Starting a business and choosing to run it out of your home is something that many people consider because of the convenience. The thought of not having to pay rental fees, battle a morning commute, or deal with sharing a space with others can be ideal for your needs.
Before you decide to change your living space and blend your personal world with your professional world, however, you should consider the following things.
Do You Have The Space?
It’s important to look around your home and ask yourself whether you think you can equip the kind of project that you are looking to pursue. Depending on what kind of business you are running, you may find that you will require a lot more space than you have in order to comfortably accommodate any equipment that you will need.
Some people make the mistake of assuming that it’s ok to take the plunge and then work out the details later. However, when it comes to potentially having to renovate your living space, you should definitely work out the numbers beforehand.
How Conveniently Located Are You?
In order to bring in clients and retain them you should make sure that you are located in a spot which is conveniently located for them to get to. If your home is deep in a rural area or hard to find, you should definitely reconsider location.
Even if you are the very best at what you do people like convenience. Having to go out of their way to find you or battle traffic is going to turn a lot of people off. Therefore, ask yourself if you think your home is a convenient enough location to please your clients.
Can You Provide Parking?
One of the most important things you’ll need to provide is parking. Ask yourself important questions such as, “How many clients will I have here at a time?” “Can I provide places for their cars?”
If you live in a place where street parking is already a challenge for you and neighbors, perhaps you should consider whether this will frustrate your neighbors who live there and have parking priority.
Additionally, if you live in an apartment and you risk your clients taking up parking spots which aren’t yours, you should make sure to specify parking instructions carefully to clients to avoid neighbor conflicts.
Does It Compliment Your Family’s Routine?
When you are talking about creating a fusion of your living space and professional life, it’s important to consider not only how it affects you but your entire family.
How well does it fit into your children’s bath time or homework schedule? Will it interrupt dinner time? Asking yourself about how it will affect the greater whole is the best way to move forward.
