I have worked at home on and off for the last eight years. There are pros and cons, as there are with everything.
Things to think about:
Does the layout of the place enable clients to come directly into the bedroom and bathroom without having to walk through any of your living areas? When I first started I was living in an open plan flat which meant that clients had to come in via the lounge and if they needed to use the bathroom, they had to walk through the lounge and the kitchen to reach it, which was not ideal at all.
I now live in a modern flat and the only thing that they see is the bedroom and the ensuite bathroom. I keep my personal toiletries in the other bathroom so everything in the ensuite is purely for client use.
You also need to think about how clients are going to get to your door, are they going to be visible to any neighbours. I prefer working from flats for this exact reason - there are 16 flats in My Block and most of us are renting. So anyone coming into the block that isn't a known face doesn't raise any suspicion. However I do keep footfall pretty low at home – I would only see three clients a day maximum.
For security, I never tell clients that I live alone, I always subtly mention that I have a flatmate. Some clients will assume that I mean a boyfriend or husband, which is fine by me. You could also leave out some items of men's clothing for example a pair of boots or a jacket. Although some clients are put off by the idea that a man might be present, I would rather not put the idea into their heads that I'm a woman living alone who could be targeted for robbery. I also mention that I have a dog - you can do this by asking "Do you have any allergies? I have a dog but he doesn't go into the work bedroom at all"
I minimise risk by going to the bank daily so there is never a large amount of cash on the premises.
One thing to think about is do you have a presence in your local community? for example if you have children at school are you well known amongst other parents, are you connected to a lot of local people on Facebook, do you go to a lot of social events in your area? When I first started working here, I was quite socially isolated and I didn't know that many people in the local community. However over the last couple of years I have started socializing a lot more, and it's made me realize that I am increasing my risk of being recognized. So as of next year, I will be aiming only to see regulars at home, and doing most of my work on tour.
Also on Facebook my profile picture is not of me it's a picture of my pet, and my cover photo is also not of me. This avoids the problem of a punter recognizing me if I comment on a mutual friends post.
Always keep post out of sight, a couple of punters have clocked my real name as Amazon have left parcels outside my door as a clients been leaving or arriving 🙄
Think about having a landmark where you can direct clients so you can make sure they are there before giving the door number. I've had a couple who have said they've arrived, I've given the door number and then they've disappeared - not a nice feeling to know they now have my address 😕
I have two bedrooms here so I work in one and sleep in the other so it's quite easy for me to switch off when I've finished.
There are a lot of benefits for me, the main one being that if someone contacts me I can be ready more or less immediately. And of course I've got no extra costs. Plus you can claim a certain amount of your bills as a work expense for tax purposes.
Topic: Do you work from your own property? (Read 1204 times)