Businesses all over the world are following work-from-home policies due to the pandemic that has impacted the globe. Because of the current situation, business owners and entrepreneurs are finding different ways to run their business.
Conducting and growing a business while working from home requires a lot of planning and organization. There is a solution for every business-related problem out there.
Keeping that in mind, here are the key factors business owners need to pay attention to in order to grow their business while working from home.
1. Set up a workspace
Working from home can become distracting since it is a place where you relax and sleep. In a Mentimeter survey of 1,500 Americans who are now teleworking, two of the top three obstacles to productivity are other household members and distractions at home such as tv.
Therefore, in order to separate your home life from your work life, you need to find a space in your home where you can set up your at-home office and work without any distractions.
If you can dedicate a separate room for your work, then you are all set. However, if you don’t have a lot of space in your home then dedicate a small corner, with a table, your computer, and other work essential items.
Just make sure that you let anyone else in your home know that you shouldn’t be disturbed during your working hours.
2. Prepare and manage your workforce
According to your type of business, you need to figure out if all of your employees have the basic necessities that they need in order to work from home.
For instance, high-speed internet, home computer or laptop, and other essential tools. In the Mentimeter survey, new teleworkers mention internet and technology issues as the second most-cited distraction from productivity.
It can be difficult for some employees to transition from an office setting to a home setting. You might need to help a couple of your employees out in that area, like guiding them on how they can set up an office in their home or providing the equipment and tools that they need.
3. Make a task list
Tasks lists are known to help when it comes to increasing productivity. Many successful people use task lists. Billionaire Richard Branson uses a list for clarity. 2X Olympian Shannon Millier saw the need to use a list to balance her life.
A to-do list helps organize what’s on your plate. Layout your activities and prioritize what’s most important. Encourage your employees to do so as well, so they aren’t just jumping from one task to the next.
It’s important to keep a to-do list of not only your tasks but also your communications, weekly meetings, projects, goals, deadlines, etc. This will help keep everything in order and help you focus on activities of value.
4. Form communication procedures and set expectations
Your team will not only change their physical environment but the way they work and communicate will change as well. They’re no longer within talking distance of each other.
Stay connected and maintain communication with all of your employees through various online software that is available, like Skype, Meet, or Zoom. Even with these tools, you might have to adjust expectations. Some tasks might take longer to complete.
A team check-in with daily reports might help. During those times, you can discuss updates, the goals they achieved, the projects they have completed, or challenges they’ve encountered.
The key is to find a balance and avoid holding too many video meetings to prevent video fatigue.
5. Take care of your customers and search for new opportunities
As a business owner, your customers are your bread and butter. The last thing you need is to lose your customers. That’s why it is important to plan marketing strategies and tactics that will create new opportunities for your business.
Nowadays, brands, especially entertainers, are leveraging social media more. As large gatherings have ceased, entertainers are allocating more resources into other channels to reach their audiences. TV hosts and performers have been broadcasting on YouTube and other streaming channels.
While you may not have the resources to produce something on that scale, consider various channels and campaigns like e-newsletters, referrals, or online promotional events.
One way you can do that is by collaborating with other brands that share similar audiences with your business. This way, you’ll expand your reach by introducing your brand to new audiences.
Figure out ways to pick up positive trends and keywords in your campaigns. Use tools like social media search or Google Trends to identify what your target audience is interested in.
In the charts above, you can see spikes for keywords around bread and recipes during the Thanksgiving and Christmas time frames. Recently, there has been a more sustained interest in those searches.
Brands, including restaurants and entertainers, have noticeably been producing content around these trends as a way to connect with their audience.
6. Review your progress and goals
Every business has its own specific goals that they want to achieve. Whether your goal is to increase sales, provide better customer service, increase profit margins, or acquire new customers, you need to keep track of progress.
Based on the previous performance, you can set better and more realistic goals for the growth of your business. Reviewing your progress throughout will let you know where you are in achieving those goals.
When you periodically conduct reviews, you can identify mistakes and areas of improvement, the challenges you came across, strengths and functions that produce results, and the direction to take.
Through reviewing your progress and setting new goals, you’re bound to stay focused on growing your business.
7. Don’t forget to decompress
Once you are in the zone while working, it can be difficult to let go. Even when you are working from home, it can be easy to forget to take breaks.
However, in the long run, this can have negative effects on many things. Studies have shown that overworking oneself can result in lower productivity and unpleasant health outcomes.
That is why it is crucial to decompress and find a work-life balance. Set an alarm or a notification.
There are many things you can do in order to decompress even momentarily from a hard-working day. For example, during working hours schedule breaks to get out of your workspace. Exercise, read a book, watch a show, or do something creative.
Make sure you don’t check work messages and emails nor take work calls when you are done for the day. Spending time with your family or housemates, or occupy yourself with your hobbies.
Wrapping up
In the end, working from home has its perks and also its disadvantages. Success is still possible when you work from home. With the right tools and strategies, working from home can turn into a smooth process.
The growth of your business depends on how you handle everything from your home. Every single day will be a new learning process; hence it is important that you find a routine that works best for you and your business.