Running a business from home is not only very efficient but also very convenient. However, it requires discipline and the following tips, and those in subsequent parts, will help you get started.
How to Dress for Success in Home Business
We have all seen the advertisements on the Internet about working in your pyjamas, setting your own hours, and other things that entice us to want to work from home. But even though you aren’t going anywhere, you should still remember that you are a business person.
The first thing that you should keep in mind is that you should stay away from working in your pyjamas. If you are in your pyjamas, what are you thinking about? You are thinking about sleeping and that does not motivate you. It makes you want to crawl back into bed and not get anything done.
Instead of wearing your pyjamas, wear something that would be considered business casual. Even if you are the only one that sees you dressed that way, it will make you feel like you are working instead of just doing something from home.
Something that those who work from home run into is that their friends and family don’t think that they have a real job because they are sitting home in their pyjamas and slippers, while the rest of the work force goes to work in suits and skirts.
If you dress in business casual and someone does stop by, it will show that you are serious about your job, and that you have a -real- job. It will make you feel better and it will make them feel better as well. When you look like a professional, you will feel like a professional as well.
Communication is Key
One of the key things in any business is communication, and that goes for home based businesses as well. Often times, written communication of some form is what brings new customers in, so you want to make certain that you catch their eyes but don’t seem overbearing.
Email – If, like most home business, you have the ability to communicate online, one of your biggest tools is going to be email. You want to first of all create an email address that is professional yet won’t make people feel threatened when they see it. It should reflect your business and what it does, but also make you seem approachable.
Messenger – Whether you use AIM, MSN, or Yahoo messenger, you are going to also want to create a user name just for your business, It’s a good idea to make sure that you have all of the available messengers.
This way, people can choose which one to use if they want to talk to you personally. Trillian is a great program which allows you to use all of your messaging programs on one application instead of downloading them all separately. As with your email, you want your user names to be professional but not threatening. They should reflect your business and your professionalism.
You want the first impression that people have of you to be a good one, so make certain that your email and your instant messengers are professional and let people know that you are serious about your business.[ad#in-post]
