EnTrends

Like most people, when you think
about what it would be like to work
from home, you probably think of the
obvious benefits such as working
your own hours, not having to face a
stressful, tedious commute every
day, actually seeing what your
garden looks like in daylight hours,
not having to answer to a boss,
being home when your children are,
working in a comfortable
environment and so on. These are, of
course, some of only many
wonderful benefits of working from
home.

Before long, though, you may begin
to think back to your previous life
and realize you actually miss those
umpteen visitors who were
constantly interrupting you when
you were trying to work, the walk in
the park at lunchtime with your best
work-friend, drinks on Friday night
after work, and being able to run an
idea past a colleague for instant,
valuable feedback.

Now, everything is just, well, quiet.
And there's no-one down the hall to
go visit who's over age four. You
find yourself checking your email
constantly, wanting to connect to
someone. You find yourself wishing
the phone would ring. You! The
person who, when you worked in a
job, cursed constant telephone
interruptions and thought voice- and

e-mail was the greatest invention
since sliced bread.

Welcome to another reality of home-
based business ... home alone.

Here are some ways to avoid the
isolation trap when running a
business out of your home:

1. Establish a Structure

Nothing is surer to reinforce feelings
of isolation as time that stretches as
far as the eye can see like a straight,

one lane highway through a flat,
barren landscape. Don't start each
day without a plan of what you
intend to do. You need to structure
your time so that it is not some
endlessly vast terrain you must
traverse alone. So write a to-do list,
preferably at the end of the day
before, so that when your

work day starts you get productive
straight away, before the isolation
blues have a chance to take hold.

2. Reach Out

When writing your to-do list, make
sure you include at least two things
every day that require you to interact
with another person. Networking is a
vital skill, whether you work for
someone else or for yourself. So
make contacts with people who can
add value to your business, as well
as connecting you with the outside
world.

Joining a professional group or club,
attending seminars and trade shows
relevant to your business are all
great ways to meet new people who
have similar interests and challenges.

Participate in the activities organized
by these groups and take a good
supply of business cards with you.

3. Establish Joint Ventures

Another way to keep the isolation
blues at bay is to joint venture with
other home-based business owners.
Team up with other businesses that
offer complementary services to your

business. Not only will you send
additional business each other's way
in the form of referrals, you're
establishing professional
relationships with your joint venture
partners.

4. Organize Your Own Functions

Once you've joined various
associations and formed joint

venture partnerships, take the
initiative and organize functions that
bring you all together. These could
be business-oriented networking
sessions or purely social get-
togethers such as a barbeque in the
local park. Either way, you're forging
a relationship with people in your
new arena, just as you did when you
were working in a corporate office.
The only difference is that now you
must take the initiative to forge these
relationships. These are not people
you are going to be seeing every day
at the office.

5. Join a Gym

You are, of course, health conscious
and physically active, right? Of
course you are! So, why not kill two
birds with one stone ... stay fit and
meet new people. If you establish a

routine that allows you to be at the
gym at the same time every day, you
will run into many of the same people
and get to know them.

6. Use the Internet

Making online friends is another way
of staying connected with the
outside world. Be very disciplined
here though. It's way too easy to
spend a lot of work time on social
email exchanges and in chat rooms.
Don't fritter away your time, but do
seek out and maintain internet
friendships.

7. Background Noise

Sometimes, it's only silence that
reminds you you're alone. If you
come from a corporate environment,
your workday was punctuated by the
constant background noise of
telephones ringing, other people's
conversations, hysterical laughter

from the other end of the office and
lunch trolley pages over the intercom
system. If you find absolute quiet

irksome, turn on the radio and have it
playing in the background while you
work. Talk stations are good because

it's like having other people in the
next room, but if you find yourself
becoming so engrossed with the talk
topics that you stop working and
start listening, switch to a music
station.

There's no avoiding the fact that
making the transition from a
corporate environment to a home-
based business is just that ... a
transition. Most people will have to
grapple with the isolation monster in
the early days of their work-from-
home career. But, as you can see,
there are many ways of keeping
isolation and loneliness at bay

just by reaching out and forming new
associations. Remember, just
because you work alone doesn't
mean you have to go it alone.

Elena Fawkner is editor of A Home-
Based Business Online ...

practical business ideas,
opportunities and solutions for the

work-from-home entrepreneur.

http://www.ahbbo.com