As more people are being made redundant or are taking retirement earlier from their place of work, new small businesses are appearing regularly. More than half of the UK business market comprises of small set-ups or sole traders. One of the important keys to success is in managing the work environment effectively and in having a clear sense of what the business is and defining what its aims are.
One of the first hurdles in working from home is in being taken seriously. I remember my mother initially saying that she did not expect me to ever get a ‘proper job’ again once I became a full time, home based Counsellor and Hypnotherapist. Even though companies find that home based staff routinely work harder and produce more output than office based staff, because they are given specific measurable tasks, there is still that notion that people at home are not taking their work seriously, they are doing the chores, popping out to do the shopping, are watching day time television.
Another hurdle is to take ourselves seriously. Having a business plan, setting ourselves targets, goals, tasks to perform, people to meet, all denotes someone who means business and wants to be taken seriously. Many new start-ups find it difficult to stay on track and end up saying ‘yes’ to any job that comes their way. They can end up doing lots of different jobs that are out of their skill set. Saying ‘no’ to work can be a difficult choice, but sometimes it is better to refer work on or form an alliance with someone else, rather than become a jack of all trades with an unclear vision of what your ultimate goals and reputation are being built upon.
Work set hours. Many professional writers say that they go into their office at a certain time every day, stay until lunchtime, then return till evening, every day, even if they write nothing at all. They form the discipline that it is a proper job, that requires regular attendance rather than an occasional indulgence, and that is an important message in itself.
One of the dangers of working from home is learning when to stop working and how to switch off at the end of the day. They often feel guilty leaving work unfinished or feel that they should be doing something more. Office-based workers have the journey to and from work which either prepares them to start work or enables them to draw a line at the end of the working day.
Home workers do not have that option. I have worked with some seriously stressed clients who work from home. Some of the techniques that we have found to be helpful are,
At the end of the work day:
- have a jacket or something that you wear whilst working. Take it off when you have finished.
- close the door of the office behind you to indicate that it is closed for business
- have a separate work number that switches to answerphone out of hours.
- go for a walk round the block to get some fresh air.
- take a shower, change clothes to freshen up and start the evening
- schedule in some fun or light relief at times throughout the day, like an hour at the gym or a regular phone call with a friend.
For business support:
- consider joining a network group, either on line or in person
- professional business support agencies abound. Some are free to join and are all too keen to help support new start-ups or existing businesses to find their feet.
- keep your books up to date. Set aside time to deal with paperwork and accounts on a regular basis. This avoids an annual crisis to get the books in on time and also allows you to see where you are up to in terms of pricing, billing, being paid and profit margins.
- have a clear business plan and stay focussed on it. Review it with your adviser or accountant regularly and identify where your strengths are.
- have meetings with people in your field, either through your professional body or at conferences. It can be lonely working on your own and it is important to keep up to date and in touch, not just through trade magazines.
Susan Leigh, Counsellor and Hypnotherapist
www.lifestyletherapy.net