- May. 08
- Richard Parker
Can You Keep an Effective Business Running When You Work Remotely
For most budding entrepreneurs, the budget doesn’t just suggest that we work from home, it dictates it. As we look to improve our business, and expand our distribution, employment, and our general reach, when we work at home, we’ll see the direct impact on our finances.
As such, the temptation is to keep everything at home. But when your business really starts to make waves, and you are in, not just a remote scenario, but a remote location, far removed from any form of life, can you still run a successful business? Let’s encounter some of the problems, but also, see if we can provide some solutions.
Poor Internet
Part of the main problem with any home far removed from society is the internet. The fact of the matter is that you need a connection that’s more than comprehensive. If you’re dealing with customers, clients, or employees dotted around the world, you need a sufficient internet connection. The one solution to get around this could be a Virtual Private Network as provided by various managed IT companies. It’s something that many businesses use anyway, not just for improved connections, but also for encryption purposes, so sensitive data is protected. It’s your responsibility to ensure that the internet is connected as best as possible. When you are in a remote location, you’d better work twice as hard at making sure that you are easy to communicate with. Sometimes this just isn’t possible, especially on the telephone, but then you will need backups just in case. Skype is always pretty good, as is Hangouts, and other chat functions, but the trick in getting a business to fly when you are working remotely is to increase how you can be reached. Just because you’re working remotely, doesn’t mean that you can hide away from the world.
A Lack of Transport
You might live out in the sticks because it’s cheaper, far from society, and gives you that focus to carry on with your work. But if you are so far out of the way that transport can be an issue, you’ve got to think around this. What if you live in a location that’s prone to a lot of snow? And then if you’ve got to get to a car to get to a train to get to an plane, you’ve got quite a challenge ahead of you! A lack of transport in a remote location means that you’d better come up with provisions so you can get to the nearest vehicle accessible by the general public. Many entrepreneurs live far off the beaten track, and this is the way they like it, but they also have to make sure they are able to get to an airport at a moment’s notice. And if you’re someone that’s not got the financial clout to hire a private plane (and who does?) you will have to make do with your own transportation. If you live far away, it’s common sense to have a truck that’s ready for all weathers. At the very least, if you know how to get to the nearest train you can get to an airport. Because living out in the sticks can be very good for concentration, giving you the opportunity to focus on your business, as far as accessibility is concerned this makes things a little more difficult. While there are plenty of entrepreneurs that have their own island, they still have the transport facilities to match should there be an issue. It’s worth bearing this in mind.
The Day-To-Day Living
And it’s not just about keeping the business running from this remote location, it’s making sure that you are self-sufficient. Living out in the middle of nowhere is great in theory, but if you’re living by yourself, what’s going to happen if people need to get in contact with you and there’s a power cut? Or what if you’re not able to get to the nearest store? Working in a remote location isn’t just about keeping your mind focused, but it’s about coping with the rigors of day-to-day living in these remote locations. There are things you can do to make life easier like embracing alternative energy resources. Solar panels and water tanks are a great way to have some energy reserves should there be a problem, which will buy you some time to get online and delegate accordingly before you lose power completely. But you also need to give consideration to your own thoughts and feelings of working out in a remote location. Some prefer it this way, but there may be a point where the business makes significant traction, and you’ll have to start going to meetings, and you may find that there’s going to be a lot more travel time because you live so far out of the way. In one respect, time is on your side. Because if you take public transport, you’ve got the opportunity to do work as you go. And as you live in a remote location, far removed from any hustle and bustle of daily life, this gives you the opportunity to decompress. But it’s about weighing up which aspect is more important right now.
Can You Keep a Business Running from a Remote Location?
It’s clear that many people have made a success of it. In fact, many businesses exclusively hire people to work remotely. But when you’re the person in charge, it’s important for you to not be bound by the rigors of remote working. This means poor internet connections and lack of transport facilities, and these are the modern issues that can hinder a remote employee means double for you. Technology is a veritable nightmare for most of us when we work from home, but if the boss isn’t able to get online, this will result in downtime, a lack of productivity, and the bottom line will be affected greatly. More people choose to work at home now, and a remote location, especially those far away from towns and cities, is cheap real estate. A lot of people can only afford rural locations, and as an entrepreneur looking to build up your brand, you’ve got to make sure you aren’t trapped by your location.