Advice For Female Entrepreneurs - How To Turn Your Home Office In To A Productivity Palace
Congratulations! You've been reading the statistics and have decided to join the female entrepreneurial movement.
It is certainly an exciting time to be a female business owner since technology has made the costs of starting a business very minimal.
With a laptop, cell phone, website, business plan and home office, female entrepreneurs can service customers, market and advertise through the Internet, establish e-commerce stores and fulfill their entrepreneurial dreams! Working out of a home office, in comparison to leasing space, is a very popular option since bricks and mortar, also known as rent, can be very costly.
More often than not, rent does not include costs such as equipment, insurance, parking and utilities which can quickly add up and eat away at the bottom line.
For these reasons, working from a home office is very beneficial for female entrepreneurs.
There are a few tips and tricks to ensure that you create a "productivity palace" in your house or apartment.
These 5 tips have worked for Jaclyn Mullen Media.
Put them to use and they will work for your home office, too.
1) Create a separate workspace outside of the bedroom.
Sure, it's tempting to want to work from bed.
BUT, that is not encouraged.
The bedroom is your place of reprieve.
It's important to maintain a separate, relaxing space where you can recharge since it is likely that you will be working long hours while you launch, service and look for new customers.
Whether you have a spare bedroom or just some open space in your living room, designate a home office territory.
2) Customize your space.
You started this business because you were inspired by an idea so it's important to set up an office space which reinforces that inspiration daily.
Do you have a favorite motivational poster? Hang it up.
Is your chair comfortable? This is critical! You can even sit on an exercise ball if you feel more comfortable.
And you don't have to go out on a shopping spree.
Stop by your local Thrift Store or inquire about companies in the area giving office furniture away.
Most importantly, create a space that will allow you to be productive, professional and passionate about your work at the same time.
3) Clear off the clutter.
Do you have enough space at your desk or does it feel cramped? You may want to invest in some shelving units and file cabinets.
Treat this home office as you would your desk, cubicle or office at a corporation.
4) Now that you have the space designated, you need some SOP's-standard operating procedures.
Of course you are entitled to flexibility surrounding your work day but you do want to get work done, too.
Perhaps your standard operating procedure is that you work 10:00 am to 7:00 pm with a flexible, one hour a day lunch break.
Commit to a schedule and try to keep it consistent.
Nothing will sabotage your success (when starting out) more than an inconsistent schedule.
You'll also want to make sure you invest some time in business development.
Don't just get tied down to client servicing, it will stunt your growth and cash flow.
5) Keep yourself accountable and in balance.
It's important to be responsible when working from home but you don't want to overwork yourself either.
Build up your tolerance to longer days.
Start out with 8-10 hours and see how that feels for you physically.
If you have a larger work load, either increase your time OR bring on some additional help in the form of interns.
To learn more about Jaclyn Mullen, you can visit her website listed below.
It is certainly an exciting time to be a female business owner since technology has made the costs of starting a business very minimal.
With a laptop, cell phone, website, business plan and home office, female entrepreneurs can service customers, market and advertise through the Internet, establish e-commerce stores and fulfill their entrepreneurial dreams! Working out of a home office, in comparison to leasing space, is a very popular option since bricks and mortar, also known as rent, can be very costly.
More often than not, rent does not include costs such as equipment, insurance, parking and utilities which can quickly add up and eat away at the bottom line.
For these reasons, working from a home office is very beneficial for female entrepreneurs.
There are a few tips and tricks to ensure that you create a "productivity palace" in your house or apartment.
These 5 tips have worked for Jaclyn Mullen Media.
Put them to use and they will work for your home office, too.
1) Create a separate workspace outside of the bedroom.
Sure, it's tempting to want to work from bed.
BUT, that is not encouraged.
The bedroom is your place of reprieve.
It's important to maintain a separate, relaxing space where you can recharge since it is likely that you will be working long hours while you launch, service and look for new customers.
Whether you have a spare bedroom or just some open space in your living room, designate a home office territory.
2) Customize your space.
You started this business because you were inspired by an idea so it's important to set up an office space which reinforces that inspiration daily.
Do you have a favorite motivational poster? Hang it up.
Is your chair comfortable? This is critical! You can even sit on an exercise ball if you feel more comfortable.
And you don't have to go out on a shopping spree.
Stop by your local Thrift Store or inquire about companies in the area giving office furniture away.
Most importantly, create a space that will allow you to be productive, professional and passionate about your work at the same time.
3) Clear off the clutter.
Do you have enough space at your desk or does it feel cramped? You may want to invest in some shelving units and file cabinets.
Treat this home office as you would your desk, cubicle or office at a corporation.
4) Now that you have the space designated, you need some SOP's-standard operating procedures.
Of course you are entitled to flexibility surrounding your work day but you do want to get work done, too.
Perhaps your standard operating procedure is that you work 10:00 am to 7:00 pm with a flexible, one hour a day lunch break.
Commit to a schedule and try to keep it consistent.
Nothing will sabotage your success (when starting out) more than an inconsistent schedule.
You'll also want to make sure you invest some time in business development.
Don't just get tied down to client servicing, it will stunt your growth and cash flow.
5) Keep yourself accountable and in balance.
It's important to be responsible when working from home but you don't want to overwork yourself either.
Build up your tolerance to longer days.
Start out with 8-10 hours and see how that feels for you physically.
If you have a larger work load, either increase your time OR bring on some additional help in the form of interns.
To learn more about Jaclyn Mullen, you can visit her website listed below.
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