Stay at home mums and dads running there business

In the past I have worked from home, and the main issue I have had is bing disciplined enough not to get side tracked during the day. As others has said, I in hind sight I think they are correct, an office away from home is better. In my area you can hire an office/room for as long as you need, and this way you focus on your work and not be thinking I'll just do this or I have 5 mins I'll do that.
Hard but true, when away from home you focus better, well at least from my experience.
Tom55

There are many people working at home .It is more free and can adjust time by themselves.It is good in fact if you do international business because the time is different among countries.

I personally think working from home can be easier, like has been mentioned it saves on costs, you can get more done (if the kids behave) and its your own comfortable personal space.- What's better then that?.

- I also agree with what's been mentioned above, have you not thought about investing? Maybe having the children at nursery for the day or half. You could find this useful.

There is nothing bad with working from home, if you feel comfortable doing so, however if you can afford a small office - definitely have one. There is a huge difference to know it is the place to work and your home is the place to enjoy time with your family. In addition, many people do find it more professional if you have even a small office. You can always invite a potential client to discuss things over a nice cup of tea at the office. There is nothing bad to invite them at home, too, but:
1. Would you feel comfortable letting people you don`t know at your home ?
2. Would you feel comfortable if your baby is crying the next room?
3. What would you miss a perfect job opportunity, because you don`t seem professional enough in the eyes of your client?

Actually apart from convincing the others one should convince themselves. Working from home requires huge self-control, so people who do it deserve admiration

lol It is kinda hard explaining to people that I actually work. Most still seem to think its just a hobby for me. You're right though legalstop, it takes a lot of dedication, but at the same time, if you like what you're doing, then its no trouble at all. I think that makes the difference. If you don't enjoy what you do, then it would be the same as if you had to drive into the office every morning, you'd get nothing done because you don't enjoy what you're doing. and vice versa. I love what i do, and love new challenges, so its not hard for me to work from home at all.

Some interesting reads and views. I'm just starting out (computer repair services) and will be doing it from home. Image of premises isn't really an issue as most of the work will be on site. It would be nice to have a more professional looking address on my marketing material though.

A couple of nil-cost "image-protecting" suggestions ...

Try to make your "business address" sound like a business address and not a private home (eg 23 Smith St sounds OK as a business address but Dun Roaming, Smith St doesn't.

You might be able to "tweak" your address a bit (eg call your home Byte House, Smith St). The postie will still be able to find you thanks to your post code but make sure you have a nice big house name up declaring the new name (otherwise you'll baffle any "holiday cover" posties).

It's mandatory, I think, to have a notice up on the front of the house giving your registered company address anyway (MLF legal eagles please confirm) but that can be a much smaller, more discreet sign.

Second suggestion is - remove your house from street view in GoogleMaps. Google give instructions on how you can do this.

I didn't know that!


Good tip

Or for a lot less than an office, if you have a business centre near you, see if they offer a virtual business address and mail catch, and make it your registered address. I know our place does, plus most like hours have meeting rooms you can hire by the hour. If you need a meeting and want to impress, simply have your clients directed into the