Tips for a SOHO
In their article SOHO: The Future of Small Business, Score.org has this to say about the small office/home office:
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SOHO, the small office/home office market of companies with 20 employees or less, is changing the landscape of small business. A mere blip on the economic and social horizons a decade ago, SOHO has now become a super-nova flash of power and influence—and the fastest-growing part of the U.S. economy. There are currently over 40 million SOHO enterprises in the U.S., and more than a million individuals are expected to join the ranks this year. |
So many more people are working out of their house. Why? Easy! Flexibility for both the employee and the employer. I had a SOHO (small office home office) for over 8 years. I will admit working out of the house isn’t for everyone. I have a number of friends like Gary, Mike and Sharon that it might work for but I would bet against it for a number of reasons.
You need to be very disciplined, self motivated and very organized. Since more and more people are working out of the house (one report I read was one million individuals are expected to join the ranks this year) I thought it would be a good idea to build a list of 20 helpful hints that can be of use to readers and contributors of the blog.
I will start us off with number 1:
| 1. | Get off to a quick start | ||||||||||||||||||
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For me I always feel great and that I have accomplished a lot if I get off to a quick start. They say that the first 30 seconds are very important during a presentation. Well for me the first 30 minutes sets the tone for my day.
Ok now it’s your turn with numbers 2-20.
I look forward to reading your comments.
April 20th, 2007 at 8:06 pm
#2 - Minimize Distractions.
I work on my own and many people ask me why I rent office space, as oppose to working from my home. The answer is simple – too many distractions. My house comes with 3 cats, a wife whose schedule is different from mine, a cleaning lady who comes every Thursday, a refrigerator, three TVs that have the MLB broadcast package, household chores that become more appealing than business responsibilities and a bedroom. Whenever I am forced to work out of the home, I find these to be the biggest obstacles to getting my work done. In my off-site office space (about 9 miles from home), once I have checked a few web sites and have made some personal phone calls, all I can do is sit and concentrate on making business calls, respond to bids, return e-mails and cultivate new prospects. My office is rather isolated and it is rare to have someone knock on my door. With a minimum of distractions I am able to get into a “groove” and accomplish a great deal of work everyday.