Presumably if you are reading this then you are trying to decide if a home based business is for you. What does it take? Do you have the right resources? How are people successfully working from home now?
I have worked at home for many years and understand some of the concerns that you may have as I've already been there and worked through most of them. The first thing you need is to have the motivation and an idea.
If you already know what you want to do then you have already jumped the first hurdle! If not, then you need to start researching. There is no shortcut to this and your success depends on how well you conduct your research and match any potential opportunities to your needs.
There are a wealth of opportunities out there which all offer differing rewards. Decide what you hope to gain from working from home and make yourself a list of criteria. This should include the time you have available (how many hours a day, what time of the day, how many days of the week), the resources you have available (telephone access, computer access, childcare help, support network etc) and the finance you have to put into your business.
Measure each opportunity against your list of criteria and disregard the ones that don't match up. Secondly you should never get involved with something that you are not 100% committed to. If you do, you will find that your enthusiasm dries up after a short time and you will struggle to find the motivation to continue when you face challenges. Ideally, the opportunity you settle with will match your interests and experience.
Finally, if you don't have all the skills required to make the opportunity work, look at what training is offered, or what training you could access in order to achieve those skills.
Once you have your opportunity in place look around at your home. Once you start working at home this will also become your office. In order not to get constantly distracted allocate yourself a usable room or at least a space that you can regard as your working area. If you are going to work from your kitchen table, that's fine, but when you start work each morning, clear the area and make it appear, to you, to be as business like as possible.
Whatever space you choose, you should have all the equipment you will need close at hand. This may include your computer, phone, pens/paper, notebook. If you are doubling up on a space in your home (ie. the kitchen table) keep the things you need in a box, or bag that can be taken out at the start of each working day.
Although it's okay to multi-task, if you are good at doing this, but avoid getting too distracted. It can get tempting to read the newspaper when it is delivered, or to switch the television on in the afternoon, but if you fall into this regularly you will not be giving yourself a fair chance of success. After all, if you were employed would you expect your employer to allow you to do this during working hours?
If you are used to being employed, or around a lot of people on a regular basis, then working from home can at first seem isolating. One way to combat this is to join online forums and make friends with people in your chosen industry. Or find a mentor that you can call on to encourage you along your path. If you feel that loneliness could be a barrier for you, then prepare for it so as not to find yourself spending more time during the day talking to friends or family than you are working.
I am often asked about the tax implications of working from home and this can be easily answered. If you are based in the UK you will need to register as self-employed with the Inland Revenue within your first three months of trading or receive a fine. Your first day of trading is usually taken as the day you make your first sale. You will then need to submit a Tax Return each year, which is issued in April and needs to be filed with the Revenue by the following 31st January. Unless you know exactly what you are doing, don't be tempted to fill the return in yourself, but use an accountant.
That should cover all the basics that you need to work from home with some degree of success and I hope that you have found the information helpful.
I have worked at home for many years and understand some of the concerns that you may have as I've already been there and worked through most of them. The first thing you need is to have the motivation and an idea.
If you already know what you want to do then you have already jumped the first hurdle! If not, then you need to start researching. There is no shortcut to this and your success depends on how well you conduct your research and match any potential opportunities to your needs.
There are a wealth of opportunities out there which all offer differing rewards. Decide what you hope to gain from working from home and make yourself a list of criteria. This should include the time you have available (how many hours a day, what time of the day, how many days of the week), the resources you have available (telephone access, computer access, childcare help, support network etc) and the finance you have to put into your business.
Measure each opportunity against your list of criteria and disregard the ones that don't match up. Secondly you should never get involved with something that you are not 100% committed to. If you do, you will find that your enthusiasm dries up after a short time and you will struggle to find the motivation to continue when you face challenges. Ideally, the opportunity you settle with will match your interests and experience.
Finally, if you don't have all the skills required to make the opportunity work, look at what training is offered, or what training you could access in order to achieve those skills.
Once you have your opportunity in place look around at your home. Once you start working at home this will also become your office. In order not to get constantly distracted allocate yourself a usable room or at least a space that you can regard as your working area. If you are going to work from your kitchen table, that's fine, but when you start work each morning, clear the area and make it appear, to you, to be as business like as possible.
Whatever space you choose, you should have all the equipment you will need close at hand. This may include your computer, phone, pens/paper, notebook. If you are doubling up on a space in your home (ie. the kitchen table) keep the things you need in a box, or bag that can be taken out at the start of each working day.
Although it's okay to multi-task, if you are good at doing this, but avoid getting too distracted. It can get tempting to read the newspaper when it is delivered, or to switch the television on in the afternoon, but if you fall into this regularly you will not be giving yourself a fair chance of success. After all, if you were employed would you expect your employer to allow you to do this during working hours?
If you are used to being employed, or around a lot of people on a regular basis, then working from home can at first seem isolating. One way to combat this is to join online forums and make friends with people in your chosen industry. Or find a mentor that you can call on to encourage you along your path. If you feel that loneliness could be a barrier for you, then prepare for it so as not to find yourself spending more time during the day talking to friends or family than you are working.
I am often asked about the tax implications of working from home and this can be easily answered. If you are based in the UK you will need to register as self-employed with the Inland Revenue within your first three months of trading or receive a fine. Your first day of trading is usually taken as the day you make your first sale. You will then need to submit a Tax Return each year, which is issued in April and needs to be filed with the Revenue by the following 31st January. Unless you know exactly what you are doing, don't be tempted to fill the return in yourself, but use an accountant.
That should cover all the basics that you need to work from home with some degree of success and I hope that you have found the information helpful.
This article was written by Karen Turl who is an internet entrepreneur, UK tax accountant and published author. http://www.gothicdream.co.uk Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karen_Turl |
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