Home businesses are more viable now than they’ve ever been before. Even if you don’t have some grand idea, working from home as a content creator, Pinterest VA or more could see you finally shaking the workplace shackles. But, before you take the plunge, you must ask yourself whether this is something you really want.
After all, the ‘work from home’ dream can seem so appealing that it’s easy to overlook the challenges. Sadly, it won’t all be working in your PJs and putting the kids first. You’ll still be managing a company of sorts, and you might not necessarily have the time or support networks of a traditional office.
That can be incredibly tough, and, as recent years have revealed, it isn’t the right path for everyone. To avoid making a career-change you regret, I, therefore, recommend that you at least lookout for these red flags your home business might be better based in an office, after all.
You prefer to oversee everything
You’re only one person, and that means you’d inevitably need some help. Luckily, there are now more outlets for this than ever before, with freelancers, local IT support, and a whole lot besides in easy reach for any home business.
It is worth noting, though, that methods like these mean taking some processes out-of-house. For many, this won’t be an issue, and you hopefully fall under that category. But, you might prefer to build a physical team elsewhere if you would rather oversee everything and understand precisely what’s going on in every corner of your company.
You struggle to ignore distractions
As any home worker will tell you, distractions are inevitable. The phone will ring, the door will go, and worse, no one will appreciate that you’re trying to work.
With this in mind, most WHM veterans get strict about unplugging the phone and ignoring the door when necessary. This is literally the only way to manage their workloads.
If, however, you’re easily distracted and think you’d struggle drawing such divides, a home-based business probably isn’t your best option.
You work best in a team
You may also struggle here if you’re an extroverted person who typically works best as part of a team. After all, there’s no team around you when you work from home.
Even if you set up video calls and a remote workforce, it’s not possible to bounce off each other in quite the same way. For many people, this isn’t much of an issue. But, if you rely on others to spark your creativity, you can bet your business would be better based in an office.
There’s nothing wrong with admitting that home working isn’t for you, but plenty can go awry if you don’t take note of warning signs like these ahead of time.
While you draw up your business plan, then, I advise you to consider the best possible setting for your company. That way, you can start as you mean to go on, without risking an imperfect setup.
