Things to consider when creating a workspace for your home-based business
In order to run your business effectively, you need a comfortable workspace where you can focus on your current projects without distractions.
If you have limited space at home, you might feel like your only option is setting up your laptop at the kitchen table and hoping that the other members of your household don’t interrupt you.
If you often find yourself working in less than optimal conditions at home, it’s time to focus on establishing a personal home office.
You may want to move into a bigger home with extra room, hire a contractor to renovate your current home, or simply take over a spare room that is rarely used. And if you need some home improvement ideas, look no further than the Love Luxe Homes blog!
The following tips will help you determine the best solution for creating a home-based office.
Determine Your Needs
First, you’ll need to take some time to reflect on your needs. Do you require a spacious office with plenty of room for special equipment and storage?
Buying a new home with more square footage might be the smartest move for you. Are you happy with your current address but well aware that you need additional space? You might be a good candidate for a home renovation project. What if you have a tight budget and your schedule is simply too busy to vet contractors or plan an addition? Then it’s time to choose a room in your home that can become your new office.
Prepare Financially
Whether you’re thinking about buying a home, paying contractors to carry out renovations, or simply redecorating a room in your home, you’ll need to make sure you’re financially prepared first.
For instance, if you plan to save for a down payment or a major renovation project, Readynest recommends selling your gently used belongings or starting up a side hustle to bring in some extra income.
In addition, you should take some time to attend to your company’s finances before you invest in your home office. For instance, this is the perfect opportunity to file the appropriate paperwork to register your company as an LLC. Forming an LLC for your company will grant you a high degree of flexibility, as well as enable you to take advantage of tax breaks.
In addition, you’ll enjoy limited liability. To save money on the process, go through a budget-friendly online formation service — a LegalZoom competitor might be a good choice. Research the requirements in your state or region before you begin.
Move Into a New Home
House hunting can be exciting, but it can also be stressful. If you’ve determined that in order to grow your business, you’ll need to move into a new home, you’ll want to get started by choosing the right real estate agent.
Credit Karma recommends looking for an agent with deep knowledge of your local market. You may even want to look for an agent who has specifically helped out small business owners before.
As a future homebuyer, you’ll also need to get ready to apply for a mortgage. Before you do so, take steps to boost your credit score and figure out what you can afford to spend on your monthly payments. You should aim to avoid spending more than 28% of your monthly income on your mortgage, homeowner’s insurance, and property taxes.
Be sure to tell your agent what features you require in your new home in order to run your business properly. If you convey this information early on, they will be able to set up viewings for you at properties that fit all of your requirements.
Invest in Renovations
You may be perfectly content at your current home but it just feels too cramped for a home office. If this situation sounds relatable, then it’s time to think about renovating your home with a modern addition.
This is your chance to custom-build an office space. You can work closely with your contractors to design a room that suits your every need. You may need to find alternative accommodations while you renovate, but the end result will be a unique workspace that is ideal for your business — unlike your old cubicle, this office will reflect your personality and your professional goals.
If you have never hired contractors for a big home improvement project before, you might be feeling nervous about the prospect. As long as you don’t rush the process, you’ll find contractors who will meet your standards. Take the time to speak with several contractors, ask for price estimates, and check out examples of their past work.
After you’ve gone over this information, you’ll be ready to make a hiring decision. While you probably have major plans for this space, remember to take your contractors’ input into account too — they might have helpful suggestions that you wouldn’t have considered otherwise.
Utilize a Spare Room
Maybe you have a guest room that tends to get dusty from lack of use, or maybe it’s rare that you venture down into your basement.
If you have a spare room in your home that you don’t use very often, you can redo it to create your home office. This is the most affordable way to set up your office, and it presents an opportunity for you to get creative.
You may have some furniture from other rooms in your house that you can utilize for your office, or you might want to check out a home goods store to check out some items on sale.
You can also spruce up the walls by selecting a paint hue that pops. Finally, don’t forget to purchase some organizing tools, like shelves or cubbies.
Conclusion
When you run your business from home, you can save money and free up funds to invest in new projects, experienced staff, and high-quality materials.
While finding enough space for a sizable home office can be challenging, the end result is definitely worth the effort. By moving ahead with one of these strategies, you’ll be able to set up a home office that makes you look forward to starting your workday.
Lisa Martin
-Guest Author-
Lisa Martin believes that if you want to truly be happy, you need to be your own inspiration!
After a career switch from Business Administration into Personal Fitness Training, Lisa realized that the people have a lot of personal improvement goals, and not just those regarding their physical health. She took a leap of faith and started helping others with life coaching services.
As well as working with her clients, Lisa has a website, www.ideaspired.com so she can reach as wide an audience as possible, and encourage others to put their dreams first.
