Everything was once just a gas cloud.
First, you should have everything your profession requires at your fingertips. A computer and/or smartphones are our ‘absolute necessity.’ Because whatever we want to sell, we have to photograph and share it on social media and sales sites (this can be handcraft, computer graphics, or another profession that doesn’t come to mind right now), so we need to be constantly connected to the Internet.
Don’t put off ensuring the legality of the programs you use on your computer. You will need to prove your reliability to each new customer from scratch, so even the slightest fault or bad report can upset you. It’s best to do everything right from the start.
There’s nothing more frustrating than realizing your printer has run out of ink when you’re about to print something crucial. If your job involves stationery expenses, keeping an inventory is beneficial. Just like in a regular office, keeping a list of what you buy and spend on stationery and doing your regular shopping will greatly ease your home office life.
Patience, lots of patience 🙂
If you don’t have a magic wand or aren’t friends with a fairy, and aren’t a close friend or relative of a famous person, you’re usually struggling with your nails (almost; ‘like all of us’). To enjoy the cream of the crop, to earn money from where you sit, even to be one of those ‘lying on a sun lounger by the sea, sipping orange juice while making business calls’, let’s first set up our business in a corner of our house… We can still keep our dreams high 🙂
Make sure your electricity is stable! If you live in an area with frequent power outages, you’ll need both an uninterrupted power supply and a regulator. Be careful with electronics to avoid issues like leakage current and unstable strong electricity. (I say this because it happened to me…)
When you work from home, you generally don’t invite your employer/partners to your house. If you have to, having a separate room as an office will be more comfortable for both the household and the visitor. On the other hand, I prefer to meet customers outside or visit them to get projects. This way, I keep my work and private life separate. When working from home, these two often intertwine heavily. Sometimes, work and personal life become inseparable. We need to be careful about this.
Discipline! Don’t dream of working with your laptop on your lap while sitting on the couch in your pajamas because that is not working. If you insist on doing this, you shouldn’t complain about the neck hernia pains and backaches that will occur. If you have an employer/partner in the same time zone, you should get out of bed before 9 am, have breakfast, tidy up, and move to your home office, ready to be awake, dynamic, enthusiastic, and prepared.
You should answer incoming work calls with a lively voice, and no one should know that you are still sleepy, except for the coffee you drank. Remember, if you were working outside, you would probably have to hit the road at 7 am. Showing some respect to the people who will call you starts here.
Your mind and heart should be in your work. The meowing of your cat, the barking of your dog, the very interesting documentary on TV, or the latest or most thrilling episode of a new series… All these should wait until after 7 pm. Recording the series you want to follow on your TV or, finding a way to get it, taking your dog for a walk early in the morning, or playing with your cat during lunch break are solutions that come into play here. Your working hours are 9 am to 7 pm (unless you adapt otherwise for yourself and your employer partners. Some might find it more comfortable to start at noon and work until midnight, especially if their clients are abroad.)
My advice (1): if you have a meeting outside, try not to rush to complete a task the day before. You create your own work hours. Those who give you work are not your bosses. You agree to do their work as a solution partner for them. Of course, this example is valid if you’re in the technology service sector. Generally, you don’t meet customers face to face to sell handicrafts; you can handle things via social media. Unless you’re setting up a different business model. For example, you might plan to visit shops to sell your handicrafts through them. In this case, still treat yourself well. You’re investing in yourself 🙂
My advice (2): If you live in a metropolis, go to the meeting early, have a coffee somewhere beforehand. Relax. Rest your mind. Don’t enter the meeting with a crowded head. Concentrate and create wonders in the meeting.
Love your home Because this is the only place where you’ll spend your whole day. Do everything you love. You’ll likely simplify things as you use them and keep only what you need most. I’m sure you’ll try using every corner of your house as an office until you settle in. Settling in and trying every place is very important.
Now, let’s move on to the unpleasant topics…
If you dream of growing your business over time and think you need to open an office, I would say, ‘Go step by step’ and advise you not to rent an office immediately. But of course, do your research. Study all the offices and potential places around you, and do your market research. What have people in the same segment as your product/service sale done, listen to lots of stories and research.
This is very important for the development and sale of the product you want to sell. If you have a product/service to sell only over the Internet, you should pay attention to social media. You might not become a social media expert on the first day, but as you look at online courses and research competitors, I’m sure you’ll chart your own course when you see what they do.
There are plenty of online courses on social media. You should research them and choose the most suitable one for you. Even if you know the topic, these courses talk about practicalities that I’m sure will yield helpful tips.
I think when you’re creating your business and deciding on a name, you should also consider a visual logo. You know what your business represents and what you want it to remind people of. Therefore, graphically and, of course, with a professional graphic designer’s help, you should create a logo for yourself. You will use this on social media, on your website, in your product/service sales, and on your business card.
Most people have a strong visual memory.
‘Do I know you from somewhere?’
Don’t we hear that a lot? The more we show our logo, the more likely people will remember us. Consider the target audience you’re addressing and research their interests. What do they like, what do they dislike?
When choosing a company name, you should be careful to select names that are memorable but, as far as possible, don’t resemble well-known famous brands. For example, names should not be similar to commonly used names like Google, Facebook, and Instagram, nor should they be complex and long. A name like ‘PirdenwritesthingsandhasMStriestomakeananawareness’ will be so long that people will give up reading it halfway through. This reduces the chance of being recognized and doesn’t generate any interest.
Business definition, incorporation, and legal responsibilities
You should plan in detail.
Okay, you probably made a charming plan in your head. However, explain it in writing and verbally to people around you who can consult you to help you see your blind spots. But still, here’s a word of advice from me: You should be cautious about idea theft. If you have a very different and unique idea, I would suggest you patent it first.
Let’s say you’ve planned your route and how to grow your business. ‘How do you explain your business to potential customers? How do you ensure they understand?’ We will join the fun of setting up a home office after you get through the definition and incorporation process with your accountant.
By the way, pay attention to follow government supports and other similar supports. Your accountant might be knowledgeable about this. Get an accountant and a lawyer. We should always act with the hope that we won’t need a lawyer and the hope that we won’t need an accountant very often.
As long as you fulfill your legal responsibilities, everything will continue smoothly, I’m sure. Building trust with your customers is essential for this.
Your profession only becomes different with your unique touch. You can constantly focus on this difference on social media and present it honestly.
Business Card
Really necessary?
You should introduce yourself wherever you go. As long as your cards are circulating, your web clicks and uniqueness will emerge. However, let me remind you that this article series is not “How to sell over the Internet.” I don’t want to guide on that.
The importance of a business card: if you’re participating in fairs or opening stalls, it’s very important, but if you’re only doing promotional work on social media, it’s less necessary. It’s entirely up to you.
How business cards should be is very subjective and definitely a matter of taste. But personally, I’ve always preferred the simplest ones.
You chose your logo, put it on your business card, added your name and contact information. If you write a sales channel, that’s it. More than that, it will create visual clutter and reduce readability. (Some business cards have so many details, even product images. You shouldn’t make this mistake. A business card is not a brochure.)
You can write all your social media channels on the card, and below them, include all your sales channels. You have the option to fill every corner of the card with text. However, the potential customer who picks it up is not likely to read everything. There are 3 to 4 key elements that matter: Your name, the service or product you offer, a sales link, and your phone number. In my opinion, the more channels you open for contact, the more reluctant people will be to reach out to you. You could even use a QR code to include all the social media links mentioned above.
The Importance of Social Media
Is it really necessary?
Yes, it really is crucial. If you don’t have a store on a busy street or a special marketer, your only window to the world is your computer screen and the Internet. These channels, gaining increasing importance today, have become as crucial for product/service sales as TV commercials used to be. However, my advice is not to go and spam famous people’s posts with comments like ‘I make and sell baby booties.’ Firstly, I believe that no one really clicks on those links, and it tends to generate antipathy towards those who post them and their brands.
Instead, if I am following a famous person with my ‘handmade baby booties’ account, it’s better to write a relevant, sensible comment under their photos. But, as I mentioned, I didn’t come here to write about how to make money from social media. We still have a long way to go. First, we need to establish our workspace and dedicate ourselves to it. Time flies, and suddenly there’s a lot of competition. But without solid working foundations, selling products/services should not be left hanging in the air.
If you feel you need more computer skills, there’s a simple solution: you can join free courses provided by the government. Research this 🙂 Also, look into courses offered by social responsibility organizations in your region. But if you have a budget for a course, there are many online and in-person courses available. You should add these to your research list.
Another point I’d like to mention; during work, you’ll find yourself constantly checking social media accounts, who started following you, how many likes your photos got, what your friends are sharing, what’s happening in the life of celebrity X, or the new collections of your favorite brands. You need to discipline yourself. Set a specific time for these activities.
Not just social media but also the use of sales channels will vary depending on what you plan to sell. You might consider joining some freelance websites, or if you’re selling products, opening shops, and sales channels on sites we almost visit daily so people can find your social media page if they wish.
I don’t recommend setting up a website in the initial phase. If you believe you can maintain and update it regularly, then, of course, why not? But your priority should be getting people to know you. Therefore, you should first announce your product/service through social media and sales channels. How can people visit your website if they don’t know you? However, as your sales increase over time, there’s no harm in setting up your own site.
If your freelance service sales are going well, you can support them with a blog detailing your work, as well as directing to your product sales channels. As long as you have completed the necessary company formation processes and established agreements with banks, you can add online payment options to execute your product sales.
Making your own money is a serious matter.
Stay away from personal social media channels; the world won’t end if you’re not active on them.
(Even if your cat does something cute or the steam rises from your coffee, stop taking photos for social media.)
Focusing is a serious matter in itself.
(You don’t need to prove to anyone how wonderfully you’re working. The photos you take and share will say otherwise, so let your concentration stay focused. Let your proof of work be your success, not just a social media post.
Social media is not a place where you need to prove ‘I am working.’ It’s a place to keep up-to-date for selling your work. Your family might think you’re just sitting at home doing nothing, and your friends might not understand either. But I believe you can overcome all of these in time. Working from home is not as easy as it seems.
Trust me, I know…
If you don’t need to talk on the phone constantly or if there’s no sound you need to hear around you, turn on your music and put on your headphones. Distract yourself. There’s no other way, even though it might be hard to detach from the home environment. Social media, yes, it’s necessary for your job, but you should approach it as a “job” too. Your personal social accounts should be for outside of work hours, weekends, or holidays.
Now, it’s time to work!”
