It’s happened twice for me so far. Once, I was on the phone with a city’s transportation director, working on a story on deadline. The other time, I was talking to a judge.
Luckily for me, both were dog people.
What happened? I was making a work call when someone buzzed my front door, sending my hyperactive pit bull into a barking frenzy. It’s one of the many pitfalls of working from home.
The Wall Street Journal reports that half of entrepreneurs now work from home, since rent, furniture and a cleaning service can be a bit costly, especially for a business that’s just starting out. But it’s not all fun and games — in addition to barking dogs, there’s always the risk of noisy road construction, children underfoot, and getting distracted with looming household chores, not to mention a lack of places to meet with clients.
So what’s an entrepreneur to do? Having a dedicated space for a home office is a start. Having a dedicated business line, or making it clear to family and friends that you can’t talk during the weekday, is also helpful. If you need meeting space beyond the occasional table at the coffee shop, it may be worth looking into a co-working space near you.
Of course, hopefully your business will eventually become so successful, you can afford to rent out office space. But until then, you have options — even if you are on a budget.