Mistakes To Avoid When You Manage Your Home Based Business

Posted in Small Business On April 9, 2015

We have already talked about the best home based businesses you can start. Although all of them could be really profitable, you should know that success is never guaranteed. The only thing you can do is always do your best. That is why we thought it is a good idea to make a list of some of the most common mistakes people do when they go after a home based business opportunity. We strongly recommend you to avoid these as they will most definitely hinder your efforts.

Not getting dressed

Appearance is more important than you might think – for your sense of confidence or particularly when you have a Skype call with a partner or client. When you are visible on camera, appearance is about the others, at other times, it just helps you get in a working mood rather than doing your own business at home. Dressing from the waist up also does not count as paying attention to look smart. It is not a strategic move if you need to get up while talking on the camera with your office although it might be a bit uncomfortable.

Working 24/7

Falling into the trap of keeping 24/7 working schedule is a downfall when running your business from home. It is very important that you choose the times of the day that are most productive and focus on the tasks in that period. It is highly possible that you get personal calls or other duties in hand that need to be done, however, you need to split your day into work routines and be unavailable to other disruptions during those hours.

Spending too much time in your living room

No designed working place is another mistake that most of us do. It will make us much more efficient if we have a defined workplace within out home. It is not necessary to be big or picture perfect but any tidy, business-like place other than your living room or your kitchen table will make you feel less like you spend your lifetime in those areas of your home. There is also the advantage of when shutting down your computer, you can still get rewarded at the end of day with a cup of tea in front of the TV. To put it simply – your home based business also needs its own headquarters.

Working on your bed

Working from bed can seem a wonderful perk of having a home office. It is only a curse in disguise – you immediately invite the interrupted elements of your day such as napping. It does become even more difficult to combat disruptions like checking emails and surfing the internet. Bad work habits like that become even more apparent when you lose your game face on or your email etiquette just because you feel too relaxed to maintain your professionalism. For all these reasons, you should consider at least getting up when your alarm starts ringing and go to your home workplace to start off the day.

Social isolation

Doing business from home can get a little stale. One of the pitfalls is cutting off the conversations and integration with the co-workers at the office. There is a danger that you find yourself trapped in a social isolation during the day, especially if the other family members are busy too. To avoid this pitfalls, every now and then you can go to a coffee shop with an internet connection, a library or networking groups – any work convenient environment spot that you won’t find lonely.

Not planning a work schedule

Without a preplanned conscious decision on how you are going to spend the day, it can easily slip away without much work accomplished to show for it. One unconventional method to cope with this problem, rather than making a to-do list, is entering tasks in a daily planner that will allow you to allocate a specific deadline for each tone to make sure you don’t leave unscheduled time. This way you can improve your concentration on the matters of importance and keep competitiveness when checking them off.

Allowing distractions

Home based businesses are tough to manage, having into consideration all the distracting chores that might come in between your work. It can hurt your business focus and leave you feeling disappointed but one thing you can do to avoid this is build a mastermind and stop answering to all the “urgent” requests that feed your imagination. You need to be careful about your family members or roommates if you share your home. All you need to do is simple – sit aside in your working hours and do not let be distracted.