The disadvantages of working from home.

Morning all!!

Firstly a very big thank you to my colleagues on oDesk for all of their feedback and encouragement on my first blog post yesterday. You guys are stars, and I hope you enjoy the bit of moaning I'm going to do today.

It breaks my little heart to write this, but it's only fair that we explore the flip side of the coin when it comes to running your own writing business from home. As with all situations there are pros and cons. Today we explore the cons.

One of the main disadvantages in having a work from home business is that all of a sudden you become the 'man in charge'. No longer can you work through your 9-5 day and pick up the pay cheque at the end of the week. No, not only are you now responsible for the payroll, you've also suddenly become the H.R. Manager, I.T. Manager, Marketing Manager and Procurement Manager and that's only the tip of the iceberg! Here are a few more of my beloved bullet points to emphasise my point.

Top 10 reasons for not working from home:

1. You are now solely responsible for the income you generate. Sounds a bit nerve racking eh? Well it's the truth. If you are the sole provider for you and your family, you'll need to be a tough nut to take this step. Think of Christmas, Birthdays, Anniversaries, Weddings and College fees, are you happy to take on this responsibility without the guarantees that a regular payday brings?
2. Taxes, pensions, health Insurance and other deductibles are now your responsibility.
   We sometimes take for granted just how much work our 9-5 jobs do for us in order to keep us legal and above board. These are things that must be kept in order diligently for you to survive as a self-employed service provider.
3. Maintenance of Office surroundings, electronics and machinery. Again another part of working for 'the man' that we take for granted everyday. Most of us don't think twice about what it takes to keep an office up and running. But if you're determined to work from home then this is something you've either got to learn pretty quickly, or make friends with someone who can do it for you :)
4. Lack of motivation. For some, working from home can be motivation enough, but for the vast majority of us, we need a little push now and then. Working at home means that you are no longer surrounded by colleagues and employers to keep you on your feet. It's now 100% up to you to keep yourself going and keep morale up.
5. Which brings me nicely along to the next point, Loneliness. I'm sure there are those of us out there that enjoy our own company. I know I'm one of them. However, there are also those of us who thrive on being in a working environment, surrounded by people, enjoying the chat that goes with working in a communal office and the banter that goes on amongst work mates. This can be a very difficult transition for most and I've no doubt that it's probably one of the hardest things about working from home.

6. Sticking to a schedule, can also be a problem in the home environment. How do you handle unexpected visitors who now see you as accessible 24/7? Phone's ringing, dog's barking, kids need picking up from school and Mary from next door wants to have a good old heart to heart chat and is screaming at you to put the kettle on. The headaches could be unbearable and you'll have nowhere to run. Can you handle that?
7. Expense. Before you even get started on your own work from home business, you're going to have to lay out some initial costs. Where are you going to do your writing? You're going to need an office space with an ergonomically safe workstation and chair, a computer, laptop, perhaps a fax machine, copier & scanner, and that's just for starters. Do you have insurance cover on your home to cover all these extras? Thought not!.. Then you'll need to up your insurance premium also, along with paying extra for electricity & heating, you'll probably also have to shell out for a phone line, wireless internet connection and a back-up facility for all of your files.

Scared yet....?

8. For some, separating the home life from working time can be the most difficult transition. As I mentioned before, I myself do not have kids, but I can relate with those who do. How difficult must it be to separate being at home into two different sections. Of course you'll want to be there for your kids, but I highly advise against mixing the two. The only way out of this common dilemma is routine and physical separation from the rest of the house while you are working.

9. A short one for you. Working from home, when you have a husband / Wife / Kids means none of your other responsibilities disappear if you're busy. Can you handle that? At least with a bricks and mortar job, if you're not there, you're not there, there's nothing you can do! Will it be so easy when you're working from home?

10. Work is not guaranteed. In my opinion, one of the scariest parts of freelance writing. The constant battle with yourself to get more work in can be soul destroying at times and you're going to need a thick skin and a hell of a lot of determination to make it work.

So there you go, I’ve almost convinced myself that it’s not a good idea to start my own business!

Not quite though! If after reading all of the above points, you still think you can make it in the freelance writing arena, then welcome to the club. There’s room out there for all of us and the more we’re pushing against the elements that are making things difficult for us, the more successful we’ll be.

Until tomorrow…….