Doesn’t it sound tempting? Organising your business from your lounge or study; you can start work when you like and stay as late as you need, avoid the traffic, and slip in one or two must-do domestic chores each day without even getting dressed. But is a work uniform of PJs and unbrushed hair going to cut it as a business owner? Working from home requires discipline, determination, and a good system.

We asked franchisees and franchisors to share with us their best advice for implementing great business practice while enjoying a home-based lifestyle.

Top tips for working at home

“Always make sure you get up and get ready and dressed for work, have your shower, get dressed professionally, have breakfast and then “go” to work into your office area, hopefully a separate area from the rest of your home.

“Try and have the office area away from the home area so that your home life is not distracted by the work telephone ringing or faxes coming in. Make work hours rules and stick to them.

“I didn’t do either of these very well to start with and had business development managers  knocking on my door and I hadn’t done my hair or makeup and was embarrassed – I quickly learnt to be “ready” for work.”

“A home-based business is a great way to establish a healthy work-life balance, however on top of having a basic understanding of marketing and business principles you must possess the right attitude, dedication and commitment to be successful.

“With a home-based franchise, it’s important you treat it like a real business and not confuse it with your domestic responsibilities.”

Tracey Voyce, director, Bloomtools

“Our franchisees often start their business with us by working from home as it enables them initially to minimise the expenses until they build up their residual incomes and are ready for an office, adding additional staff, and taking their franchise to the next level. 

“But like any business owner, it is important they keep focused, cover all areas of their business, and give priority to important areas without any distractions from home or within their businesses.

“To do this, we give our franchisees an idea of a typical week; this has been modelled on how franchisees before them have managed their time and it becomes their default diary that enables them to build their businesses effectively.  

“Each day has blocks of times dedicated to common headings such as client calls, sales, marketing, learning, operations, admin, weekly HQ business/sales coaching sessions  – but also provides for time slots dedicated for things they may put off such as accounting: these we add to the beginning of a day to ensure they get done. 

“Because our new franchisees initially spend a majority of their time on sales and building up networks we block out at least three days for this, so they are solely focused on this aspect of the business on these days.

“Overall our franchisees love their default diaries as it is a powerful guide that still gives them the freedom to do what they want to do and when. But it keeps them focused, shapes their days, enables them to be more efficient in their working weeks and they spend their time on things that have made other franchisees successful.”