Home-Based Business Can Bear Good Results | Business 2 ...

As many individuals continue to find themselves out of work and a national unemployment rate still hovering around 8.1 percent, it should not come as a surprise that more and more Americans are taking to the idea of working from home.

If you find yourself among that group, have you considered starting up a home-based business?

While there are a number of responsibilities that come with such a venture, the rewards can be there if you know how to properly run such a business, have the resources in place or can acquire them, and are willing to be disciplined enough to avoid any distractions that will come your way.

In the event you have relocated from the corporate world to the unemployed and/or are just starting your own home-based venture, how can you best manage the time necessary to meet the needs of both your clients and yourself?

Among the things to keep in mind:

• Determine what the major differences are between working at a corporate office and doing the same in your home office. While being on the corporate schedule can be challenging, you typically are under a coordinated 9 to 5 schedule or something similar, one that is relatively easy to follow. When transitioning to a work-at-home business for similar work, compile a list of pros and cons you see popping up. If the negative list is much larger than the positive list, then you may need to think twice about such a move;
• Keep a similar schedule ? It is imperative that individuals transitioning from a corporate office to a home-based business keep similar schedules so that the work gets done. If you previously worked in a 9 to 5 job or similar hours do not start your home business by working two hours one day, four hours the next, three hours the following day etc. It is important to keep similar hours as you did for an employer to ward off any potential laziness and distractions;
• Do away with distractions if at all possible ? When calling home your workplace, it is easy to get distracted by family members, personal errands and the like. Make sure that family or not, you do not become distracted by all you have to do in your personal life and use some of your work time to accomplish those matters. Keep a similar schedule to a corporate office by giving yourself a short morning and afternoon break and either a half hour or hour for lunch;
• Put aside time for yourself ? Just as you would take a day off here and there or vacation time with corporate employment, make sure you don?t suffer from burn out working from home. While working from home may seem like a great deal, remember that you too have deadlines to meet. Make sure not to run yourself into the ground where you?re working night and day. Assuming you did not compile a lot of overtime in a corporate office setting, don?t do it either at home;
• Dress the role ? Whether or not you will be interviewing subjects from home in-person, it is important to play the role of a full-time employee from home. In too many instances, writers who work full or part-time from their residences end up feeling comfy in not dressing up as they would when going to an office. This can lead to lax efforts, etc. While you don?t need a three-piece suit to do the job from home, remove the pajamas and robe so that you?re not tempted to nap more than work;
• Promote your business ? Unlike in a corporate setting where there is added exposure for a business and/or office locale, working from home will mean more of a challenge. Utilize whatever promotional skills you have, including social media tools, to advertise your business. Social media is an especially important tool in that it offers real-time information for both current and potential clients.

When all is said and done, working from home can be particularly rewarding, especially from a stand point of feeling good about you personally and financially.

Photo credit: workathomesos.com

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