Many people dream of working from home, their perceptions are of having the freedom to do what they want when they want but unfortunately it's not always as simple as that. One problem that you may encounter when working from home that you didn't get whilst in a normal work environment is family life intruding on your work life.
You need to explain to your family from the start that although you are now working from home you are still working and that family life needs to take a back seat during your working hours. The easiest way to achieve this is to set down guidelines from the start. Once your family see you taking working at home in a professional manner they will start to leave you to focus on your job.
Start out in the right way and the transition from working in a workplace and working at home will be a simple and painless process, get it wrong and it will take a long time to sort out. Initially set your self a timetable and stick to it. Start work and finish at a set time, when you have lunch take 30 minutes and then get back to work. Don't be tempted to have the TV on in the background as you will become distracted. Try not to make non business phone calls or run errands during your work time. However having said that it is imperative that you don't spend all you time working.
Once you have set your working regime stick to it, this includes stopping work at a reasonable time and leaving the home office until the next day. Once you finish for the day don't be tempted to go back to do “a little more” that little more often turns into another 3 or 4 hours and in the end you end up working more hours than you did in your old job!
After a month or 2 when you and your family are used to your new working regime then you can relax the rules a bit and take a bit of time off, you'll be more aware of what you need to do to get your work done and you'll be used to focusing on the tasks in hand.
Working From Home In The Uk
One of the biggest fears most people face when they contemplate setting up their own business and working from home is the financial risk it can involve. This is not something that should be taken lightly, most of us work for a reason and that reason is so we can keep a roof over our head and food on our plates, the more we earn the nicer that roof and food can be. Becoming self-employed takes away that certainty that at the end of each month, the money will magically appear in your bank account. Do the potential rewards out way the potential risks? Can your business work? Can you prove it without the aid of a crystal ball?
The most obvious place to start would be your own finances. Savings, inheritance, a pay out on premium bonds or even redundancy pay could be ways to finance your business. Of course, it may be a huge risk, but if you're not willing to believe and invest in you, why should anyone else? The hardest thing maybe justifying touching it, if you were saving it for a rainy day you may be reluctant but if you really do have faith in your new venture this should help you overcome it. Not only do you need to fund your new business but also, you've still got to pay all the normal bills and expenses of running a house - will your saving be able to do both?
If you really don't have the money yourself, do you have any friends or family you could ask? You may be reluctant to mix business with the people you love but it wouldn't be a hand out, you would get legal contracts drawn up stating how much and when they'd get paid pack. If they make an investment they will hold equity in your company in the form of profits.
The bank is the most common place to secure a business loan. Although this can make many people nervous at the moment it may be the most logical option for you. You would need to prove to them their money would be safe with you though, which is where the biggest risk can come into starting you own business. Would you be able to bet your house on the fact you'll succeed? Do you even have a house to use as collateral? Do you have a family this discussion could affect?
The Government's Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme might be able to help you secure a loan, this scheme helps small businesses who don't have security, to borrow from registered lenders, up to 75% of the loan can be secured by the UK Department for Business Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (BERR).
Every year millions of pounds are made available to SME's through awards and grants and aren't normally required to be paid back, however these are hard to acquire and very competitive even of you do meet the entry requirements. Have a look into your Local Enterprise Agencies, Learning and Skills Councils and Business Link. If you're a start up business, a young entrepreneur, or are providing work in an industry where unemployment is high you may find you are eligible to apply for funding. The Princes Trust also has funds available to help young people start up their own business if you're aged 18 - 30. The Grants and Support Directory (GSD) would be a good place to start researching grants to fund your new business.
Both Allison Thompson & Kimberlie Hutson are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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