Working from home has become, in the years since the mass digitisation of certain roles, a lifestyle that can actually work for thousands of people. Whether that’s a stay-at-home parent hoping to earn money at the same time as raising their children, or a student supplementing their tuition fees with some paid freelance work, the opportunity to work from home is benefiting the lives of many across the UK. This article concentrates on those who wish to start their own business, managed from their laptop at home. Below are five necessary actions you should take before you launch your work-from-home business.
Crunch Some Numbers
No business, however humble, should launch without even a rough idea of the market size, the target audience, the projected profits and the overheads involved in their business. You won’t need to be an absolute business whizz to pull this off – you’ll just need to crunch some data and maintain some excel spreadsheets that’ll help you monitor your progress.
Establish Your Brand
You’re not just a service or a product – you’re also a brand. You may not be looking to take over vast swathes of the sector you’re in, but you should still attempt to leave an impression on the minds of your customers so that they’ll know where to return if they wish to reengage with your services. A logo, a brand name, and a design style are imperative – they’ll even help guide your own relationship with the business that you’re creating.
Create a Website
The fundamental part of a business run from home is, of course, the website that’ll drive business for your company. It should be smart, user-friendly, mobile-optimised and concise – delivering your customers or clients to the correct pages with the information they need, so they feel more inclined to use your services. Krystal.uk will provide you with your desired domain name; web design can be outsourced to a professional if you’re not yourself skilled in the art.
Communicate Well
As a one-person operation, you’re going to have to take sole charge of all the communication that runs through your company. Essentially, that means being responsive when your company is emailed, and being able to take phone calls from customers, clients, and partners around the clock. Consider buying a call answering service through which all your business communications will run. Separating your personal and your work life when working at home is important for your wellbeing.
Market Efficiently
Once again, it’s unlikely you’ll be looking for a huge amount of work if you’re working from home – after all, there are only so many hours in the day. However, you should market yourself to target consumers to get your business off the ground. Once you have your first few successful customer journeys in place – and some positive reviews – your business should tick over steadily until you choose to do your next big marketing drive. Social media is the cheapest way to get your message out – but sometimes outsourcing to a third party can entail an impressive return on your investment.
With these five fundamentals in place, you’ll be ready and raring to go with your very own work-from-home business.