It sometimes can be a tug-of-war for women trying to run a business and have a family at the same time, leaving many women with one option – to run their business from home. This was the option I took and sure was a good choice or so I thought, as it also assisted in cutting down the overhead costs. However, I was about to realise that running a business from home does come with its challenges. The first difficulty I had was the task of differentiating my home responsibilities and those of my business. This was one of the greatest difficulties I had when starting my business, as a wife and mother of three beautiful children it was not easy to stay focused, and keep a balance, whilst trying my best to keep all loopholes covered. There are a few steps that I had to implement in order for my business to continue being successful whilst also wearing the other hats that come with being a mother, wife, daughter, sister and granddaughter. I was always one of the go-to people in my family which was another area that I had to address to keep my head and business above water. This system is what I call THE SUCCESSFUL HOME-BASED BUSINESS M.A.N.A.G.E.M.E.N.T MODULE. I believe the following elements are crucial areas to address in order to run a successful business from home:
Mindset – This is a crucial element in ensuring that your mind is in the right place to handle the challenges that will come along. Being a home-based business owner is not for everyone as having the ability to focus, structure, and keep yourself driven is not always easy, being in your comfort zone environment. The very first step is paying keen attention to your personality type and mindset. No one knows you better than you, so you have to be honest about your weak points and get your perspective on your mental state.
Awareness – When I am talking about awareness this goes for both you and those around you. So, what do I mean by this? You have to be aware of the steps you need to take, things and people to avoid that will distract you, but more importantly you need to help your family and friends be aware of your work times and that you being at home is not leisure but that you are actually running a business. This will help them to respect your time and privacy, this is mainly for those closest to you, or living within your household, do not assume they should know, give clear guidelines and instruction.
Notice – Take notice of the things that motivate you and what distracts or demotivates you. Knowing this will enable you to make adjustments where necessary.
Arrange – Making sure you arrange or organise your day gives you more direction on how to carry out your daily tasks. It is also important to arrange your workspace to get you in the zone and recognise when you need to kick into the business state. You also need to arrange your family time to fit around your business as this is very important that you keep a balance, as well as it is easy to get distracted it can also become easy for you to get engulfed in your business and forget about your other responsibilities.
Goals – Have a clear outline of your goals that you need to accomplish in your business broken down into Micro-goals and have them clearly written and visible for you to see, this will also keep you focused and committed to the day ahead.
Environment – Your business environment as well as the environment of your home is a massive impact on the sustainability of your business. I am sure you have heard the saying ‘where focus goes energy flows,’ if the environment around you is negative and totally out of order or sync, well so will you also be. You also need to ensure that you network to help you keep up to date and maintain, communication as well as being in the right circle of influence.
Money Management – This is a very serious point, you need to get an accountant to help you keep on top of your finances, it is very easy to slip into a leisure way of life and this can determine if your business will last or if you will have to unfortunately shut shop.
Equilibrium – What do I mean by this? This is a serious thing that can easily slip if careful attention is not paid. I am talking about keeping a balance. Work-life balance is very beneficial and does not just apply to actually being in a work environment but even more crucial when operating your business from home. You need to recognise when to switch off and take a break, when to spend time with the family and give your partner some attention. I had to learn this the hard way but luckily I did learn in time.
Neglect– This may sound bad but you have to be real if you really want your home based business to work, there are some people, events and tasks that you are going to have to neglect in order that you don’t get distracted and complete your errands on time. This will aid in being disciplined to monitor your time management effectively.
Take a break – If there is one lesson, I have learnt that many business owners do not do and that is to take a break. It may look like you are wasting time whilst you have plenty of work to do but as they say, “all work and no play, makes Jack a dull boy.” You need to take a break to replenish, but what if I told you that taking a break, a real break, as in you really don’t think about work, whether it be for an afternoon, a few days, or even a couple of weeks, is the best thing for your business and your health.
I do hope that these tips will be beneficial and work for you as well as it has done for me, my business and my family.
