7 Tips On How To Grow Your Business While Stuck At Home 24/7
WORKING FROM HOME IS WHAT I’VE DONE FOR A VERY, VERY LONG TIME. IF YOU ARE NEW TO WORKING FROM HOME GET READY TO GET MORE PRODUCTIVE AND GET STUFF DONE IN LESS TIME.
Last week I posted a blog on 10 Tips On How To Stay Sane When Stuck At Home 24/7. Some of my tips may overlap like ‘3. Bring Your Coffee Shop Home’ or ‘9. Take an Online Class Or Webinar’ – if you have a few minutes give that post a read as well for 10 more fantastic tips.
In 2001 I started to import and sell European-made children’s toys on my website Maukilo.com. Perhaps you shopped there at some point (let me know if you did). I worked tirelessly day and night from the comfort of my home (stuffed to the ceilings with the merchandise) to make it a success.
Even though I sold and left that business in 2010 I continued to work from home taking on a job in social media (7 years) and now a career in web design (5 years).
Just yesterday I spoke to a client of mine that is currently working from home and she was surprised how much more she gets done and how much less she snacked. Working from home is definitely not for everyone, but can be incredibly productive if you make a few small adjustments.
1. Face The Wall. Literally!
Want to get a lot of work done from home in a short amount of time? Set up your ‘office’ facing a wall – not overlooking the street in front of your house – not the luscious backyard – not where your kids are playing.
Facing a wall will eliminate distractions and you will get your work done in half the time so you can go play with your kids in your backyard or practice ukulele 😉
2. Remove Clutter From View
Need I say more? Just keep the essentials within your workspace: computer, necessary work documents, phone, headphones, notebook, pen, water,…you get the idea.
3. Get Noise-Cancelling Headphones
To get some peace and quiet while other family members are at home consider getting some noise-canceling earbuds or headphones. They are great not only while you are trying to get some work done, but also to just get away from your family for a little while to listen to your favorite music or audiobook.
I have the Bose QuietComfort 20 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Earbuds, but I find that often I don’t even use the noise-cancelling feature. The silicon earpieces alone keep most of the noise out already. So save some $$ and check out the basic Bose In-Ear Headphones (still expensive, but worth every penny), or the Bose Bluetooth Nois-Cancelling Headphones.
4. Update Your Website
People may not be out and about right now spending money and patronizing local businesses. HOWEVER, they still need and want to buy things and want to do business with you.
Now is the time to get your website updated and refreshed. I know money may be tight in the coming weeks and I’m not talking about a complete redesign. If you can do it yourself go for it – if not contact your web designer and have them to it for you. A couple of hours of web design work should be in your budget (you can always contact me).
A little immediate TLC for your website will pay off now and later:
update some photos
add/remove team members
make sure your address and contact info is correct
update your products and services
make sure your prices and fees are still up-to-date
don’t forget to add an opt-in form to your website!
Now that you have a opt-in for on you website it’s time to…
5. Work On Your Mailing List
I’m sure you’ve been thinking about cleaning up your contacts and starting to send out newsletters to your clients containing valuable information about your business or industry. Now is the time!
I just finished cleaning up all of my contacts and finally uploaded them into MailChimp.
Now that you are all set up and ready to send out your first newsletter this is the perfect time to start writing your first blog post(s)…(yay!)
6. Write Blog Posts! (plural)
I’m sure you’ve heard me say that before many, many times: write and post to your blog every week. This may be your chance to catch up or get started on your first blog post.
Eventually life and business will return to a ‘normal’ level and you are getting ahead right now by posting blogs that will start indexing in Google and other search engines.
7. Use Video Conferencing Apps
Can’t meet with your clients? Use web and video conferencing tools like Zoom, GoToMeeting, and Google Hangouts. I personally prefer to use Skype just because it is easy to use and free.
My pilates study started using Zoom to share classes and it is working out great!
8. Take Regular Breaks
This tip is not only for when you work from home but also once you return to the workplace: take regular mental and physical breaks. Go for a walk in the backyard, walk up and down your stairs, do some pushups, shrug your shoulders, stretch, practice an instrument, revisit your French vocabulary, drink water. Whatever you choose to do during your break stay off social media!
I use Healthier and love it. I can determine the duration for work and break times, and type of breaks (a timer, quotes, or exercise tips). I have it set to prompt me every 45 minutes for a 3-minute exercise break and sometimes I practice some new chords on my ukulele.
There are many free and paid apps that are made just to remind you to take breaks.
