In the current economic situation and with more people leaving regular employment and setting up as consultants, it has become much more acceptable to run your business from home.

Apart from anything else, running a new business from the spare bedroom removes a whole layer of cost and risk, and makes it a lot more likely that the fledgling business will take off.

Earlier articles have covered a number of general issues you should consider when working from home  as well as more general issues such as how to look good on paper  and sourcing office equipment  and other subjects many of them relevant whether you work from home or not (other related articles are listed below) but this article deals more with the specifics of how to go about presenting a professional image.

Thanks to modern technology and a growth in services to help home workers, it’s really easy to present a professional image without a great deal of effort. Here are the main areas to consider:

Phones

Whatever you do don’t use or advertise your home number. If you do you are likely to get calls from clients in the evenings or weekends and you also lose control over your business phones.

You must get a phone number that is strictly for business purposes. Some people use 0845 or 0800 numbers and have them redirected but I’m not sure these are really a good idea. People know that if they call an 0845 number it can cost them more than dialling into a normal landline. OK, the 0800 ones won’t cost them anything but they will cost you quite a lot.

At the very least you should consider using a telecoms company who will supply a virtual number with your area code. You can then divert this to any other number (at a cost) such as your mobile or your home number. But be careful if redirecting to your home number. Clients and potential clients won’t be impressed if they ring up during the day only to have the phone answered by a, toddler, surly teenager, or when you answer they hear a family argument in the background.

A better solution may be to get a VOIP (Voice over Internet Phone). This is the cheapest way to get a second line into your home, and gives you a dedicated business line. Whatever you do don’t try to run your business with just a mobile number. Nothing shouts “amateur” more than a mobile as the main way to contact someone. There are a number of suppliers but perhaps the best known is Skype. There are better providers but Skype is very competitively priced. You can get a virtual number in many towns in several countries (even if you don’t live there) and a package allowing you to dial landlines free of charge for as little as £3.95 per month. You can also divert calls to other numbers, such as your mobile, when you are out of the office.

Address

In many ways using your home address is the best option. There is no longer any surprise to find freelancers and even small multi person businesses based at a residential address. However you may not want your clients to have your home address in case they “pop round”.

You could use a PO Box and have the mail delivered to your home or, a cheaper option, go and collect it yourself. However bear in mind that many couriers and general carriers won’t deliver to PO boxes so (particularly with the current postal strikes) you would need to give the real address to people sending you things anyway.

Also people are less trusting of a PO Box than they used to be and you can’t redirect mail from a PO Box if you move. In any event Royal Mail are obliged to give the real address behind a PO box to anyone who asks.

A better solution might be a commercial virtual address provider such as a local business support centre. This gives you a professional address to hide behind, and while post will still be delayed, you will not be so easily traced. It might also help with the telephone answering (see below).

Office support

The main thing that will establish a professional image for your business is how you handle incoming communications. Phones should be answered promptly and emails replied to as soon as possible. Voicemail is just about OK if you are engaged on a call and get back to people quickly, but answering machines left in your home office while you are out are not really acceptable.

You might think about signing up for a telephone answering service. Calls that are answered promptly paint a much better picture than being greeted by an answer phone message. You can engage telephone answering services to handle all you calls and send you details by email or text message so you can call back at your convenience or you can divert calls from your business number (could be free if you use Skype or similar services) as and when required.

Emails

If you don’t have a Blackberry, iPhone, or gPhone then you should get one. It’s cheap and easy to handle email on the move and people expect to get a reply to emails quickly no matter where you are or what you are doing. You can’t fight this expectation, so you may as well equip yourself to handle emails from home, train or client’s premises. Professional people communicate regularly and clearly with clients. You should too.

Meetings

If you work from home – don’t hold meetings there. No matter how clean and tidy your home, there’s something very unprofessional about having a business meeting at a dining or kitchen table. Try to find a nearby quality coffee shop or hotel where you can hold your meetings.

A business centre or hotel may even offer a discount for a private meeting room on a regular basis if you need one. For example if you “rent” a virtual office most suppliers have meeting rooms for hire. Commercial organisations such as Regus have business centres worldwide that can be used for a small fee. In the UK the Institute of Directors have premises in several cities where members can meet clients in professional surroundings for no or for a very small charge, and light refreshments are included (apart from the rooms at Pall Mall).

Keep Your Business and Home Life Apart

Working from home can cause tensions and anyone doing it will know that if they don’t maintain a clear split between their business and home life they cause family friction and find it impossible to relax. Keep one room just for business. When you are working shut yourself in and tell others not to disturb you. When you are relaxing shut the office door and stay outside the office.

Whatever you do – don’t take your laptop into the sitting room to work whilst watching TV. [That comment is aimed at my wife! By the way that isn't me in the photo above.]

RELATED ARTICLES

• Setting up an Office: Part 1 – Furnishing 
• Setting up an Office: Part 2 – Communications Equipment 
• Setting up an Office: Part 3 – Office Equipment 
• Setting up an Office: Part 4 – Look Good on Paper 
• Setting up an Office: Part 5 – Working from Home