Tips to Manage Your Home Business

Tips to Manage Your Home Business Video

Dress for Success Even When Working from Home

When you work from home, treat your venture as a professional business - not a hobby.  Therefore you need to feel like you are a professional. Just because your home base isn’t an office building doesn’t make you any less serious about your business venture. One way to “get into character” is to look the part.

Getting into Character

You are playing a part – the part of a business entrepreneur. Internet marketers, freelance writers, bloggers, online coaches and virtual assistants (to name a few) are professional people who happen to be fortunate enough to conduct their businesses by making their own hours. This brings with it a lot of responsibility that those who work in offices might not experience. For one, motivation comes from within instead of without. 

Motivation, focus and discipline are all challenges for the working at home parent. With small children under foot, the line between business and family can get blurred. That is not the way that your business and your dreams will grow. 

What can you do? Get out of those pyjamas and get ready for the day as if you are about to leave the house. Changing your frame of mind is simpler when you are dressed for success. Remember how you prepared when you worked in the office? Do something similar at home. The one advantage is that you don’t have to get up so early and you won’t be required to spend gas getting to your destination.

Dress for Success

What will make you feel like you are at work? It all depends on the nature of your business. Let’s begin with enterprises that are conducted solely online. Most of the time, you do not have direct face-to-face contact with clients. Your dress code can be business casual. If a teleconference comes up, you don’t have to rush and change. This look is also appropriate for promotional videos that you create for the internet.

The game changes a bit when your business involves going out and meeting clients. This is the case with MLM, or multi-level marketing. As a representative of Mary Kay, The Pampered Chef, Avon and the likes.  The clothes that you wear are a part of your presentation. You Are Your Own Advertisement and Ambassador.  Who wouldn’t want to buy a product from a smartly dressed person?  One of your customers may also take advantage of the business opportunities you represent because you looked the part at your product shows. 

Service businesses that are conducted from home (cleaning, landscaping and etc.) may require work clothing when you are actually doing the job, but a smart outfit is advisable when meeting clients for the first time or promoting your business in the community. You feel more professional and potential customers can feel that as well.

If you haven’t given any thought to your business dress because you are at home while you are working, consider getting into character. 

Benefits of Working Online for Stay At Home Moms and Dads

Being a parent is a round-the-clock job. It is the fullest of full-time jobs. It never ends. It is a wonder how supermoms are able to juggle work, chores, being a wife, a mom or a husband or a dad. It is definitely a miracle if any parent excels in all of the above. Usually, one or more of the other roles suffer. 

Nowadays, a lot of people choose to work at home over having office jobs. This is actually advantageous for both employers and employees. Mostly, this is great for SAHPs or stay-at-home parents. 

It means less time preparing and traveling to and from the workplace and more time for chores, for the husband, and for the kids.

It also means making your own hours, and being able to better manage time for work, kids and other responsibilities because there is no set schedule to follow.

Time in a Bottle: The Perfect Schedule

Stay at home parents who work online can have the perfect working schedule according to Online Parent Advisor. With a specific number of working hours that may be used straight or at different times of the day, it is the perfect arrangement for mothers. 

As parents, there are doctor and dentist appointments, kids’ school, kids’ extra-curricular activities, errands, and chores that need to be done in specific times of the day. Working online allows them to schedule these tasks and have their free time for work. As long as deadlines are met, it does not matter at what time of the day you do the actual work.

No Cons: Convenience

One of the best things about working from home is that a parent can continue contributing a significant amount to the family income minus the stress caused by the daily commute including enduring heavy traffic to go to and from the workplace. 

There is also no need for time and effort to adjust to co-workers and the working environment. This is great because by working online, parents earn money without being exposed to stressful circumstances.

Family First: Fulfilling a Parent's Role Above All

Any mum or dad would definitely choose to be there for their family whenever they are needed, especially by the kids. When a parent needs to travel to the workplace, it would take time to get home in case one of the kids got sick. 

It would also take time to seek permission to go home early. While when a parent works from home, they can attend to their sick kid’s needs without having to ask anyone for permission. It is a luxury that SAHPs have that other working parents do not have.

Every second spent in waking up extra early, leaving early, and dressing up, commuting to and from the workplace is a second spent away from the family.  Being able to work from home allows a parent to have more quality time with the family.

Be Your Own Boss

Parents who work online, as freelancers, are their own bosses. They do not get shouted at, they do not get pressured, and they are rarely criticized. They can choose their own clients, their own assignments, and they can choose deadlines that are more convenient and achievable for them. They work at their own pace and follow instructions and orders only from the clients they choose to work for. 

How to Overcome Isolation When Working from Home

When you work from home you can spend time with family as well as set your own work schedule. But, being around small children or being alone so much of the time can breed a feeling of isolation. That can sap your creativity and focus if it goes on too long. Learn how to overcome separation from the rest of the world.

You are not in jail but you are away from the outside world. As a work from home mom, the only other breathing person you may encounter on a daily basis is your children and/or your spouse. Most of us need more human contact than that. Coming from an outside working environment where there were friendly lunches and chats at the water cooler, sitting in front of a computer everyday can become a rude awakening. The silence can be deafening.

A drawback to isolation is mental changes. Whereas you were once gung-ho and intently focused on your new enterprise, now you are missing your friends and simple conversation. At home, not a single word may be uttered all day. After a few months, the effects may start to show. Concentration drops, anxiety builds and a bit of depression may creep in. That is not the way that working from home was meant to be.  

Five Ways to Combat Isolation Issues when Working from Home

Cut the problem off at the pass. Use these five ideas to implement a way to stay connected from the outset of your home business life.

1. Leave the house – Get outside and breathe the fresh air and soak us some good old vitamin D every day. Take the kids out to play in the park. Run your errands in the middle of the day when you are spoiling for a break.

2. Separate your work life and home life – This can be as simple an act as closing the door to your home office. Hang a sign on the door like a brick and mortar business that shows the hours of operation. When you close the door, there is freedom.

3. Chat with family and friends – Use Skype and Windows Live to see the people who are important in your life. Take time to reconnect with them even if a physical visit is out of the question right now.

4. Plan a few outings – Set lunch dates with friends or your spouse. This is an excuse to get out of the house and also to catch up with them over a good meal.

5. Network – Hobnob with other business professionals at local Chamber of Commerce events. Check to see when there will be professional conferences in your area and register to attend.

Stay sane while you work at home by staying connected with others.

How To Remain Disciplined When Working from Home

Working from home is everyone’s dream, right? Having your morning coffee in your PJs while you check your email and sales stats is the best job ever. But, this ideal world will not be all that it is cracked up to be if you lack the discipline to stay focused.

The Myth

When you tell your friends that you are working from home, their first image of you is sitting in your PJs and staring at a computer screen. They think that this is just another way of saying that you are on a “permanent vacation.” It’s not true but you could be proving them right when you have no control over your business day. 

One of the biggest drawbacks to working at home is that home and work life seems to run together. Learn to avoid this with a touch of restraint and a plan for taking charge of your daily schedule. 

Five Tips to Help You Institute Discipline as You Work from Home

1. Know your personality – Do you have the type of personality that is organized and motivated? The situation where you are the boss is more manageable that way. If you tend to procrastinate or get distracted, a more stringent schedule is going to help you keep on task.

2. Choose a time to start work – Leisurely walking over to your computer and sitting down at different times each day doesn’t seem like work at all. Get into the right frame of mind with a definite start and ending time to your work day each day.

3. Separate your work space – Even if it is just a half of a room where you have your home office, avoid filling your space with anything that is not work related. When you come to this area, you are ready for business and nothing but. Maintain the separation to assist with focusing on the tasks at hand.

4. Take a regular break – In the office, employers are required to give employees 15-minute breaks and a lunch period. Observing this at home can break up the day and also foster more discipline in your day. Use that time to attend to small chores, make personal phone calls and rest your brain for a few minutes.

5. Create a task list – When you are sitting at your desk is not the time to decide what you will do that day. The last task for each business day is to create a list of needed tasks for the next day. With a definite list of business goals, you are more likely to stay engaged in business for the required time.

Working from home might seem like the dream job but it can quickly turn into a nightmare when control goes out the window. 

4 Important Tips For Affiliates to Manage Their Home Business And Remain Disciplined

Working from home is not easy. As a matter of fact it is sometimes one of the hardest things to do. 

Why you ask? 

Because there are a lot of distractions and potential pitfalls that can stall productivity. It does take a lot of self-discipline because when you work from home there is no one there telling you what you can and cannot do. 

You are your own boss!

The freedom of a home business can really be a double edged sword. 

One the one side it is great to be able to set your own schedule and have freedom from punching a clock, on the other side that freedom can work against you.

If, for example, you want to watch TV you can. If you want to sit around on Facebook and YouTube all day, you can. You really have the freedom to do whatever you want. The problem is you may not get very much work done if you lack discipline. 

Learning how to properly manage your time and remain disciplined is vital to the success of any business conducted from home. This is especially true for online business because you are always on the Internet.

Below I will share with you 4 important management tips that will help you get more done in your home business. 

1. Have A Daily Schedule

Every day you should have a schedule you plan to follow. You should create your schedule the night before. Include everything you need to get done the next day. List tasks in order of importance. When you have a clear plan in place it makes it a lot easier to manage your time and get everything done. 

Please understand that creating a schedule is simply a way to keep you on track. It isn't something that's etched in stone. If something comes up its okay to change your schedule. Having a schedule makes it easier for you to see what time slots are available and what time slots are reserved for work. 

Schedules also help with prioritizing important tasks and that makes you more efficient and allows you to get more done.

2. Get An Early Start 

A lot of people with home businesses use it as an excuse to sleep late. This is a common issue because once again you are in control, there is no boss to fire you or dock you for being late.

 But, when your tasks are not done your business and, of course, earnings will suffer as a consequence. While you do have a lot of freedom when you work for yourself, you still can't mismanage your time. If you decide to sleep until 1 pm who will be running your business? 

The best advice I can give you is to treat your business like a regular 9 to 5. Wake up, do some movement activity, eat breakfast and get to work. Trust me, you will get so much more work done when you do it this way. 

3. Learn How To Separate Family Life & Business Life

This is a tough one, but, it must be done. In order to be successful and productive you must separate home and family from business, even though both exist in the same place.

Have an office area set up that is used only for your work activities. If you have small children let them know your work space is off limits. The last thing you want is a broken computer or important paper work ruined by your little one spilling apple juice all over it. 

Having a separate space to work is vital. Once you are done working you can shut everything down and go spend time with your family. Simply close the door and turn your focus to the ones you love the most.

4. Set Specific Times To Check Email And Other Accounts

For those engaged in online business from home one of the biggest pitfalls to time management and productivity is email and other activities that marketers check constantly, and honestly some become obsessed with. 

Many report wasted hours due to the constant checking of emails, or site rankings and affiliate commissions.  These types of distractions are easy to fall victim to since you are typically on the computer all the time while working and it’s just too tempting. 

Limiting those activities to certain times a day is the best way to remain focused on all the important tasks that need to be completed that day.

Bottom Line

It does take a lot of discipline to work for yourself and to remain as productive as needed to run a successful business, using the tips above will help you to stay organized and efficient so that your business can reach the highest possible level of success.