Category: Home-Based Business

By Laura Gayle, Business Woman Guide

On his popular children’s TV show, Mr. Rogers used to walk through the door (singing), take off his jacket and throw on a sweater. This signified that the show had begun. If you work from home, you might want to create similar rituals for yourself to signify that your work session is starting or has ended. This marker can help you maintain discipline — and let anyone who lives with you know when you’re un/available for interruptions.

In a recent Gallup poll, 43 percent of employed Americans worked remotely at least part of the time. Any space is good enough in a pinch, but if you decide to work full-time from home, you need to set yourself up for success. The following tips should help you do just that.

Preparing Your Workspace

Designating a working area and keeping it as task-friendly as possible will help you focus on your work.

• Identify potential workspaces. Carve out the best possible workspace in your apartments for rent in charleston sc or studio. If you don’t have a spare room that will hold a desk and all the accessories, find or make an empty corner with enough space for you and your tech. Even a closet can make a great home office.
• Move unused furniture and belongings to storage. To maximize space in your small apartment/office, consider renting storage space to stow away belongings such as camping equipment, large furniture that’s rarely used, and seasonal clothing and outerwear.
• Soundproof a room for conference calls. To maintain focus and cut back on embarrassing distractions (dogs barking, kids going nuts in the next room), there’s an easy way to soundproof a room: Cover the door with a fiberglass blanket.
• Go wireless. If you want to maximize desktop space in a small apartment, wireless is the answer. A wireless connection lets you move around the apartment. You’ll need a wireless keyboard and mouse, for starters. Also, if you use a printer, connect wirelessly and put it somewhere else to preserve your valuable workspace. Bluetooth headphones work with your mobile phone to let you quickly accept incoming client calls without carrying around your phone.

Getting Outside

Even after making all these adjustments, you may find it’s too challenging to work from home 100% of the time. Here are some tips to get you out of the house and talking to people.

 

• Shared Office Space. Renting shared office space gives you the flexibility to work in a professional office building while retaining your freedom to work from home most of the time. The great news is that you don’t have to rent full-time office space for those critical conference calls and customer interactions. Shared office space is cheaper than renting space full-time in a commercial building; it also provides you valuable networking opportunities with others in your space.
• Trade Shows and Conferences. There are a lot of benefits to working from home, but when you don’t have a storefront, it can be harder to be seen and get your business noticed. One way to deal with that is to attend a trade show, conference, or convention related to your business. This will give you great face-time and exposure to potential clients.

Working Efficiently and Using Productivity Tools

Establishing a schedule helps you maintain equilibrium and separate your work life from your home life, even when they both happen in the same space. Meanwhile, gathering the right digital tools around you can help you keep track of projects and timeliness, increasing your productivity.

• Stick to a schedule.  Make your workday as productive as you can without burning yourself out. Keeping a schedule might seem counterintuitive if you’re working from home to gain more personal freedom. However, knowing your working hours in advance helps you maintain a sense of professionalism. Also, when you know the clock is ticking, you may find yourself more motivated to finish tasks promptly rather than procrastinating.
• Take advantage of apps and programs. Computer and mobile apps help you keep in touch with clients and other business contacts around the world. You can do your marketing from your laptop and automate a lot of your customer interactions. Some of the most useful ones will soon become essentials in your work-at-home toolkit. For example, Skype and join.me let you conduct professional video calls and meetings. Other user-friendly at-home tools include Grasshopper, which answers client calls professionally, and Basecamp, a great project management tool. Google apps also provide a plethora of free tools you can use to take care of business from your home office. An added benefit: Using technology can boost your image to co-workers and clients and counteract any doubts about your technical capabilities while working at home. Lastly, if you’re self-employed, you can use a free tax calculator to estimate your taxes for the end of the year to avoid any surprises.

Creating a Collaborative Haven

If you have roommates — or even employees who sometimes need to work in the same space with you — running a business from your apartment can be a little more difficult. If you need to share your space for work, consider renting or creating a co-working space that’s inviting, relaxed and versatile.

• Open up the space. To foster communication and collaboration, create an open workspace. Psychologically, the shift from “my space” to the more collaborative “our space” helps each employee remember they’re part of something bigger, and bouncing ideas is easier.
• Envision a flexible work area. Modern employees carry mobile technology at all times, making it easy for millennials (and other generations!) to take their work to cafés, homes, or even local parks. Sometimes a change of scenery can help you come up with creative solutions to complex problems — even if you’re just moving from kitchen table to easy chair to desk. In this way, a variety of work areas can help increase overall productivity.

Working remotely is a great option for many workers, but navigating the necessities of remote “officing” is not necessarily intuitive from the beginning. However, with a little preparation and some thoughtful manipulation of technology, time and space, you can be organized and stay productive while working at home.

Article Contributed by Kayleigh Alexandra

One thing is for sure – office life doesn’t suit everyone. For whatever reason, whether it’s your personal circumstances or simply down to preference, some people get more out of working from home. The distractions are minimal, the commute is non-existent, and you don’t even have to change out of your pyjamas if you don’t want to. There are lots of different job options for those who want to work from home, and while it doesn’t work for all career paths, there are several where you can make it happen. A lot comes down to what your skills are. Here are some of the top options to consider when searching for a job that can be done from home.

Sales and customer care

Got a phone? Access to Wi-Fi? That and the gift of the gab is all you need for a job in sales or customer care. You’re on the phone and computer for most of the day, so there is no need for you to go into the office. More and more companies are allowing their sales and customer care employees to telecommute nowadays, as it can easily be done from home and gives employees more flexibility.

While the level of expertise needed for this kind of job can vary depending on the company and products involved, as long as you are comfortable speaking to people on the phone, a lot of the knowledge required can be learned as you go along. Whether it’s tech support, resolving minor issues or taking payments over the phone, this is a viable option for home workers.

Copywriting and editing

Copywriters are always in high demand for marketing and advertising purposes, and one of the best things about this kind of work is that it can easily be handled on a freelance basis, rather than working in-house for one company. The joy of writing is that you can do it anywhere, whether that’s at home or even in a nice local cafe. As a freelance writer you can expect to write about all sorts of different subjects, whatever the client needs on that occasion.

More and more, copywriters are hired to write content for the web, which could be articles, guides and blog posts. As well as being a competent writer, it’s also good to have some knowledge of writing for SEO, which means including core keywords and variations of them. If you’re a quick writer and your output is good, you can expect to have clients coming back to you often with new briefs – just be sure you have time for them all, and set your freelance rates accordingly. This is a job that offers great freedom and flexibility, if you can manage your time effectively.

Running an ecommerce store

There are loads of great ways to earn an income online, and one of the best is to sell products or services through an online store. With today’s myriad platforms, tools and software, creating a professional online store is easy to achieve, without so much as a glance at a line of code. You can automate order fulfillment using a dropshipping merchant, which removes the need for you to store inventory and package/post it yourself.

Whatever you sell, the key to success is to effectively get the word out there by marketing yourself through all available channels, and to ensure that customers have a smooth, seamless experience on your website. Think intuitive navigation, one-click payments and super fast loading times. If you have a passion for a particular product, then running an ecommerce store could be the perfect stay-at-home job for you.

Home tutoring

The demand for good home tutors is rising rapidly. If you have teaching experience of any kind, then now is the perfect time to explore home tutoring as a potential career option. Increasingly, the school system is failing students who struggle with particular subjects and need extra help. Teachers are handling classes of 30 or more students, making it virtually impossible for them to give every student the full care and attention that they need. That’s why many parents turn to home tutoring to help give their children the extra support they need in subjects that they find difficult, whether it’s reading, writing, maths or music. This kind of work is ideal for those who have already trained as teachers but who want to switch to a more one-on-one role, or for those who want to supplement supply teaching work.

Home tutors can take this career further by helping to manage other teachers and educators, creating a network of professionals to cater to the demand – much like a home tutoring referral network.

Digital marketing

Do you know your way around SEO and marketing in the digital world? If you have previous experience working as a digital marketer and the proof that you can generate successful online campaigns, then digital marketing and SEO are great options for freelancers looking to work from home.

Whether you work in link-building, keyword research and optimization, social campaigns, site audits or Google advertising, there are many ways to generate a buzz online, and if you know how, then you have a potential successful career sitting right in front of you. All you need is a phone, a computer and internet access.

Transcription or translation

Transcription and translation services are much in demand, and are the ideal jobs to do from home as you ideally want as few distractions as possible. If you speak more than one language, it is entirely possible to make a very respectable income translating copy for international companies, where language barriers can lead to miscommunication.

Likewise, transcription work for things like audio notes, PowerPoint presentations and videos are highly sought after on websites like UpWork, allowing companies to outsource their transcription so they can focus on other business matters in-house. If you can type quickly and your spelling and grammar are spot on, transcription and translation work can be excellent work-from-home career alternatives.

Web design

The internet is here to stay, that’s for sure. And as more and more businesses, enterprises and organizations bring their businesses online, the demand for good web designers is high. Whether you already work as a web designer or are training in that field, the great thing about this kind of work is that you can do it from any location, as long as you have access to Wi-Fi and a computer. For this reason, a lot of web designers choose to work as freelancers, which means more flexibility and freedom.

As a freelancer you may find that some clients prefer for you to work in-house for the duration of their project, but this will not be the case all of the time. For the most part, web design is the perfect work-from-home gig, with the added bonus of allowing you to flex your creative muscles. Just be sure to set your freelance rates competitively.

Are you looking for the perfect work-from-home career? What aspects of working at home are important to you? Let us know about your own work-from-home experience in the comments.

About Kayleigh Alexandra: Passionate about writing for the startup and entrepreneurial audience, I have recently been part of setting up an exciting project at MicroStartups.org. We donate all our website profits to charities that help people reach their full potential. Find out more on Twitter.

Every 12 seconds, another American launches a new home-based business. These men and women start out with a dream, but it takes more than that vision to help their companies thrive. To build a successful home-based business, you’ll need the following essentials.

A Quiet, Separate Workspace

Establishing a quiet workspace in a low-traffic area is crucial for the success of any home-based business. You’ll find you’re better able to focus on your tasks when you’re far from the sounds of playing kids and blaring TVs. A separate workspace also gives any clients who visit you the privacy they deserve. When your home office is distinct from the areas you use for relaxing with your family, you’ll find it’s easier to achieve the work-life balance you need. Once you finish for the day, simply shut the door to switch gears to family time.

Good Lighting

A well-lit home office is a must-have. When your workspace is light and bright, you’ll see what you’re doing more easily so you can increase productivity and minimize the risk of eyestrain. But that isn’t the only benefit of good lighting. Bright lights also boost your mood, keep you awake, and reduce your risk of headaches.

Ideally, your home office should have a window that casts a lot of natural light. If you can’t find such a space, add sufficient manmade light sources. Warm lights make offices feel more comfortable and less harsh than cool lights. LEDs are the best manmade option. In addition to being cost-effective and environmentally friendly, LED lights can also boost workplace productivity by as much as 5 percent, according to research from Cornell University.

A Reliable Smartphone

Smartphone apps can assist you in all aspects of business operations, from communication and marketing to scheduling and accounts. Many leading applications won’t work on early smartphone models, though. Consider upgrading to an advanced device like the iPhone 6s Plus available on T-Mobile’s 4G LTE network when you launch your home-based business. This network is fast and offers wide coverage, so you can rely on it for smooth video conferencing over coffee at a café or responding to social media queries on the train.

Some people find themselves reaching for a smartphone throughout their workday, while others only use mobile devices while they’re out of the office. Whatever you choose, you’ll find that a smartphone will become a key tool for your home-based business.

A Powerful Laptop

Some experts say that a smartphone is the only tech tool you need to run a home-based business, but you’ll work more productively if you have a laptop as well. Composing emails, reports, and other documents is much easier on a laptop’s full-sized keyboard. The larger screen also helps minimize eyestrain. While a desktop computer offers similar perks, a laptop ensures that your files and documents are accessible on the go. This is ideal for business trips or whenever you need a change of scenery.

Make sure you choose a newer laptop that’s powerful enough to run the programs you regularly use. Graphic designers and other professionals who work with complex programs require more powerful laptops than those with simpler needs.

A Mighty Wi-Fi Router

A Wi-Fi router takes the information from your modem and delivers it to an internet-enabled device like a laptop or smartphone. It lets you share your internet connection with others, so the kids can use their tablets in their rooms while you’re working in the office.

The best Wi-Fi routers are built for streaming high-definition media. Choose these over cheaper alternatives if your family puts pressure on your connection with interactive games and streaming video.

Personalized Decorations

One of the greatest perks of working from home is having a workspace that you can call your own. Adding personalized decor with special meaning will help you feel more comfortable and happier in your office space. Think of potted plants on the desk and unique artwork or a favorite color on the walls. Choose decor carefully because too much clutter can negatively impact your performance.

With the right tools at your disposal, you can look forward to all the benefits that come from running a home-based business.

With the growth of e-commerce and the advent of new technologies, like cloud computing, there’s a whole host of modern businesses that are no longer restricted to the boundaries of the office. There are now over 4.2 million people across the UK working from home, up by more than 800,000 since 2005. Given the fact that operating remotely allows you to cut your running costs dramatically, many entrepreneurs will be wondering how they can successfully set up their own business from home.

How Will You Motivate Yourself?

Working from home requires a certain kind of skillset that it doesn’t suit everyone. Many people experience a difficult transition period when making the switch from a traditional office-based environment. It requires you be able to create your own regular schedule and stick to it. Otherwise, you’ll never stay productive and be a success. If you’re the type of worker who looks to others to spur you on, this may not be the best option for you. However, if you’re the type of person who can learn how to ignore the distractions around you, this may be perfect.

How Will You Create a Legitimate Business?

One of the biggest obstacles for any small businesses is simply getting noticed. Even though there are now more people working from home than ever before, many customers and business owners alike will still consider you as simply a hobby-project. One of the ways you can deal with this is to work with a virtual office provider who can give you a business address in a prestigious location. You’ll be able to advertise this address on your website, as well as access a variety of business support services like mail redirection so that you can keep your personal address private.

How Will You Deal with Third-Parties?

Finally, you may think that working from home means that you’ll be entirely on your own, but this isn’t the case. You’ll be more dependent on third-parties to help you than ever before. The reality is that no-one can take a product to market all by themselves. Whether it’s the owner of the warehouse that stores your inventory or the courier service who’s responsible for your goods reaching your customers, it’s crucial that you can deal with third-parties effectively. Building strong relationships here could lead you to reduced rates or invaluable knowledge about the inner-workings of your industry.