As a result, many are reconsidering their return to the office, looking instead to start a home-based business. If this sounds appealing listed below are a few pros and cons to self-employment. 

Pro: Make Your Work Schedule

One of the most appealing selling points of self-employment is the ability to create your own work schedule. Shockingly, not everyone is an early riser. Some people prefer to work later in the day or overnight. 

Self-employment makes it possible. As a result, you no longer miss your child’s play or practices. You can schedule appointments midday and shop when others are at the office. 

Pro: Skip the Commute

When you work from home, you eliminate a long commute. For many, it’s a matter of steps from the bedroom to their home office. This translates into less stress and no additional costs for gas, tolls, and frequent auto repairs. You set up your home office to contain everything you need to be productive. 

Pro: No Work Office Attire

While you may have meetings that require looking professional, mostly, working from home eliminates the annual cost of a tailored wardrobe. You can literally work in your PJs. However, getting dressed gives you a mindset of being at work, ultimately making you more productive.

Pro: Time Off

When you work for an employer, you ask for time off. Self-employment gives you the freedom to take time off when you want it. Vacations are of your time and choosing, as well as appointments. Want to visit a relative for an extended stay? It’s doable. With your computer in tow, you can work from almost anywhere. 

Pro: Select your Clients

When you’re self-employed you find your clients. If you find them difficult to work with, you stop the work. You no longer have to bail out others on a group project or take heat from your boss for a project gone wrong. You can have as many clients as you want. 

You can even get personal loans, no credit required, to help you advertise your business. That will allow you to find more clients.

Pro: Unlimited Earning Potential

As an employee, you have to wait for a raise. Sometimes, you even have to work up the courage to ask for one after over a year without. It’s your company and you have unlimited earning potential. 

Have a special event or holiday coming up? Take on a few extra jobs and increase your salary. 

 Con: Fluctuating Salary

Unlike working for a company, self-employment doesn’t provide a set weekly paycheck. For some, this can be difficult to maintain finances. However, many freelancers who have been in the business for years, learned how to budget their money so that a month of surplus offsets a month of disappointing sales. 

Some self-employed people still need to borrow money here and there. This is another time when a personal loan would come in handy. 

Cons: Risky to Lenders

Being self-employed can become difficult financially when you need to borrow money. Banks are very selective. If they feel a lender is a risk, they won’t approve a large loan for a home or something of that nature. This can prolong a home-based business from getting off the ground, or cause it to go under quickly. Prior to starting your own business, have money set aside to cover the initial expenses and maintain your house bills for at least six months.  

Con: No Paid Benefits

Unfortunately, one drawback to self-employment is the lack of benefits. You won’t have a paid vacation or paid sick leave. You also won’t have health insurance or retirement benefits. If you want these, you’ll have to pay for them out-of-pocket.

Post-2020, many people in the workforce are looking for an alternative to the office. Self-employment is on the rise. If you too are considering working from home, weigh the pros and cons carefully.

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post Working From Home: New Priorities Post Pandemic appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

Perhaps as a result of the pandemic and its machinations, however, over 835,000 new businesses were registered in the UK. Perhaps COVID simply released something that was lying dormant in many people? Or maybe the general public is better at making lemonade out of lemons than anyone could have possibly thought?

Either way, if you’re looking to join the throng and start your own business, it might be best to look closer to home. With social distancing still with us in a big way and the power and flexibility of the internet meaning the possibilities are practically endless, there’s never been a better time to start a small business from home.

But what businesses are best suited to the home base?

The Etsy crafter

People have been crafting for decades and selling their wares at craft fairs and church fetes. But thanks to online platforms like Etsy, you could be selling your crafted goods on a global stage. Etsy is the perfect place to start to get your foot in the door selling your home crafted goods. Yes, they take a percentage of the profit, but as a stepping stone to greater things it’s a wonderful resource and you’ll make so many connections and learn so much while you’re doing it too. You can even build your audience through social media. Get creative, it’s what you do best!

The personal trainer

Are you a gym bunny in exceptional shape who has always thought you’d make a great personal trainer? Well, you no longer need to be an official gym worker to work as a PT. Build an online profile and become somebody’s very own at-home fitness guru.

The home-based clothing boutique

Have you got an eye for fashion? Are you always the one who can pick out the best outfit at a charity shop and then spin it into something truly exceptional for next to nothing? If so, then you could be missing out on a small fortune. By buying cheaper clothes, making subtle alterations and then listing them online, you could lay the foundations for an entire fashion enterprise.

Whatever business you decide to settle on, it’s always a good idea to consider the startup costs, which will include materials and any PPE gloves and masks you may need if you will be serving customers in your home. Because the last thing you want to do find out you haven’t budgeted for something you desperately need. With so many small businesses out there these days, only the very best will rise above the rest and if you want to be among that very best, you’ll need to know exactly what it’ll take and what it’ll cost to get you there.

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post Working from Home Business Ideas appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.

Experts say businesses may have to compromise to help employees to feel comfortable in the office

Workplace design experts are predicting the coronavirus pandemic could prove a major challenge to the future of hotdesking.

Some of the biggest companies in the country have embraced hotdesking as a way of reducing office space, embracing flexible working, utilising new technology and reducing overheads. Whilst being a hugely successful rollout, how much will things need to change back in the future?

Having spent so long persuading employees to give up their desks and introducing ‘clear desk’ policies to remove personal items such as photographs and memorabilia, the occurrence of the coronavirus pandemic has created a new hurdle.

Ashley Lawrence, Head of Interiors at Crown Workspace, national experts in workplace change, believes the pandemic will have a significant impact on what will make employees feel happy and safe at work.

He said: “The recent trend in the workspace has been all about hotdesking and open offices but businesses may now have to think about what people will want when we all, eventually, get back to work after the lockdown.

“It’s going to be a bitter pill to swallow for some employers because a lot of money has been spent on the hotdesking project, but I think they will find they won’t have a choice but to make changes if they want to keep their best talent.

“When people have been used to social distancing and staying 2m apart, the idea of going into an office and sharing a desk space with dozens of colleagues is going to feel like a daunting challenge.”

Ashley believes there are solutions and compromises, however, that can ensure hotdesking is not made totally impossible, so that all the great projects that have been completed over the last few years were not in vain.

He says compromises could include:

· Extended height wipeable privacy screens to protect workstations.
· Using desk materials with antibacterial properties that are easy to clean and maintain.
· Setting up a cleaning system, so desks are regularly sanitised, and having the equipment available for self-cleaning prior to use.
· Clear desk policies making cleaning quicker and more efficient.
· Baseless monitor mounts, so there are less bacteria traps.
· Advanced, properly maintained air conditioning such as Ultraviolet systems.
· Fresh natural air, utilising office plants and windows.
· Reduce wasted space and plan the office so there is less front on working using a zigzag formation.

“I’m sure that this pandemic is going to have a big influence on office design one way or another,” said Ashley.

“Designers will be looking for smooth surfaces, without patterns or ridges, that are easy to clean. There will be more use of laminates and of high-tech carpets which don’t cling on to dust and germs. We will undoubtedly see new products on the market for this exact reason.

“The same goes for fabrics used in curtains and blinds, even cleanable wallpaper and anti-bacterial ceiling tiles.

“These are all important issues because people have got used to working at home and if employers want to tempt people back into the office, they will need to create an environment they feel happy in.”

One important factor that he predicts will not be compromised, however, is sustainability.

Ashley said: “The pandemic has been like a reset button for humanity. The positive impact our absence has had on the world around is clear to see. It’s made us all think about what matters and that will only strengthen resolve to be sustainable in future and the circular economy principles will be at the heart of that.

“The public will want the environment to be considered in everything that businesses do, and that includes the design of the workspace and how employees are expected to work. There are some big changes ahead for all of us.”

Hernaldo Turrillo

Hernaldo Turrillo is a writer and author specialised in innovation, AI, DLT, SMEs, trading, investing and new trends in technology and business. He has been working for ztudium group since 2017. He is the editor of openbusinesscouncil.org, tradersdna.com, hedgethink.com, and writes regularly for intelligenthq.com, socialmediacouncil.eu. Hernaldo was born in Spain and finally settled in London, United Kingdom, after a few years of personal growth. Hernaldo finished his Journalism bachelor degree in the University of Seville, Spain, and began working as reporter in the newspaper, Europa Sur, writing about Politics and Society. He also worked as community manager and marketing advisor in Los Barrios, Spain. Innovation, technology, politics and economy are his main interests, with special focus on new trends and ethical projects. He enjoys finding himself getting lost in words, explaining what he understands from the world and helping others. Besides a journalist, he is also a thinker and proactive in digital transformation strategies. Knowledge and ideas have no limits.

The post Why Coronavirus Could Challenge The Future Of The Workplace appeared first on OpenBusinessCouncil Directory.