Tag: how to work from home

canadian home based business

Home-based business advice from Canadian entrepreneurs

Our GoForth Experts have fielded lots of questions about home-based businesses over the years, and have answered questions about things like zoning, permits, the home-based business lifestyle – and more! Here are a few home-based business questions our expert entrepreneurs have answered:

Have a question of your own? Search our database of over 1,000 small business questions and find answers from our expert entrepreneurs.

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Mental health when working from home

Working from home can be a rewarding and fulfilling pathway to entrepreneurship for many. However, sometimes entrepreneurs working from home can feel isolated or disconnected from colleagues and others. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us are working from home who may not be used to it. It can take a toll on our mental health if we don’t have proper support or connection.

The Globe & Mail recently shared some mental health tips when working from home, from Shrad Rao, the founder of remote company Waypoint. In the article, Rao says:

As a company that’s worked 100-per-cent remotely since day one, we’ve learned some important lessons about staying mentally healthy while getting the job done from home. Our solutions may not work for your company, but if you can take any positive from our experiences, then we’re all better off for it.

Visit the Globe & Mail’s site for the full article with mental health tips from a remote company.

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How to identify a work-from-home scam

business trendsStarting a small business from home definitely has its perks, including time to run errands during the day, increased workspace flexibility, and money saved on transportation. So if you encounter a company that claims to give you the freedom to work from home, it can be tempting. However, not all home-based business programs are as good as they seem. Here are a few ways you can identify home-based business scams:

  • Read the terms and conditions on the company’s site very carefully. You may be asked to pay a small fee for the start-up DVD or instruction guide. Be sure you can return this material without incurring even more fees.
  • Look for money-back guarantees or free, no-obligation trials.
  • If you can discuss the program directly with a representative, then there’s a good chance it’s a legitimate home-based business opportunity. Be wary of people who are evasive about your questions, pressure you into signing up, or insist that you pay for more information.
  • Companies that insist you must spend exorbitant amounts of money in order to work for them are usually not reputable.
  • Research the company as thoroughly as you can. Do an online search of messageboards, member blogs, and review sites. Talk with people you know who may be involved with the program.
  • Be suspicious of sites that boast mind-blowing income promises. No business can promise you $25,000 a week for four hours of work. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Trust your instinct!
  • Even if promises of great income seem realistic, many companies post the income expectations of their highest earners – not the average.

For more information, check out what our GoForth Expert Carla Young had to say about finding legitimate home-based business opportunities.

 

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How to manage a virtual office

How to manage a virtual officeAre you thinking about reducing your costs and increasing your pool of potential employees by going virtual?

As we’ve discussed before, employees working remotely can be happier and more productive.

But what about you? How can you keep your virtual office running smoothly and efficiently?

How to manage a virtual office

  • Test the waters. If you’re transitioning from employees working in the office to employees working remotely, try it out first. Perhaps you can have everyone on a trial period, or rotate your employees’ remote schedules. You might find out there are kinks to work out, or maybe even that your office needs to put remote working on the back burner for now.
  • Set your expectations. Working remotely involves a lot of trust. Make sure your employees know what’s expected of them as far as scheduling, meetings, reporting back to you, deadlines, and outcomes. And let them know what they can expect from you, too. Will you always be available if they need help? How will they get in touch with you? How can they communicate with each other?
  • Trust in your team. A huge part of running a virtual office is trusting that your team is working, and delivering on time. You can’t stroll by and chat with them like in a traditional office. Of course, you should be monitoring their overall progress and how they get there, but don’t make checking their social media and constantly asking for updates a regular part of your day.
  • Hold regular meetings. With a virtual team, communication is more important than ever. For both your sake and the sake of your employees, hold meetings as often as makes sense. You can either have a big weekly check-in via Skype, one-on-one meetings as needed, or some combination of the two. Go over milestones, goals, deadlines, and any issues anyone’s been experiencing.
  • Be flexible and understanding. Employees working remotely are like home-based entrepreneurs in some ways. While they may not be able to organize their schedules as freely as a home-based entrepreneur, they do have some of the same benefits of working from home. You may need to be a little flexible if an employee wants to schedule a doctor’s appointment in the middle of the day, or understanding if you call and your employee’s out walking the dog. Of course, your employee should be taking the same considerations of his and her deadlines and schedule as in a traditional office.

Check out our blog post for more tips on managing a virtual workforce.

Do you have a virtual office? What tips and words of wisdom would you share?

 

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