those of you with high-speed Internet I would recommend Vonage Phone Services. Vonage offers very affordable phone, fax, and voice mail services to individuals and businesses for a single flat rate. Through Vonage you can add a business line without any additional phone lines from your local phone company. However, if you simply want to present a professional image by giving your customers and contacts a business number which has voice mail and call forwarding GotVmail would be my next suggestion. GotVmail provides you with a business number that you can hand out with features such as call forwarding, music on hold, multiple extensions, and auto-attendant. These are the features you normally hear when calling a fortune 500 company. There are many other tools and services that I can talk about here, but the point is that as a professional, you require specific tools and must insure they are in your work environment. Lastly all of these tools or services are usually tax-deductible and you may want to mention them to your accountant.
Now that you have identified your work area, assembled your environment, and equipped it with all the necessary tools, you are probably ready to get to work. However, there is one crucial step that we must not overlook. It is extremely important to make a schedule that you will live by while working from home. You now have a new workspace or office, but there will still be the temptation to put work off for other activities. If you make a schedule and put it in writing, it will help you maintain your focus and priorities. I suggest that you place your schedule somewhere you will always have to look at it. It might even be worth your while to place it where other members of your family can see it as well. This will help resolve any conflicts down the road related to your schedule. In the next article for this series I will address where to find legitimate home based opportunities and things to look for when evaluating which ones work best for you.
Jason Woods is a seasoned technology consultant and entrepreneur. His insight and information has helped countless individuals around the world. For more information on starting a business, home based opportunities, telecommuting, running a home office, and more, visit: http://www.4smalloffices.com
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