There are many advantages and disadvantages of business which you can do at home.
If you own a small company, there are many benefits of working from your house instead of using standard office space. While the primary concern for any person who wants to start a business is profitability, not everyone can afford an office or commercial facility. This is one reason why people prefer starting up their own home-based businesses.
Here are 6 advantages and disadvantages that will help you decide whether or not to operate your business out of your home:
Advantages:
1) Reduced cost for startup
When operating out of the household, there are no costs related to leasing or purchasing expensive real estate facilities. Households offer other amenities like electricity, water supply, internet connection, telephone line, and office equipment.
2) Reduced operating costs
Instead of paying expensive rent on commercial space every month, the only significant cost related to running a household business is utility bills. Low utility bills can contribute significantly to increased profits for new businesses just starting out. Utilities like electricity and water are often cheaper than office building utilities where each tenant pays for his or her own usage.
3) Accessibility 24/7
Households offer greater accessibility than commercial spaces because you don’t need permission to enter or leave the premises at any time of day or night. You will never be locked out of your workplace due to late hour arrivals or early morning departures; this advantage also applies when unexpected events arise during normal working hours.
4) Increased productivity
Due to uninterrupted access and fewer distractions, many people find that they get more work done at home than in a commercial space. Also, staying at home means you can spend valuable time with family members during the day while still performing your professional duties.
5) Personalized and creative services
The unique decorating or furnishing styles of individual homes allow business owners to make their businesses virgin coconut oil buyer more personal and creative compared to traditional offices which often look very similar. This individuality will give customers a sense of uniqueness towards your products and services; this may help you stand out from competitors who do not offer such personalized customer service.
6) Lower employee cost
Employ are typically less costly when they work at home since there is no need to provide additional compensation for travel expenses. Also, household work environments often create a friendlier and more relaxed business atmosphere that leads to greater productivity and communication with customers.
Disadvantages:
1) Privacy and confidentiality
When working out of your home you will always have the possibility of nosy neighbors or passersby discovering highly confidential information on your computer screen. If this information is sensitive in nature, it could lead to uninvited physical access by those people. This lack of complete privacy can also cause distractions during critical periods when clients are trying to contact you about important matters.
2) Personal problems
Lack of boundaries between work time and personal time can result in confusion about how to handle personal matters during office hours. For example, you might be interrupted from a conference call by a family member needing assistance or your child may need a ride to daycare in the middle of a business meeting. This confusion between personal and professional life can result in decreased productivity for you and your employees.
3) Privacy
Privacy is another issue that makes it difficult for people who work out of their homes. Some customers will not trust home-based businesses because they cannot see the actual location where the service is performed; this lack of transparency may cause some customers to doubt whether staff members are competent enough to perform services correctly.
4) Family issues
Home-based workers often find themselves caught between work and family commitments as they try to balance the time needed to support their family with the time needed to maintain a business. Family members who do not understand the demands of running a small business may resent the extra hours that owner-workers give to their office tasks as opposed to spending more personal time at home.
4) Kitchen/bathroom issues
Another challenge faced by those working from home is lack of access to corporate amenities such as kitchen or bathroom facilities even though they are on site for several hours during the day. You will also miss out on networking opportunities if you choose not to visit other businesses because your own workplace does not offer necessary conveniences like water coolers and coffee machines.
Concluding remarks:
Although many people feel that working home is personally advantageous, it can also create difficulties in business such as the lack of privacy, increased family demands and distractions from household responsibilities.
