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Telltale Signs That You've Got The Home Office From Hell
Simply put, a Home Office From Hell is a dysfunctional office space in your home that causes you to lose clients and money.
Simply put, a Home Office From Hell is a dysfunctional office space in your home that causes you to lose clients and money.
As a home-based business owner, you might tell me, “Now, hold on there, buddymy home office isn’t so bad. Sure it’s not ideal and there was that incident with my newborn screaming bloody murder while I was on the phone with London, but my clients know I’m a professional.”
My response, “Oh, really?” Let’s do a reality check-your clients only know what they see and hear from you.
Your competitors, whoever they are, are serious. They want your clients.
DANGER! If any of this sounds even vaguely familiar, you may have a Home Office From Hell. (And by the way, all of these stories came from real entrepreneurs who wrote to me during our annual Home Office From Hell Contest-so no worries, you aren’t alone.)
Sign 7: “Starbucks is starting to encroach on my profits.” If you are conducting all your big meetings in the Science Fiction section of Barnes and Noble or you are working on your sixth Grande Frappuccino, then you have a Home Office From Hell.
Sign 6: “I realized today at 4 p.m. that I was still wearing pajamas.” If your idea of socializing is talking to the dog, and you haven’t been in a shower or out of the house for more than a week, then you have a Home Office From Hell.
Sign 5: “I could die here and no one would ever know.” If you worry that it might be the smell that finally gets people to inquire about your business, then you have a Home Office From Hell.
Sign 4: “Why did God invent Oprah? How are we supposed to work when Oprah is on?” If you are consumed with the need to play a video game, clean your house, or climb back into bed in the middle of the business day, then you have a Home Office From Hell.
Sign 3: “No, the baby doesn’t go in the playpen. Important papers go in there so the baby can’t get at them.” If you find yourself wiping peanut butter off your client’s work, picking Cheerios out of your laptop, and chasing the kids around the kitchen while conference-calling Stuttgart, then you have a Home Office From Hell.
Sign 2: “I feel like I live at the Officewait! I do!” If your workday ends moments before you go to bed, or you accept 4 A.M. phone calls from sleepless clients, then you have a Home Office From Hell. And now for the number one sign
Sign 1: “Since you’re home all day anyway, I need a favor” If you are driving your friend to the airport, grocery shopping for your mom, or running errands for your neighbors in the middle of your workday, then you have a Home Office From Hell.
Chances are, if you’re reading this, you might have some personal experience with the problems of a home office. At the very least, you suspect there might be room for improvement.
Wonderful! Because until you acknowledge that what you’re doing isn’t working well, you won’t be able to create the business of your dreams.