Home Office Warrior | Home Office Warrior

Top 5 Lessons I’ve Learned in 5 Years of Working from Home

Oct 30, 2008

Alyssa Gregory owns avertua, LLC , a virtual assistant firm providing general business support, design services, and virtual assistant coaching and mentoring. She is the author of “VA Secrets Revealed! An Insider’s Guide to Being a Successful Virtual Assistant” and provides small business tips through her blog. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and two children.

This November marks the 5th anniversary of my virtual assistant company, avertua. I have learned many things over the past five years about business, marketing and working with clients. But perhaps some of the most important lessons I’ve learned are those that keep things moving behind the scenes when you work from home.

In honor of my anniversary, I have compiled the top five lessons I’ve learned while working from home. If you are a seasoned home-worker, you may nod in agreement as you read through my list. If you’re a new business owner or soon to be taking the plunge to work from home, hopefully you will get some ideas you can implement, and maybe even avoid some common mistakes many people who work from home make.

Here are my top lessons learned:

1 - Repeat After Me: I Am Working!

I have found that no matter how many times I tell family and friends that I’m working, there are always several people who don’t quite get it. They stop by unannounced; they call and want to talk for an hour; they make plans without checking with me. It’s been five years, and I am still telling the same people over and over again that I am not sitting around watching soap operas and eating bon-bons; I am WORKING.

My Lesson: If you’re repeating, “I can’t; I’m working,” over and over to the same people, it’s a lost cause. Don’t spend any more time getting frustrated or trying to get them to understand. Accept their misconceptions and realize that they are not going to change. Start to schedule time to get together way in advance and in the meantime, make your excuse, hang up the phone and get back to work!

2 - Discipline is a Must-Have

When you work from home distractions are everywhere. You’re in your own environment so you have constant reminders about what you will be doing when you’re not working: places you need to clean, yard work that needs to be done, and kids who want your attention. It is very easy to be distracted and sidetracked and without discipline it is virtually impossible to stay on track.

My Lesson: Set realistic goals for every day but don’t be set on strict adherence. Focus on your biggest priorities, but be flexible and be able to adjust if you are hit by distractions…because it’s inevitable you will be distracted from time-to-time.

3 - Treat Your Technology Like Royalty
Almost everyone I know that works from home relies on their computer. Your productivity can be negatively impacted by out-of-date, non-functional equipment and software. And heaven-forbid you ever experience a system crash! What are you doing to ensure you don’t experience costly downtime?

My Lesson: Make the necessary investment for the systems you need to do your job well. Update your software regularly, and run maintenance (virus check, system check, defrag) regularly. Create a contingency plan so you can continue to work in case of a problem with your primary computer. And please, back up your data!

4 - Get Organized and Create Systems NOW

When I started my business, I wasted many hours trying to find files misplaced on my computer, locating documents lost in the sea of paper on my desk, and recreating the wheel every time I needed to send a standard e-mail. It not only took its toll on my productivity, but it became frustrating and definitely didn’t create an environment conducive for work.

My Lesson: Get organized and make every effort to stay organized. Once you create your systems, manuals, and processes you will find you are able to get more done in less time, which is truly invaluable. Set aside time at least weekly to reevaluate, adjust and take action. The time you spend getting organized will serve you well for the life of your business.

5 - Setup (and Protect) Your Space
I have been lucky enough to have a room dedicated as my office since starting my business. And I have used my office to its fullest potential. But what if you don’t have the luxury of having a room just for your use? How do you create an area that “works” for your work?

My Lesson: Regardless of the location and the amount of area you have available, create a workspace that is off-limits to the family, separate from your living space, and functions as you need it to. You may have to be a little creative, but you absolutely need a space to call your own!

What are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned while working from home? Add to my list by commenting below!

If you would like to purchased Alyssa’s wonderful ebook, you can use this link:

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Hard Work and Innovation Will Help You Thrive in a Down Economy

Oct 27, 2008

I must thank @nancymk of the blog Direct Sales Marketing Queen for the heads up on her post called, Pink Ladies Thrive in Bleak Economy.

One of the things I enjoy a lot is visiting with those in Mary Kay direct sales. From the sales reps to the sales managers. They are an amazing group of individuals who run some of the most successful direct sales home based businesses out there. And ladies like Nancy are doing a great job using blogging and other social media tools to not only showcase their products. But also to highlight what a great company Mary Kay is to work with.

Mary Kay corporate office should be supporting the efforts of those who are using the Internet 110%. Corporate should get behind these innovating and hard working direct sales individuals. And showcase what they are doing and achieving using such tools as blogging and social media. Using such tools, these individuals are moving this type of direct sales home based businesses into the future. And reaching an audience I doubt Mary Kay Ash even dreamed about when she first started this unbelievable company years ago.

Visit Pink Ladies Thrive in Bleak Economy to watch this video.

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So, you want to work at home — tips to be successful

Oct 21, 2008

George Angus agreed to provide me with the following guest post. George is providing you with some of his best tips for being a successful Home Office Warrior. George publishes the blog, Tumblemoose Productions where he discusses becoming a successful freelance business owner. Make sure you visit his blog and check it out. Thanks for great guest post George.

So you’ve decided to be a Home Office Warrior. Ah, yes. The good life. Awake at 8am, stumble over to the computer in your jammies and let that first cup of java sink in. No commute, all the time and the world and you’ll probably get rich too!

I think most freelance business owners have at least a little chunk of this fantasy stored in the back of their brain. Perhaps the scenario above is what enticed someone to be a freelance business owner in the first place.

After a certain period of time, (about 15 minutes) it becomes apparent that the fantasy is just that: fantasy. Make no mistake, a Warriors job is a difficult one. It is a job. Of course there are benefits to this lifestyle and it works well for quite a few folks, not so well for others.

Here are some tips to help you on your way:

It is a job, treat it that way. If you are going to be successful, you have to buy into this basic foundation of being a Home Office Warrior. Take it serious and do your work.

Set a specific daily schedule and stick to it. One of the great things of having a home office is that depending on the type of freelance work you do and client needs, you can set your schedule for however you choose. Do you do your best work in the morning? Great! Set the alarm for 5am and get to it. Night owl? No problem. Work into the twilight.

Close the door. Your home office best serves you when it is in its very own special place. Try to not run things from the kitchen table. Your home office needs to have a door if possible, and it needs to be shut during working hours.

Balance your time. One of the reasons folks start a freelance business from home is to be able to drive the kids to soccer practice or take care of home needs on their own schedule. It truly is an advantage. Remember though, give back the time at some point during the day.

Kill all radios, televisions and other distracting devices. This may include parts of your computer. During work time, no surfing, no stumbling and no digging. No fair responding to personal emails, either. You’re at work. Work.

These simple tips should help you to build a solid foundation for becoming a successful freelance business owner.

How about other freelance business owners who have become successful Warriors? What tips do you have for remaining focused and on the job?

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Are those who work from home more productive?

Oct 07, 2008

In a word, yes. A recent survey released by CompTIA Reseach indicates that when companies give workers the option of telecommuting, they are seeing greater productivity, lower costs, improved employee health and greater employee retention. And this was also talked about today in a great post on ZDNet called “Trying to increase productivity? Send your employees home.”

Like Sam Diaz who wrote the post on ZDNet, I am sitting at my desk in my home office with my MacBook and extra display. Printer and even my own 20″ flat screen TV with the music channel on. Polo shirt, shorts and flip flops are my office attire too. I could not imagine having to get up, getting dressed and commuting to an office job ever again.

While I am my own boss unlike those who telework for a company, I too appreciate that I am working as soon as I pour my own cup of coffee and sit down in my chair. My commute is down 11 steps and across the basement to my office. And that is a huge upside for me and for those bosses who have employees working out of a home office.

Among the findings of the survey:

67 percent of the companies polled said employees were more productive, largely because they spent less time getting to and from work.

59 percent reported seeing cost savings from reduced use of office-related materials and resources.

39 percent said they have access to a more qualified staff, expanding their options to people who are located in - and not willing to relocate from - other regions. Likewise, 37 percent said telecommuting improved employee retention.

25 percent said employee health was improved, largely by reducing stress levels associated with the commute.

Other benefits included promotion of safety through reduced highway use (18 percent) and environmental benefits (17 percent).

As Sam Diaz also mentions,

Today’s tech tools - things like VPNs, WiFi hotspots, faster broadband connections and online and video conferencing services - have made telecommuting easier. My favorite tool: a virtual phone number from Google’s Grand Central service allows me to give my business contacts one phone number that simultaneously rings my home phone, office phone and cell phone so I never miss a call.

I could not do what I do without the same tools. And I would venture to guess, everyone who works from a home office has the same list of items they would not live without.

ZDNet in their post provided a really sharp graph which takes the numbers above and puts them side by side. Improved productivity is clearly at the top.

Trying to increase productivity? Send your employees home. | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com.jpg

If you are trying to convince your employer to give you the chance to work at home, show them the above survey results and sell them on it. They will be happy and so will you.

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Announcing Dad-o-Matic

Sep 19, 2008

Announcing Dad-o-Matic is a very recent post over at Chris Brogan’s blog. And I am honored to be a small part of it.

Read Chris’ post about Dad-o-Matic and find out more, who is writing there and a very special guest post.

I will be posting weekly if I can swing it. And if there are certain post you would like me to tackle on Dad-o-Matic let me know. I am open to any suggestions, comments or questions you have. And thanks again to Chris Brogan for allowing me to be a part of this.

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