There are so many benefits from working from home, and yes! You can make do with a lot less than our corporate counterparts and doesn’t make us home party consultants any less successful.
Did you know the computer giant Dell founder, Michael Dell worked out of his garage to build his empire? And that Tastefully Simple founder Jill Blashack Strahan assembled gift baskets on the pool table of her backyard shed?
BUT, there are some things that you should have, not just because they will add greatly to your bottom line, but because it will keep you SANE!
1. A Separate, Dedicated Workspace. Whether it’s your garage, spare bedroom, or a shed in the backyard, an area off the den, you will need a space that’s just for work.
2. A Fast Internet Connection. For businesses based online, this is non-negotiable. Your internet connection should be fast enough to support online activity and VoIP calls (if you have an internet-based phone system as your method of business communication.) If you have cable—upgrading your internet is relatively cheap.
Do it ASAP.
3. A Door, Earplugs, or “Do Not Disturb” sign. If you can’t physically separate your workspace from the rest of the house, you can mentally separate it by using earplugs to tune out audio distractions, or a folding screen to tune out visual ones.
If you’re working while others are at home, make sure they know when you’re “unavailable.” Don’t laugh—when my my daughter was just a kiddie, I used to put on this funky hat and that signaled to everyone that I was ‘working’. It is a lot better than ‘shushing’ them or expecting them to notice you are in deep thought or conversation.
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Rina Valan, President and Founder of Fantasia Home Parties
