There are lots of advantages to running a business from home. It’s much cheaper than having to rent an office, and it gives you the flexibility to switch seamlessly between your work life and home life. Many companies start as home-based businesses and it can be very convenient in the beginning. However, as business starts to pick up, your home business may no longer be practical, and you may feel it’s time to move to other premises.

Here are just five signs you’re outgrowing your home business:

Your home life and work life are colliding

It can be convenient not having to commute and being able to see your family often while still getting your work done. However, you may find that the two are starting to interrupt one another. You may find that home life is distracting you from your work or you may discover that you can’t relax in the evening because of business calls. There are ways that you can divide the two without having to move into an office such as buying two separate phones and restricting your family from entering your office during certain times. You can even use a virtual address from a company such as https://yourvirtualofficelondon.co.uk/ that collects your mail for you and then redirects it to your address, preventing you from having to give out your private address to clients.

You’re starting to feel isolated

Working from home can start to get lonely for some people. You may find that you’re more inspired and energized when getting out of the house and working around other people. You could rent your own office or you could save costs by renting part of a shared office from a company such as https://leveloffice.com/, allowing you to work alongside other people without the full costs of running your own office. On a smaller scale, there are even options such as working from a local coffee bar.

You need a professional place to meet clients

You may not want clients coming to your home – it could come across as unprofessional, and it may feel a bit intrusive. If you find that you need to meet up with clients physically, it could be beneficial to rent out your own office or identify another public place suitable for business.

You need a place for employees to congregate

It’s possible to hire employees without an office – you could hire them remotely and communicate via Skype and email. However, for jobs where you need to be talking regularly, you may find that the distance is an inconvenience and having an office to congregate could be much more practical. You could even consider renting somewhere once a week for merely conducting meetings.

You no longer have space for your supplies and equipment

If you need to stock supplies or use equipment, your home may eventually become inappropriate for this use. You could decide that you need a building or private unit for storage. As your business grows, you may require machines or materials that are just not suitable for your home.

Be open to change. Outgrowing your home business isn’t the end of the world A growing business is a good thing and expanding your workplace beyond your home is actually a positive sign of growth.

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