Those of you who have had one of my massages or done a course with me will know that I work from a beautiful garden cabin at my house. I love working from home and have been running my business here for over 15 years.

I started in a room in the house and after 9 years decided it was time to get a cabin built in the garden so that I had a completely separate space to work in.

In this blog, I’ll share with you some of things I’ve learned along the way - from the costs involved to the possible risks, as well as the great benefits that come with working from home.

Hopefully after you finish reading this, you’ll have a much better idea if working from home is for you. If you think this is something you’d like to pursue, make sure you read to the end where I give you two very helpful tips!

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Costs of Working From Home

There are of course costs to working from home; here are some of them:

• The first, and most obvious, cost is the increased gas and electricity bills you’ll get. You’ll have to pay for the utilities that you use in your business, so don’t be surprised when your bill is higher!
• You’ll also need to do more washing with all the towels etc. which will contribute to the increased cost of your bills.
• The next cost is insurance. Because you will be inviting people into your home, you may have to pay a higher rate for your insurance. Speak to your insurance company and shop around to get the best quote.
• Depending on where you are, you may also require a license from your local authority in order to run your massage business from home. There will probably be a cost (in time and money) to acquire the license.

There are other non-financial costs, most notably the issue of space. If you are dedicating a room in your house to massage, it becomes a room you can’t use for more general house or home stuff.

If you have a spare room (or a garden cabin) then this might not be a problem, but for those short on space it’s worth bearing this cost in mind when deciding if working from home is for you.

However, don't let all that get you down! Here are some of the biggest benefits of working from home:

Advantages of Working From Home

One of the obvious benefits is that you don’t have a very long commute!

• Working from home means no worrying about Monday morning traffic.

• It means not having to worry if you forget to bring something into work that you might need later in the day.
• It means being able to pop home for lunch.

The proximity to home also means you can take the opportunity to do some of your housework while you massage!

• Have you got laundry that needs doing?

Put the washing machine on and do a couple of massages while it runs!

• Got a meal that needs a little longer in the oven?

Put it in during your last massage of the day and you can eat as soon as you finish working!

But perhaps the most important benefit is that you own the space.

Which means you’re free to do whatever you want with it, customise it however you want, really make it your own.

Moreover you don’t have to worry about clearing out of the space at the end of the day or when your session is over to make way for another renter. You can leave your stuff exactly how you need it, for as long as you need to!

Disadvantages of Working From Home

There are a number of risks associated with working from home. While some of these may not be relevant to everyone, taking proper steps to mitigate them is important if you do want to work from home.

• Firstly, there is the risk that it might cause trouble for your family.

While you may want to work from home, you need to be sure that your partner (if you have one) is okay with this arrangement and, if you have children, they will probably need to keep quiet while you work.

The flip side of this is that your family may impact your business. If you have young children or pets especially, you need to make sure they stay out of the massage space and don’t interrupt you or make noise while you’re working.

• Some clients may love animals, but others may be afraid or allergic to them, so best keep them out of the way!
• Finally, it is important to remember that you will probably end up inviting strangers into your home. This inevitably comes with its own risks.

Think about having another adult around; they could even open the door to them so that the client knows someone else is in the house.

And properly vet your new clients. You need to feel safe at all times.

If after this you still want to work from home, here’s two pieces of advice for you.

Working From Home Advice

• Firstly, for most people their home is not in the centre of town. This has plenty of advantages, but it also means that footfall will be lower.

Because of this, Internet marketing is your best friend. Learning how to promote yourself on social media (maybe by writing blogs!) is an invaluable skill to anyone who wants to work from home.

• Secondly, I cannot stress enough how important it is to properly separate your home from your business.

Creating a separate space for work is a must. If you can dedicate a room just for massage, definitely do that.

If you absolutely need to use your massage room for other purposes, set out strict times when it’s in massage mode and in non-massage mode.

Perhaps more important than separating your space is separating your time. Have a strict timetable for what times you’re working and what times you’re not.

If you were working in a rented space, you wouldn’t keep working after you came home, so make sure you follow the same practice when working from home!

If you’d like to know more about working from home, we cover this and many other useful tips for setting up your own massage business in our free book. Click the link below to find out more and to get your free guide:

Free Guide to Building a Successful Massage Business