Jason / Published on December 20, 2013
If you’re sick of working for someone else or tired of waiting for that pay rise which you deserve, then have you ever thought about working for yourself?
It may seem daunting but becoming self-employed could be the best decision you ever make.
You can work the hours to suit you, be your own boss, and hopefully earn an income you’ve always dreamed of!
So what are you waiting for?
Follow these 5 easy steps for starting your own business and working from home.
1. Write a Business Plan
The first step in setting up your own business is writing a sound business plan. A business plan will help you outline and detail exactly how your business will run and account for finances. If you need investors, then having a great business plan is essential. As your business and your industry evolves, your business plan will need updating. Making sure your business plan is accurate will help you stay on track. For more help with your business plan, visit the Gov site, which has templates you can use.
2. Set Up Your Home Office
Before working from home, you need to decide exactly where you’re going to work. If you don’t have a spare room which you can turn into an office, then create an office space in your living room or bedroom. Buy all the equipment you may need, i.e printer, scanner etc so that you have everything you need right there in your home office.
3. Plan a Work Schedule
This one is essential if you want to be successful working from home. You need to plan a work schedule and stick to it. It’s all too easy to get distracted whilst working from home, so set yourself certain hours that you have to work and make it a habit so you get yourself into a good routine. Don’t forget to set yourself breaks also!
4. Record Keeping
Sorting out your taxes can seem a mind field once you decide to go self-employed but it doesn’t have to be. If you record everything and keep on top of it, you won’t get into any trouble and it’s actually pretty simple. For information on how to pay taxes, click here.
5. Attracting New Business
When you decide to work from home and become self-employed, it is entirely up to you how much money you earn. The more effort you put in, the more you will get out of it. You need to continually think of new ways to bring in new business. There are so many different channels online where you can promote your business for free and don’t forget offline marketing too, i.e posters, leaflets, postcards etc.
There are loads of benefits from starting up in business and working from home – you just need that motivation and confidence that you can do it.
If you could work from home, would you?
