Full Disclosure?
When to tell customers you work from your home
Q: Should I let my customers know I
work from home?
A: The answer depends on five
factors:
1. Type of
business: If you provide day-care services, for instance,
having a home address may be an advantage. Customers wouldn't
expect you to operate from a commercial building, and if you did,
they'd be concerned about the higher prices you'd need to
charge to cover your rent. However, if you have a retail operation,
some customers could see working from home as less
professional.
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2. Location:
Customers tend to want a service that's within 20 minutes of
them. If you offer bookkeeping or massage services, for example,
you're apt to get more business if customers know you're
nearby, so you'll want them to know where you are.
3. Street
name: Names like Hog Call Road aren't going to project
the right image. In such cases, you're better off not using
your home address.
4. Safety:
This could be a concern for mothers of young children or single
women who live in areas where neighbors work away from home. And if
your business carries a risk of antagonizing people (such as a
collections agency), you may not want to publicize where you
live.
5. Zoning or
homeowners association restrictions: Ignoring restrictions
while working from home can attract meddling neighbors. Most towns
and cities-and homeowners associations-post regulations on their
websites. Visit www.statelocalgov.net to link to most local government
sites.
If you decide not to use your home address, use mail-receiving
services such as those offered at UPS Stores as your official
address on business cards and marketing literature.
Authors and career coaches Paul and Sarah Edwards' new
book is The Best Home Businesses for People 50+.
Send them questions at www.workingfromhome.com or in care of
Entrepreneur.