These are 10 important tips for being successful when you have started a work from home business or are working a freelance or telecommuting job from your home.
1.) Set-up a Website: What business do you know that does not have a website in this day and age? Use whatever resources possible and create a professional website to advertise and promote your qualifications and the business services that you provide working from home. Items to include would be information on the type of business you are running, listing of services that you provide, contact information, referral information (for example; link your feedback page and information from a freelance website that you have completed similar projects on to your website), sample projects and services, a link to your professional blog, industry certification and professional affiliations and organizations you belong to.
2.) Blog: Start a blog that depicts information about the type of projects you are working on and/ or the areas that you are qualified in and update it regularly. Invest time in adding content articles that clarify the work and efforts that you have completed in researching, launching and running your online business. The blogosphere is a great worldwide forum to network and get involved and learn new and up to date information from many people that are experienced in the entrepreneurial arena. Make sure to link your blog on your work at home website, so that interested business associates can see your efforts, gain insightful information that you are providing and your basic personality style.
3.) Get up early! From personal experience, just because you are running a business and working out of your home does not mean that the rest of the world is not running on a work-day time clock. Whatever type of instant messenger service or email you are using, you should be available at important times of the day when you know that most of your clients can be looking for you. Of course, when you have become an old seasoned pro at working online, you may be set up with several trusted employers or customers who trust you and the completed work and they rely on particular times to speak to you and receive project updates and completed work. But until your business has gotten to that level, you need to be available as often as possible and at the normal daily working hours.
4.) Quick response time! Be as quick as lightening and strike in all phases of your business. Answering emails, responding to teleconference invitations, response to online interviews, etc. When asked questions about current work and tasks, when being sought after by potential employers or customers; make sure you are available as often as possible. Just because you are working from home, does not mean you are not available and you need to prove this. The list of technology tools that are useful in maintaining greater communication for virtual offices is long, but research what ones are best for your needs and utilize them. If you cannot be near your computer make sure you are reachable, especially during your quoted available hours, make sure to be able to access your emails by your cell phone.
5.) Employ and learn useful online tools: Do not be closed minded to try new and helpful tools that are constantly available online and being introduced. Some tools may be exactly what you are looking for to keep every aspect of your business organized and prioritized in a great way. Tasks that are being completed manually can now be compiled in short easy software available.
6.) Make a list of “To-Dos” each day. Every day, make sure you have a list of tasks that need to be completed. Whether the ’to-dos’ are working on your website, completing work for a current job you are working on, answering emails, preparing an article, advertising, updating material and content, training, researching or promoting yourself and your business-make a list and complete it each day. If there are tasks left over for your next work day at least things are not forgotten that are important. I use Google to-do list,but that is my preference. It is a running tally of all the things I have completed and must do. You can keep a list online or in programs such as Outlook, but whatever your preference, just keep a list.
7.) Update, Update, Update! Update your website, update your blog, update your skills, update your available services as you become more proficient in other areas, update your hair… whatever. The world keeps, growing, changing and evolving. To keep up with competition and remain in the game, grow and change right along with it.
8.) Prioritize: Prioritizing the work and tasks that you need to complete, in your work at home business, is a fine line between being professional and not. If you do not prioritize your workload correctly, something can be missed and it does not look professional to miss deadlines and meetings or training sessions just because you were not organized with your important tasks in good order. Sometimes it takes practice at this. Keep a strict calendar and make sure to write “due dates” in red on this calendar. Refer back to it when setting up other work and make sure you have the correct and allotted time to be able to complete the tasks either on time or before they are due.
9.) Work hard. Dedicate you time, effort and commitment into your work at home business. Nothing comes easy and since you expect the rewards to be great so must your perseverance for success. If you search to take the ’easy’ road, do not forget the grass can always be greener on the other side and it is the ’work ethic’ mentality that we can make a million dollars in one month that leads us to fall for “work at home scams.”
10.) Remain ambitious. After putting together your whole work at home business, web site, online professional profiles, ‘to do’ lists, marketing, promoting, interviewing and hard work, it seems as though is noticing you. It is times like this that you must remain in the game. Take a little bit of time away and come back to the drawing board and either reevaluate some of your efforts as far as your marketing strategies and change them or take a step back and wait a little bit while doing something else, or working on some other facet. Don’t forget there are all sorts of things to do during downtime. This would be the perfect time to catch up.
Working from home has many rewards, but if you do not set up your business model correctly or do not put the correct effort into it, it may mean the difference between reaping the rewards or failing.
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