In the early days of running a business, there's sometimes no other option that to operate from your bedroom. Your may not have the funds to invest in office space, and it isn't even always necessary when you're first getting started. If you want to portray your operation as professional though, you'll need to consider how to do this. Here, we take a look at what you should consider to give the very best impression to potential clients and customers.
Invest in a business postal address
It's essential that you have your business address on your website and promotional materials, and having a home address will never look quite as professional as a real business location. Thankfully, many companies such as Regus offer business addresses and even call answering services for those who work from home. This professional front means that your customers need never know that you're working from your bedroom.
Let your family know that you're working
The last thing that you want to happen while you're dealing with phone calls is to have your family members interrupting. It's easy for people to think that it's fine to talk to you when you're working from home, so you need to set boundaries from the start and let everyone know that you’ll be unavailable during certain times. It might seem odd to have to close the door to your own family, but your bedroom needs to be viewed just like any other office during the working day.
Implement working hours and stick to them
Home workers often fall into the trap of working all the hours that they can. Instead of falling into this trap, put your operating hours on your website and try to stick to them as much as possible. It's good for customers and suppliers to know exactly when they can contact you, and it helps you to distinguish work time from your own time.
Create a dedicated working space
It's hard to get into the swing of work if you're still in bed! If possible, create a small area of the room that's just for your business, including a desk and some storage space. It won't be quite the same as having your own office, though it will help you to get into the right mindset. At the end of your working day, go into another room and make sure that you switch off before bedtime. Having a break is important when you're running a business.
Consider investing in a meeting room
Whilst a business address can deal with a lot of the issues that arise due to working from home, actually meeting clients can cause a number of other problems. Everyone loves a coffee shop but it isn't exactly the best place to set up and executive meeting with your client. Look at investing in some professional space to entertain clients. You can book rooms for the time that you need, thus saving you money on office costs but making sure that you still have the professional appeal that your clients would want.
Working from your bedroom might not be the ideal situation, but with a bit of forward planning and use of these handy tips, you can make your operation as professional as possible.
I wonder if anyone would be willing to share their tips on working from home. Did you work from home during the early days of your business? How did you make it work for you? What would be your top 5 tips to make working from home a viable solution for someone else's business?
