A Work at Home Franchise Business could change your life
Joel Caws - Technical Director, Select Your Franchise
Working from home is becoming increasingly popular not least because of the flexibility of lifestyle it can afford you. For those with family needs such as small children or family members requiring regular care, working from home can present a good compromise since it allows you to earn an income, yet be available and on-hand should your home life demand it.
Aside from the benefit of lifestyle flexibility, working from home also keeps down business costs since there are no commercial premises to be rented or leased. In addition, it may also be possible to claim a proportion of your domestic running costs against your business if you use a dedicated part of your home, such as a spare room, loft or garage in order to operate your business from.
For those who are used to working for an employer, the shift to working from home and running a business for yourself could be a life changing experience. However, this change could be good or bad depending on your preparation of your new business and your dedication, determination and discipline in making sure you work hard to achieve success.
Home based franchise opportunities provide just such a way for an individual to start up a business from home but with the added security of using a proven franchise system.
One of the most difficult aspects of working from home is that most people do not have all the skill sets required to run a business effectively and are usually stronger in one area. For instance, some people who are fantastic at selling and talking people through to making a buying decision may not be very organised and find account tasks very difficult. However, someone who is good at designing or inventing a new product or service may be very poor at selling and marketing. A franchise opportunity can also have added benefit here as the franchisor can help you to assess what needs you have in your business and may offer assistance and already have established relationships with providers of business services to help fill the gaps in your expertise.
Some people are better suited to the work from home lifestyle than others. Working from home does demand a high level of discipline and the ability to seperate your work and home tasks. If you are not disciplined then home life will almost always eat into your work to the detriment of your business productivity.
With the right attitude, a work from home franchise business can be a positive life changing decision. Dedicate yourself to working the proven system for the best chance of success.
Tags: franchise, franchise opportunities, home based franchise, joel caws, Self employment, work from home
Work from Home Business or Franchise: Stay Motivated
Joel Caws - Technical Director, Select Your Franchise
In my last post we looked at some of the advantages of a working from home franchise or business. Today we will look at some helpful ways to stay motivated. Although running a working from home business or franchise can have many advantages, motivation and staying focused can be one of the biggest challenges. There’s always plenty of distractions: the washing up from the night before; that little something on TV that you might want to watch; those few phone calls you needed to make; and others! In fact, even the most mundane household chores can suddenly seem most attractive if your motivation to work is low.
So here are a few helpful hints part gleaned from my own working from home experience and from hints that others have suggested in the past which I have found helpful no matter if its a franchise business or a business idea you have setup yourself.
Work and Home Separation
Having a dedicated space for your work seems logical but its essential to help focus the mind and put yourself in ‘work mode’. You might allocate a spare room in the house, or a converted space in a garage is another popular choice. It’s important that this space separates you from the home distractions such as the home phone, TV and other family.
Timetable your work time
If you were employed you wouldn’t be able to just nip off and do something else when you feel like it. So take a disciplined approach: have a work timetable. If you need it to fit around family life thats fine but make sure you allocate the appropriate times of the day for working and stick to them. Make sure your family also know that this is your work time and to not disturb you. Even a “Working” sign on the door might help if you feel it necessary.
Dress for work
This isn’t for everyone but some people certainly feel that putting on a suit or the kind of clothes they would wear for work makes them feel more in ‘work mode’. Of course its easier to slop about in your casual clothes but if it helps to motivate you there’s nothing wrong with putting on suitable work attire.
In summary its really about providing a separation between both work and home life. Of course, you need to enjoy the flexibility of time that running a work from home franchise or business provides but don’t allow your work time to get eaten away by distractions. The above simple tips should help you to stay focused and motivated.
Advantages of a Working From Home Franchise or Business
Joel Caws - Technical Director, Select Your Franchise
Working from home can present some great opportunities but it does require alot of motivation. Having worked from home myself some years ago I can testify first hand to the benefits of this growing lifestyle choice. So lets look at some of the advantages of a work from home franchise or business:-
Time flexibility
Working from home means you can dictate your hours and work. Of course your time maybe dictated by some degree as to when is the best times to contact customers and so forth, but other than that you can work at the times which best suit your lifestyle. It’s also great for working parents since you have greater flexibility to cover school runs and such like.
Low overheads
A Working from home franchise or business means you can keep overheads low by not having to pay out for any commercial office space or premises. If you dedicate a room or space in your house as office space you may also be able to claim a proportion of rent/mortgage, power, heat and light back against tax (an accountant can usually advise you on best way to handle this).
No traveling to work
If you are decide to work from home, you place of work is never more than a few steps away so this can represent a great saving on traveling or commuting costs.
More Time
No travel requirement will give you extra time in your day. This could either be used for work or taking a bit of extra personal time. You could even use it as a flexible slot of the day that you could use for either depending on the demands of your work from home franchise or business.
Relaxed and less Stressful Lifestyle
The home environment is great for feeling relaxed and may help you to work more productively without the stresses and pressure of an office environment.
Save money
Unless your very organised, when your working from an office the easiest option is to pop to the shop to buy a prepacked sandwich or snack at lunchtime. This can add up to quite an expense over a month. When working from home its much cheaper to be able to pop to the kitchen and rustle up a sandwich or something from food already in the house.
These are just some of the advantages of a work from home franchise or business, however, many can find motivation a real issue. It’s easy to get distracted by all that ‘stuff’ that needs doing around the house. In my next article I will look at some helpful tips to stay motivated when working from home.
