Do you really have what it takes to work from home?

Are you thinking about working from home? That’s a nice idea but many people don’t have the space and the discipline to turn this plan into success. In the following article you will find necessary conditions for a successful “home business” – from the perspective of a person running a coaching business but also applicable for every other profession. Go for it!

Working alone from home

Managing yourself is a crucial part of running an executive coaching or any other kind of practice. It will be a radical change if you have never worked from home before and have been used to quite a structured working day.

Self-awareness is the key to learning early on from any mistakes you make as you adjust to what suits your style of working and personality.

When you are not going out to client facing meetings, you can often spend a lot of time alone.

Common problems of working alone at home

• Having no one to bounce ideas off

• No one to share a high work load with

• Temptation to do other things around the house

• Getting involved or distracted by other people in the house e.g. partners working from home, children in school holidays, unannounced visitors.

• Cycles of self-doubt and anxiety on “bad” days

• Over working and not having separate work and life time

• Not taking enough holidays

Temptations and distractions if you are not typically self-disciplined can be an issue. If it’s a sunny day you may want to go outside and drink a beer. If that is your way of taking a break, then that’s great as a way of balancing your work and home. However, if you know that this is a tendency of yours to procrastinate and may end up in you not completing work (plus feeling guilty about it), then you may have to limit this.

The benefit of working for yourself is about flexible hours and taking time off which you wouldn’t be able to do as an employee; however you have to find a way that suits you.

What a suitable home office looks like

The location and organisation of your home office has a significant impact on your ability to work from home effectively – good planning is the key. Think about your existing or proposed home office space and complete the short questionnaire to discover if it will help or hinder your chances of self-employed success.

• Do you have room for an office at home?

• Is your home office space separate from your living area?

• Will you need an area for business visitors to meet with you and not “experience” your domestic routine?

• Is there good natural light in your home office? And is it bright, attractive and uncluttered?

• Is the office well ventilated and away from noise?

• Is there sufficient storage space for your files? How long will you need to keep client records?

• Have you carried out a security review of your office, e.g. theft, fire/flood, computer virus, security/data protection of files?

Is it appropriate for you and your clients to meet at home?

Most self-employed executive coaches meet their clients in the workplace which helps to save on venue costs. However, you may need to bear in mind that this isn’t always appropriate for them or you.

Sourcing free or low cost venues is useful. However, always bear in mind the private/confidential nature of executive coaching as busy coffee shops don’t always work!

If you see clients at home then you will need space and also extra insurance. Phone coaching may be something to think about as an offer to some clients and you will therefore need to think about your home office set up and telephonic equipment.

Skype is increasingly used in the coaching world although it can be down to a matter of preference and the quality of your internet connection. If you use Skype don’t forget to keep family and pets out as well as consider what you have in the room with you that your clients may be able to see!