FEATURE ARTICLE:
Single in SOHO... you're not alone.

by Jacqueline Alexander

The honeymoon period is over. The deluge of articles and forums complaining about cabin fever, childcare facilities, long hours, lack of work space and dog-chewed invoices or, worse, dog-chewed clients, tell us that working from home is not all it's cracked up to be. So why does the appeal of working from home continue to attract hoards of individuals away from the constraints of the traditional office environment?

It is estimated that around 3 million are currently working from home and this number is predicted to increase to over 5 million by 2007, with a further 8 million spending at least part of their working life in the spare room. The people of Berkshire are contributing to this trend with around 10% of the working population behind the net curtains, a figure well above the national average.

It could have something to do with the theory behind the reality. After all it does sound enticing - fall out of bed, flick on the PC whilst still sporting your natty little pyjamas (perfectly acceptable work-wear in SOHO), work the hours you want when you want, and take a break to experience the surreal world that is daytime TV. But probably one of the most inviting aspects of working from home is the flexibility it offers.

Sarah Hanson, a local housewife and mother, is currently in the early stages of setting up a home-based e-commerce business. Sarah is quite clear on her reasons for choosing to work from her family home.

"When I found myself investigating chat-rooms for the Sudoku-addicted, I decided it was time put my brain to work. I needed a challenge but I also need to be at home for my children."

With the youngest of her three children just starting nursery school, Sarah is intent on putting her degree, her time and her brain into good use whilst still looking after her family.

"Working from home allows me to divide my time between giving the children the attention they need and giving the business the time and focus it needs to be successful."

Sarah is convinced that home-working is not only her best option but her only option.

"The flexibility required as a working Mum is not available to me elsewhere. I don't want to be answerable to a pre-determined structure, I need to create my own routine that suits the other demands on my time."

There is a need for routine in most people's lives, but as a SOHO-worker you do not have to adopt a structure dictated by a higher authority. You can create your own way of working, one that suits the demands on your time. And one that suits you.

Of course, there are many that would have you believe that working from home is no different from working in an office: be at your desk at 9am, define your work space, power-dress in prison-stripes (sorry, pin-stripes) and generally relinquish many of the advantages that probably helped you to make the jump from the safety of the payslip. The fact of the matter is, one of the main advantages of running a business from home is that you create the rules that suit your work and your life. You are in charge.

However, it takes a certain sort of individual to identify, establish and maintain a bespoke way of working. Once you have decided on the hours required to work efficiently, self-discipline is required in bucket-loads. A sense of pride in your work will help you to avoid the delights of procrastination, but it is discipline that ultimately makes you put those essential oils back in the bathroom cupboard until your deadline has been met.

It is not just family considerations or a need for flexibility causing the increase in SOHO numbers. The desire to exercise a dormant entrepreneurial spirit figures highly in the list of reasons for working from home, at least in the early stages of setting up a new business.

Mark Lewis, Managing Director of Jokers Masquerade, is one of many men who has started a business from home. Redundancy had caused a headache in the Lewis household, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Disguise being the operative word in this case.

When Mark and his wife, Sandra, were invited to a murder-mystery weekend, they started looking for fancy-dress costumes to don for the event. Mark, who was already selling joke products online as a hobby, stumbled across the idea of expanding the product range to include fancy-dress costumes.

It wasn't long before business was booming. The Lewis' dining room evolved into a warehouse, the hall played host to distribution, the bedroom doubled as the communications centre and the downstairs loo became a changing room for Spiderman!

Halloween was looking scarier than ever as the orders put increased pressure on their dual-purpose home. When articulated-lorries started to cause understandable consternation with the neighbours, it became clear that it was time to move on.

The company is now established as one of the most successful in their marketplace but Mark is adamant that the business would not have been born, or even conceived, had his redundancy not forced the decision to work from home and allowed him to discover a latent entrepreneurial flair.

"I started to work from home simply because I did not need an office. The expense and inconvenience were unnecessary evils at a time when I had to be careful with money."

The reduced overheads of home-working gave Mark's business a distinct advantage over the competition in those early months. And it is an advantage that many are exploiting in order to build their own business.

It seems, despite valid concerns over isolation, space and organisation, working SOHO-style has a growing list of fans for good reason. And as I sit here in my armchair, laptop in place earning its title, the advantages are very clear to me. By choosing to leave behind the shackles of the office grind you have the chance to enjoy the benefits of flexibility, choice, control and convenience. You may even discover hidden entrepreneurial talents. And, last but by no means least, you are in control. Aren't you?

© Jacqueline Alexander

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