3Feb/100
Starting in Business? Work From Home
When I started developing the concept for Clear Books I spent 15 months working from a lounge. I avoided the costs that quickly stack up if you move into an office:
- Rent
- Rates
- Heating and lighting
- Internet
- Service charge
- Cleaning
Some of the things I did to make working from home work were to:
- Hold meetings in a nearby pub/cafe/restaurant (I interviewed my first employee and met the MD of a competitor in a pub)
- Use a VOIP phone with a free landline number from sipgate to receive calls (more professional than a mobile)
- Video conference business partners using built in laptop camera and microphone (I still do this with my MacBook)
Working from home can be productive as there are no distractions or interruptions (unless you create them - so leave the TV off). Not having to commute frees up more time in the day too. You have to be fairly self-disciplined/motivated to make it work.
The only time you should consider moving into an office is when your business requires it e.g. if you take on staff and need somewhere to house them. That's when I made the move.
