Working from Home

Maybe you’re just sick of the commute. Sharing the freeway with crazy people is getting old. I don’t blame you. Idiot sightings are up and it’s hard to get through an intersection in one try with everyone feeding their phone addiction.

Maybe you’re dreaming of starting something special. A service that comes from the heart, dished up for people that you care about. The world has waited too long for this, you say. It’s time. You’re going to launch it and the fuzzy slippers routine is the way to go.

Whatever your motivation to start working from home, you know it’s not going to be easy. There are obstacles, risks involved, and things to prepare for. The big come-on for starting a small business from home is, “Free! I’ll be free!” Waving goodbye to your tyrant boss will make you feel more independent, but there are many time-sucking denizens lurking in your home-office future.

Before making the leap, consider the amount of administrative costs and support your company takes care of for you. Of course, no one article is going to stop you if you’ve decided to make the leap to start your own small business. This article, however, will help you jump with your eyes open. This is my collection of things to think about as you settle into the starting blocks and look down the lane towards the finish line.

Schedule

PRO

• Increased flexibility. Getting to that soccer game is no big deal.
• Energy management. Take a nap if you need to and then hit it hard again. No one is watching.

Environment

PRO

• Casual dress
• Productivity — your personal work style — is totally up to you
• Part of your home is now tax-deductible for the business

CON

• Distractions (kids, partner, roommate, visitors) can steal your productivity
• Transitions are abrupt. You can go from deep into a deal into holding a sick child.
• Organization is all you. If you can’t find it now, it will get worse.
• Feeling isolated. Somewhat offset by networking and social media.
• New staff likely will not appreciate the lack of office amenities
• Line between work and family/leisure gets blurred. Work is always available and you must be able to walk away from it.
• The informal setting can lower credibility with clients and prospects
• Productivity depends on you being really good at self-management
• The family loses some living space to make room for your office
• Family may resent your staff as privacy invaders

Expenses

PRO

• Lower overhead by dodging an office lease
• Fewer lunches out (maybe – depends on your networking needs)
• Lower car-related expenses
• Lower dry-cleaning bill (casual dress)

CON

• Must acquire your own health insurance
• Computer, business phone, printer, Internet, teleconferencing software, accounting software, online file sharing, etc.

Relationships

PRO

• No boss Less stress because you are in control and don’t feel as rushed

CON

• Lots of quasi-bosses: prospects, buyers, clients, vendors, business partners
• Harder to form new relationships without daily contact
• Less people to learn from when you work alone
• You wear all the hats: boss, bookkeeper, customer service, printer repair. 

Office Evolution Columbus

At Office Evolution Columbus, we understand the unique challenges of being a solopreneur, and we have designed our services with the modern day, flexible, entrepreneur in mind. Our Virtual Office or Entry Level Services ranges from a private mailbox, to meeting space, to phone answering service providing the support you need in your entrepreneurial journey.

We also offer the ideal combination of a Coworking Community and Private Offices. We serve the Columbus metropolitan area with 3 locations, so when you start looking at office space near me or a conference room near me or a meeting space near me, we are close to Powell, Dublin, Hilliard, Grove City, Worthington, New Albany, Westerville, Bexley, Blacklick, Clintonville, Upper Arlington or Reynoldsburg, choosing Office Evolution Columbus in Dublin, Worthington or Easton Town Center will help your budget remain flexible, with more money to spend on the things that matter most to your business.

Contact us today to set up a tour at our Dublin, Worthington or Easton, Ohio locations.

Dublin – [email protected] (614) 495-9274

Easton – [email protected] (614) 944-519

Worthington – [email protected] (614) 985-3600