Everyone in the world at some point or another has wished that they could work for themselves and work at home instead of in an office. In 2020 many of us got the chance to live life working from home due to the global pandemic and some of us have really got a taste for the other side of life working this way.
If you are considering becoming an entrepreneur at home in 2021 and want to manage a successful business at home: there are many things to consider. A business is like a well-oiled machine and you need to be able to manage every aspect with complete control. But when working from home is it possible to manage a new business? You can start your home bakery business, but you need to plan properly for each and every aspect of the business and account for all the costs, such as raw material cost, transport cost, bakery insurance cost, etc.
Today we are here to tell you that it is completely possible and as long as you follow our simple tips and tricks you should be able to work from home with no problems this year.
Set clear objectives
Before you consider working at home it is important to become more organized and ensure that you have clear objectives to follow each day and each week. Setting yourself objectives as a small business can be a challenge however it is something you should do to keep you on track and give you a sense of direction to your work. For example, if you are running a marketing campaign on social media – your objective might to be gain 20 leads and convert 10 of those to sale. This objective is one that will drive the targeting you do on the advert as well as the budget used and the timescale the ad is live for. When setting objectives; consider searching online what other people have done before you and take inspiration from this for yourself. Once you have objectives and aims, you can drive your work towards these goals and this will help you stay proactive and productive.
Outsource some roles
When it comes to hiring some helping hands for your small business it might take you some time to decide what roles need to be filled or what capabilities you need. If you are a one-man organization it might be worth outsourcing some of your processes such as finance and marketing to help you be productive and gain a name for yourself without commuting to a full time employee. Employees can be expensive to bring to your business so make sure that you don’t do this until you are absolutely sure of what you need and how much of a workload you have to give them.
Hire remotely
When the time comes to hire a team for your small business you absolutely don’t need to rent an office. It is possible to continue working from home even as you bring people into your business and this might actually be a better way to source talent for your business in the long run. By hiring employees remotely you will be able to hire people from all over the world and not only the local area. You will have a larger pool of people to choose from and as such you will likely end up with better candidates to choose from too. Consider this when you are hiring and choose to hire remotely to increase your prospects and your talent.
Redecorate your office
It is important when you start working from home to have the perfect space to garner inspiration and creativity. Make sure that your office space is fit for purpose and isn’t drab and dark. Take the time to create a new office space this winter and redecorate it to help you feel like you are making a fresh new start in your life. A lick of paint and some well-placed furniture will make all the difference and will refresh your mind and allow you to feel more productive.
Set deadlines for yourself
It is so important as a small entrepreneur that you don’t fall into the trap of procrastination with your work. It is so easy for you to end up procrastinating at work and saying you’ll do a task later- but the difference now from working in an office is that you are the boss and if you don’t get things done you won’t make money. You need to ensure you take responsibility for your work and set yourself real deadlines for tasks and even get your family to help you stay on track if you are waning. We all know how hard it can be to get used to managing our own work but it is crucial to do if we are to find success this year.
Wake up early for a productive day
The best way for you to start your day working from home is to wake up nice and early and give yourself time to wake up before you sit down. Wake up an hour earlier than you normally would and then spend some time having a shower, getting dressed for the day, and making yourself a nutritious breakfast. Eating breakfast before work is important if you want to keep your body healthy and your mind alert – so be sure to eat a big breakfast full of healthy things before you even get to work. As soon as you do sit down to start working you’ll already be wide awake and you will have a much more productive day having started it in the right way.
Create an easy work schedule
Whether you are managing your employees in an office or at home it is important to have a schedule to work towards. When working from home you might agree with employees and have slightly different working schedules for each – and you can manage this using best free employee scheduling software in 2021. Make life easier for yourself and manage your employee schedules in an easy place and make changes whenever you need to.
Understand your workflow
Workflow is an important thing to consider when you begin managing a business from home. You might find that you are most productive at 7 am in the morning or even at 8 pm at night – and as an entrepreneur, you need to work when you are most productive. Be sure to find your ideal workflow and use this to your advantage when becoming successful at home. Be sure to work to your own schedule and allow yourself time to enjoy your day too. Once you find a workflow that suits you it will make you much more productive and you won’t be stuck working at a time in the day when you really aren’t feeling it.
Tick off tasks
One of the best ways to feel productive as well as organized at home is to tick off tasks as you complete them. In your home office make sure to invest in a whiteboard and every day write down tasks you want to complete. When you finish a task tick it off and revel in the feeling of productivity. This might seem like an innocuous task however psychologically you will spur yourself on by ticking off things as you do them.
Catch up with your team
When managing a team of employees remotely it is important to schedule a daily or weekly catch-up so you can see what people are up to and answer questions. Consider booking a Zoom or Teams call for your employees’ first thing in the morning every day or every week and allow your employees to share their progress with the rest of the team. This will ensure everyone is on the same page, everyone is working efficiently, and that you know what your workers are up to.
