Ups and Downs of a Home-Based Business

Sometimes, it is difficult to rent office space and it can be costly as well. If you are running a relatively small company or one where you don’t need a lot of space, you may be tempted to work from home. Let’s examine how wise or unwise it is to start running a business from home.

Advantages

For some, working from home can be heavenly. There are many advantages to this.

Schedule

You are the master of your own schedule, to a degree. When you rent an office space, you are bound to be at the office at certain business hours, as the places that rent spaces have their opening and closing times too. At home, you are bound by nothing except the schedule of your clients and associates. You can take a break from work and dedicate some of your time to chores or shopping if the day is slow, as well as spend some quality time with the family.

Business Casual

You can wear anything you want at home, provided you have no video conferences. That’s why programmers and designers are often super-casual in their business photos, as they are used to being comfortable, rather than completely buttoned up for the sake of professionalism. Do you want to work in pajamas? Go ahead. The same goes for Yoga pants. You are also in complete control of the air-conditioning in your home, so you’ll never going to be too hot or too cold.

Low Startup

Whenever you start a business, there is the problem of starting costs. Specifically, renting a space, buying the equipment, installing the internet and phone lines, acquiring specific permits, and so on. While you can’t escape some of these, others become a piece of cake. You don’t have to pay (additional) rent and internet line and you don’t waste any time commuting, either. Look at you, saving money all around.

Disadvantages

There are also a few downs with starting a business at home. Consider these before you commit to working where you sleep.

Family

While you do love your family and friends, they and the rest of your life gest in the way of work way easier than it would if you were in an office. You need to address this by telling your family and friends that there should be boundaries. Those that work from home are often tasked with chores, taking care of the kids, and being home for the delivery people and contractors, because you are already home, so what’s the harm?  It can be vexing.

Stuck

People that commute have between a few minutes and a few hours a day to themselves, when they can just be quiet and reflect on things or wake up gradually. This is a luxury people working from home simply don’t have. When you are not at work, you are at home – and both places require your undivided attention, which can be exhausting. It’s much easier to get stuck in a rut at home.