Pros and Cons of a Home-Based Office v Outside Office
It’s an amazing lifestyle.
Owning your own business is a dream come true for many. It gives you the freedom to choose your hours, your clients, your salary and so on. It’s an amazing lifestyle. That being said, there are many hurdles to achieving your business goals and many decisions to make that affect your ability to attain those goals.
One of those decisions, while it may seem insignificant at first, is where to have your office. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of home-based and outside office space so you can make the best decision for you and your business goals.
Home-based office
Home-based businesses are convenient. What’s better than sliding out of bed and into your slippers, grabbing your cup of coffee, and walking down the stairs or down the hall to your office? Not much; it’s about as convenient as it gets. It means that whenever you have work to do, your office and your work are right there for you. You don’t have to get in the car, hop on the bike or walk down the street to your place of work.
Of course, this convenience has its downside too. Your work is always there. There’s no escaping your task list, and face it when you own your own business, there’s always something to do. There’s no leaving work at the office because your home and your office are one. In order to escape, you have to get out of the house, which is possible for a few hours but generally not possible for extended periods of time.
Distractions are the other downside to having a home-based office. When your office is down the hall from your children’s bedroom, the kitchen, the laundry room and so on, there’s a myriad of distractions which can affect your productivity and focus. It takes a very disciplined person to achieve their business goals while working from home.
Finally, a home-based office doesn’t come with monthly lease fees and if your home office is a dedicated home office, meaning other family members don’t use it for other purposes, you can deduct a percentage of your mortgage from your taxes. Check with the IRS or your accountant to verify how much and whether you qualify.
Outside office
Comfortable and lend themselves to productivity.
An outside office may be exactly what you need to achieve your business goals. An outside office lends itself to productivity. You’re free from many of the common distractions that plague a home office and you can get down to business. Additionally, when you’re out of the office you can leave work there, making it much easier to focus on family, friends and all those other wonderful parts of your life.
And an outside office may offer significantly more space than a home office, making it easier for your business to grow and prosper. And if you decide to bring on employees or contractors, it may be much easier to do so if you’re not having to invite them into your home to work.
Whether you choose a home-based office or an outside office, you’ll want to make sure both are comfortable and lend themselves to productivity. Family photos, filing systems, organized storage, computer connections and an efficient work space will make your space much more effective.
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