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Starting and Managing a Business From Your HomeManaging Time and StressExpect to encounter stress and time problems similar to those of other business owners but accentuated by the fact that you work at home. Follow these guidelines to make it a little easier on yourself:1.Plan your time and establish priorities on a daily "to do" list. Decide what your "prime time" is and do your most important or difficult tasks. Set "business hours," specific times when you are at work and times when you turn on the answering machine because you are "on duty but off call." You, your customers, and your family will appreciate knowing your set routine, even though you know that for special events or emergencies you can break that schedule. 2.Notice what your four or five big time-wasters are and learn techniques to eliminate them or compensate for them. Some common ones are: telephone interruptions, visitors, socializing, excessive paperwork, lack of policies and procedures, procrastination, failure to delegate, unclear objectives, poor scheduling, lack of self-discipline, and lack of skill in a needed area. 3.Stay in contact with people. Even though you prefer to work at home, you should plan work-related or social activities that provide frequent contact with others. This will help your morale if you feel isolated. Even for home-based business owners who like feeling isolated, keeping up with business and professional contacts is a must. 4.Build a fitness program into your day. Many successful entrepreneurs exercise in order to think creatively because physical activity sends oxygen to the brain and helps the mind function better. With regular exercise your health will improve, your stress level will go down, and your trim look will inspire people to have confidence in your abilities. 5.Give your home business as much of a separate and distinct physical identity as possible. Although you might save a few dollars by using the ironing board as a bookshelf and a cardboard box as a file cabinet, the stress and strain of operating without proper space and supplies will take its toll. Have a separate room or area for your business, with a separate entrance if customers or suppliers visit. Consider soundproofing so your family won't be bothered by your noise and vice versa. (In addition to the psychological and physical comfort of having a separate office, the IRS requires it in order for you to make a legitimate claim for tax deductions.) 6.Take care of your major business asset: YOU. Being the boss can be exciting, fulfilling, and rewarding. It can also be lonely, stressful, and demanding. Learn to balance your professional and personal life. Go on vacation. Get a weekly massage. Join a health club. Take a class in meditation. Attend a business owner's breakfast club. Your business depends on you to be at your best. Profile: Jeanette's Day-Care CenterJeanette wanted to return to work when her two children started school. Since her degree was in child psychology, she applied for a job as an assistant at a neighborhood day-care center. When she heard the salary, she decided there must be a better way. After several months of planning and researching, she decided to open her own day-care center in her basement recreation room. With remodeling she could accommodate the children and meet the zoning and licensing regulations. Four years later, her center has an excellent reputation and a long waiting list. She likes being "at home" and working in the business half-days while attending school for a graduate degree in business administration.Profile: Wallflowers, A Wallpapering PartnershipThirteen years ago Jane and Rachel bought a van together and formed "Wallflowers," a wallpapering and painting business. When they started, Rachel was recently divorced and wanted to test her entrepreneurial wings. She had quite a reputation with her friends for doing beautiful wallpapering and was often asked by them to help out on weekend remodeling jobs. Jane had little wall-papering experience but had handled all the accounting for her uncle's contracting firm and knew local suppliers and business owners.They have never had to advertise. Word-of-mouth referrals have kept them busy ten months of the year. They close for two months in the summer so Jane can be with her kids and Rachel can go to Maine. Jane likes working "around" her family; if a child is sick or has a school program she'd like to attend, she doesn't have to apply for leave or fear losing her job. Her clients, mostly family-oriented people such as herself, understand that her children come first and the job will get done.
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