Last week, I highlighted the benefits of having a home-based writing business and, at the end of the blog post, mentioned the potential obstacles that you may be faced with. As someone who runs a home-based business, you’re likely to be familiar with the challenges that come along with this type of work. Many challenges are common to all businesses but some specific obstacles make running a home business even more difficult. Here, I’ve detailed four common challenges of a home-based business as well as some tips on overcoming them.
1. Managing your time and priorities
One of the biggest challenges of running a home-based business is maintaining a work-life balance and managing your time effectively. Whilst the freedom of having complete control of your schedule is beneficial, it can easily turn into a downside if you don’t know how to manage it correctly.
Overcoming this challenge requires setting clear goals and deadlines for yourself. This will help you to prioritise your tasks and make the most of your time. It will also help you to avoid the many distractions that will crop up at home. In addition, you should try to schedule regular breaks throughout the day and stick to a routine that works for you. If possible, try to avoid working late into the night or on weekends, and ensure that you get enough sleep each night.
2. Managing your finances
This is particularly difficult if you work alone and don’t have a dedicated business partner or accountant to help you keep track of your income and expenses. To overcome this challenge, it’s important to be diligent about tracking your income and expenses. Do this by setting up a separate bank account for your business and using accounting software, such as QuickBooks, to make the process easier for you. Be sure to review your finances on a regular basis.
3. Dealing with clients
It’s important to be proactive when dealing with clients and this can sometimes fall by the wayside when working on a project for them, especially an extensive one. When you’re writing content in particular, you need to concentrate on the task at hand and are likely to be ‘in the zone’. This means that everything else tends to be ignored until you’ve finished. But just remember to be responsive to your clients too. If you don’t communicate with them, they may not be inclined to offer you any repeat work. It’s important, therefore, to build strong relationships with your clients, particularly those you interact with most often.
To attract a steady stream of new clients, create a professional online presence for your business. This will highlight your authority as a writer and showcase your writing services. When you’re in a position to do so, you can outsource some of your customer service and marketing tasks to third parties. This will ensure that your customers are always happy and engaged with your business.
4. Keeping your stress levels under control
Running a home-based business is rewarding but it can also be stressful, both physically and mentally. This is particularly true if you are working long hours or dealing with difficult clients on a regular basis. To defeat this challenge, be mindful of your stress levels and take steps to manage them effectively.
This can include things such as taking frequent breaks throughout the day and practicing self-care by engaging in activities that make you feel relaxed and happy. You can also reach out to friends and family members when you need support. Any of these can help you to cope with issues that may be impacting your ability to run a successful business.
Many challenges come with running a home-based business but with the right mindset and approach, you can overcome these challenges and thrive in your entrepreneurial journey. What obstacles have you come up against while working from home and how did you overcome them?
Image credits
Main image: Ketut Subiyanto on Pexels. Second image: Michaela on Pexels. Third image: Brett Jordan on Pexels.
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