Lifestyle

Before you start a business you should consider whether you have the lifestyle to succeed. Running your own company means making your job much more a part of your life. You must be prepared to face financial insecurity, long hours and the stress that'll inevitably come with it. And so must your family. More than 12% of the UK workforce work from home. With no commute and flexible hours, this sounds ideal. But the boundary between your home life and work can become blurred especially if you're office is in the spare bedroom. So how can you make sure you get it right?

Read Barbara Cox, entrepreneur of the year 2009, top Business tips and Emma Jones, founder of Enterprise Nation shares her advice.

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How to run a business and achieve the perfect work/life balance

Many people are worried they may lack the discipline to work productively if they choose to run their business from home. However Julie Hurst from the Work Life Balance Centre says she has found the opposite to be true. “It's hard for people to walk away from work mode, especially if their new venture is a long-time ambition.” Here are Julie's top 5 tips to getting it right:

1. Ensure you have a clear and structured filing system - Tackle the clutter and paper on your desk and put it away in its proper home. When you get rid of it all - celebrate with a special lunch.
2. Don't put off jobs you can do now! - You'll only feel overwhelmed. Often in the time you spend putting something off - you could actually have achieved it.
3. Plan don't list - Instead of making endless lists of things to do put all of your tasks into dedicated timed slots. This will help you gain control over your workload.
4. Factor in “what if” time - We all know about Murphy's law of things going wrong. When you are really up against it, your PC decides to blow up! So always build in "what if…" time.
5. Be focussed - Directing all your concentration on one task at a time means you will perform better, work faster and with greater accuracy. You will also reduce stress and feel much more in control.

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Get more in control and less stressed. How will this be structured?

How do you spend your mornings?
A - Watching 'Frasier'
B - At your desk working

When people come into your office and interrupt you?
A - Are glad for the distraction
B - Have a strategy for keeping the visit short

You leave your desk for lunch.
A - You can't remember the last time you ate
B - Every day and take a walk, too

How many times do you handle a piece of paper before you deal with it?
A - Once
B - 5-6 times

You use a 'to do' list.
A - Every day
B - Never

You have thinking and planning time.
A - Never
B - Always

You work best.
A - 5 minutes before a deadline
B - You know when you're more productive hours are in the day

You answered:

Mostly As

Your time management style is chaotic. You feel under pressure and there aren't enough hours in the day. Start by prioritising tasks and setting aside regular time to work on projects instead of leaving things to the last minute. This way you can be more effective and more in control.

Mostly Bs

Congratulations you get the most out of your time and can prioritise effectively.

If the answer to all or most of these questions is yes, then you have a chance of making the business work.

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More than three million people work from home. It may seem like the perfect way to concentrate on getting the job done, without the distractions of other people. However, there are many bad habits you could fall into if you are not careful. Read Ceri Henfrey, Head of Business Banking at Alliance & Leicester tips on making home working work for you:

1. Create your own space. Set up your own separate workplace, away from everything else in the house. By doing this, you will feel more like you are in a work environment.
2. Manage your time. Working from home can be great for parents who need to work around caring for their children. But try to be as disciplined as possible when it comes to time keeping - try to set yourself realistic working hours and keep that time for work rather than being distracted by other household chores.
3. Communicate with the outside world. You can feel isolated when working from home, so when you're feeling cut-off, pop along to your nearest café with your laptop to do some work. And use the phone rather than email.
4. Get organised. Estimate how much time you spend on paperwork and emails each day. Stick to your priorities and focus on those tasks that will ultimately improve your business and make you money.
5. Look after yourself. You may be tempted to work through the day and skip lunch, however, it's essential that you get out for a walk or other exercise every day.
6. Invest in technology Having the best technology you can afford will enable you to work effectively. Make sure you have a few ways for people to contact you - such as a mobile, a landline, email and instant messaging - so if one connectivity mode goes down for a while, your colleagues or clients will still have a way to reach you and them. For all your technology needs visit the your local store.
7. Make your business eco-friendly. Working from home has already cut down on travel, saving you money and helping the environment, but there are many other things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint. Turn off electrical equipment when not in use, invest in low energy light bulbs, upgrade old equipment to more energy efficient versions and recycle waste paper.
8. Network to further your business. With the rapid increase in homeworking, there are thousands of other small business owners in the same boat. Find out if there are any business groups in your local area you can join. Attend trade shows to further networking opportunities. Hand out business cards at every opportunity.
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9. Stay professional. Homeworking doesn't mean amateur working. Get dressed - you mustn't be tempted to spend the day in your pyjamas.
10. Establish a routine. You may not have to travel to work, but you should still set the alarm clock each morning. Symbolise the end of working day by turning off your computer.

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Whilst on maternity leave with her first child in 2006, Lisa Howells from West Yorkshire decided she didn't want to return to social worker so she decided to find home-working opportunites to fit round raising her daughter.

Lisa, 27, a keen online shopper spotted a gap in the market. "There were plenty of websites offering giftware or homeware, but not both so I came up with Lookingforideas.co.uk." Lisa used some of her savings to pay a web designer to put the site together. "I do everything from sourcing stock at trade fairs to posting out the orders."

Lisa spends two hours a day working on the site. “I cram the work in between my baby's naps and after bedtime. It's full on but I have no desire to go back to working for someone else now.”

5 things I learnt that I didn't know before

1. The amount of work you have to put into the website to keep it fresh.
2. How search engines work.
3. It's difficult to take holidays. My laptop has to come away, too!
4. Better knowledge of the internet.
5. How rewarding it is to have your own business.

5 things I wish I had known

1. Better knowledge of web design.
2. How difficult it is to fit round my family.
3. Which products work and which don't.
4. How much it'd cost to maintain the site.
5. That shipping and fuel costs were going to spiral!

5 things that're great about being self-employed

1. Spending time with my children.
2. Enjoying what I do.
3. Self-learning and challenging.
4. Flexible working hours.
5. Not having to do the 9-5 grind.

Joanne Caulfield, 40, from Swansea, is mum to Lily, 7, and Tom, 5. She has no journalistic experience but has edited Community Times Mumbles from her spare room since 2005. "I used to be in customer services but that would have been difficult to work around my children. So I had a look round the internet to see what I could do from home and came across the Community Times franchise which publishes local information magazines around the UK"

"I'd already spotted a need for information in Mumbles, so paid £6,000 to buy into the franchise." In return Joanne received business plan advice, page templates and training in Photoshop, Publisher and how to put a magazine flat plan together. "Community Times has been very supportive throughout."

Joanne enjoys the flexibility the work brings but says her family dreads deadline time and the stress that goes with it!

5 things I learnt that I didn't know before

1. That I could write.
2. That I had a creative side to me.
3. That I could sell!
4. I can confidently speak in public.
5. I can run my own business.

5 things I wish I had known

1. How working for myself could be so fulfilling.
2. The independence that comes with running my own business.
3. How proud it would make me feel.
4. How being in control of my family's financial future could be so liberating.
5. How empowering overcoming my fears of running my own business would be for me and my family.

5 things that're great about being self-employed

1. Flexibility.
2. What you earn you keep.
3. Not having to answer to anyone.
4. Having school holidays off with my children.
5. Great confidence builder.