Home based business

Start selling hair as a home based business and combine your passion for hair with the comfort of working from home. It sound’s easy but did you know to start a successful Hair Business from home is more difficult than you would expect? You need to have a lot of discipline to keep a balance between you private life and your own home based business. If not you will not be able to focus and the make the best out of it. But running a hair business from home is getting more and more popular since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Before you start your home based business, make sure you have a solution for the following possible interruptions.

Can you deal with clients if your 4 year old is asking for your attention?

Be sure you have time and space that is only for you. When you are dealing with clients, you have to be fully focused. Also if you are preparing a meeting or sales talk. Do not try to divide your attention between being a mother and your Hair Business from home. Trust me, it will not work. My kids are older now, and that allows me at day time more time at home to work undisturbed. But when they are home they always jumped into my home office to ask for help with their homework. We made the agreement I will every day be available two hours after dinner for their questions and support with school.

And it’s amazing, this works two ways, they have a fully dedicated parent who has his mind on them when they need me. And I do not feel stressed, when they ask me to help, because I have scheduled my other activities, with this block into consideration.

Make sure you can also take some time off, it’s not healthy to work day and night, be sure to spend quality time with your family.

Are you going to share your business computer with the kids

You will need a computer or laptop for your home based business. And do not forget a good printer, to scan and copy. If your kids use these devices too, to do some research for a paper they need for school you run the risk the priorities will no longer be at the hair business. But at the needs and wishes of your kids. Or the time you want to print a purchase order, you need first to go to the store to buy a new toner.

But you need space or a room in your house that allows you to work without being disturbed. If you have this space, will you have enough light and fresh air?

Stay fit working at your computer

Okay, you did not choose to start selling hair to spent hours in front of a computer screen. But let’s be honest, a home based business will come with a significant number of activities using your computer or other device. How will you stay fit, if you sit most of the day, checking mail, new suppliers or business opportunities?

Here are some tips about your chair, desk and computer that will keep you in shape and enthusiastic whole day long, while running a hair business from home!

Your chair

Stand straight in front of the seat and then adjust the seat so that the top of the seat just touches the bottom of the kneecap. With a correct sitting position, the upper leg will now be horizontal and the angle between the upper and lower legs will be approximately 90 °. The thighs must be supported along the entire length of the seat.

What can go wrong:

• A seat that is too high pinches the circulation to the lower legs at the front edge of the seat. This can cause sleeping legs or cold feet;

• If the seat is set too low, the thighs are not fully supported and there is a tendency to slide downwards in the seat. Sitting with a convex back can cause complaints in the lower back.

With most seats, the seat can slide forward and backward. Ensure that a fist width is kept free between the seat and the knees.

What can go wrong:

• If the seat depth is too large, the seat ‘protrudes’ into the knees and the backrest cannot be reached properly. The back is no longer well supported and sitting up is made more difficult.

Adjust the backrest (forwards or backwards) so that it rests well in the back. If the backrest is adjustable in height, make sure that the bulging of the backrest supports the lower back at the waist belt height (pelvis edge). This prevents sitting with a convex back.

What can go wrong:

• If the backrest is set too high, the shoulder blades have no freedom of movement and the lower back is not properly supported;

• If the backrest is set too low, the backrest presses against the buttocks instead of the pelvis edge. This way the body is pressed further forward on the seat. The pelvis can then tilt backwards. This creates a convex back again.

Your desk

When sitting at the desk, the height of the worktop must be set so that it is equal to the top of the armrests of the chair. Try to keep your shoulders as relaxed as possible while working. In principle, it is advisable to sit almost with your stomach against the table. Sitting far away from the desk means that you have to reach with your arms and that is stressful for the muscles.

If the desk cannot be adjusted in height, it is possible that it is too high or too low. This can be remedied by using a footrest when the desk is too high or by raising the desk with so-called leg extenders or by putting it on blocks if the desk is too low.

If you read or write on the same worktop for a long period of time, the height of the chair can be adjusted so that the worktop is approximately 4 cm higher than the (properly adjusted) armrests.

What can go wrong:

• If the work table is set too high, work is done with raised shoulders: there is a quick chance of neck, shoulder and arm problems;

• If the work table is set too low, a bent back and bent neck are used: there is a quick chance of neck, shoulder and back problems.

It is important to ensure that there is sufficient legroom under the desk: it must be possible to place legs and feet wide.

What can go wrong:

• In the absence of free legroom under the work table, there is a risk of injuring or damaging knees, legs or feet by bumping into rods or structures;

• It is possible that too little legroom causes crooked or crooked sitting. This gives all kinds of health problems in the long run

When using a footrest, the height of the support surface must be set correctly. A footrest is used if it is comfortable for the position of the foot (for example when wearing high heels) or if the feet cannot reach the floor properly.

What can go wrong:

• Footrests that are set too high can cause increased pressure on the coccyx, a tingling sensation in the upper legs and a crooked back;

• If the table is too high and there is no footrest, there is a risk of tired and swollen feet, a tingling sensation in the feet and varicose veins. It is not good then to support the feet on the base of the chair: that gives too few options to vary the position of the feet and legs.

Screen and supporting tools

Constant or frequent nodding or turning the head to the side is very tiring for the neck and shoulder muscles. So sit right in front of the screen. The screen can also be placed on the corner of the desk when it is necessary for the work to be able to look straight ahead. Then turn with the chair and move the mouse and keyboard so that you can sit straight in front of the screen.

What can go wrong:

• If the screen is on the left or right, the neck should always turn when looking at the screen. This leads to neck complaints.

The head must be kept upright as much as possible while working. Position the screen so high that the top of the visible part of the screen is at or slightly below eye level.

What can go wrong:

• If the screen is too low, the head is always bent downwards while viewing the screen. This leads to neck complaints;

• If the screen is too high, the head is always pointing upwards. This leads to neck complaints.

As a rule of thumb can be used: place the screen at the distance of an extended arm.

What can go wrong:

• If the screen is too close, the head must constantly move left and right and up and down to be able to read the screen. This leads to neck complaints;

• If the screen is too far away, the text on the screen cannot be read properly and the head moves forward. This leads to neck complaints.

To avoid mirroring, never place screens in front of a window, and to avoid glare, also not in front of a window. The best place is therefore a viewing direction perpendicular to the windows.

Good sun protection, blinds or blinds can help to stop the annoying sun or outside light. To prevent mirroring of luminaires in the screen, they must hang directly above or behind the screen and be parallel to the work surface.

What can go wrong:

• It is annoying when light sources such as lamps and windows mirror in the screen, this is often clearly visible when the screen is off. The information on the screen is no longer visible, which increases the chance of errors and makes it less possible to work. This can also cause a headache.

• When looking along or over the screen in daylight, the eyes may be irritated or a headache may occur.

Your keyboard

The keyboard should be positioned so that the upper arms relax along the body while typing. Don’t shrug your shoulders!

To prevent wrist strain, it is important to type with straight wrists. Therefore, fold down the legs of the keyboard.

If the numeric part of a standard keyboard is not needed, a narrower keyboard can be used. The mouse is then closer to the right hand.

What can go wrong:

• A wide (standard) keyboard is used unnecessarily, which means that the right hand must reach far to the mouse.

• The keyboard is too far away: this puts extra strain on the shoulders when typing.

• The legs of the keyboard are used: the hand must now be raised when typing, so a curved wrist is used.

The computer mouse

It is important not to bend the wrist too much when using the mouse. In other words: the mouse must be operated by moving the entire forearm back and forth.

Place the mouse on the work surface in such a way that you do not have to reach far: directly next to the keyboard and not too far on the table.

Set the mouse properly: not too fast and not too slow. Also try alternating between the left and right hand when using the mouse. Not everyone can do this.

What can go wrong:

• The mouse is set too slowly if multiple mouse movements are required to move the cursor completely across the screen from left to right. Large screens may therefore require an extra large mouse pad.

• The mouse is set too fast or too sensitive if a small movement of the mouse causes a large movement of the cursor. If the mouse is adjusted too sensitive, there is a high risk of health problems, because the arm muscles are constantly tightened to stabilize the arm for fine control, so that the cursor does not shoot.

• Double-clicking is set too quickly: correct double-clicking causes stress on the forearm and neck / shoulder region.

To receive clients at your residence

If your clients will visit you, make sure you have enough parking spots. And check if your insurance company covers any damage caused during office hours. Avoid your clients have to pass two stairs and a kids bedroom before they reach your showroom. A home based company does not equals your home has been taken over by your business.

No office space requires high quality stationery and website

Don’t use your home address for your business cards, stationery, collaterals, etc. Better to have a P.O. box where you can get all your mail. Spend time and money to make your business cards, brochures, and stationery reflect a professional operation. It will often be the first impression potential clients will have about your brand and you want that first impression to be a good one.

Dedicate enough time to have a well designed website or store and name for your business. This will allow people to find your business as easy as possible and to remember. Check Shopify for a free trail top store.

Keep the background noise down

Make sure you can keep noise at the background at the lowest possible level. You do not want to be middle in a closing of a deal and be disturbed by a fight between your kids, or a barking dog. Also avoid your kids to answer the phone, your clients might not mind but it is just not very professional.

Remember you are not in prison

The business is done with real people so make sure you spent enough time outside the home based office.

It is important to change your attitude every now and then. For example, consciously choose a different posture every 20 minutes. Also try to stand up and walk as much as possible during work. Another possibility for changing posture is the use of a standing bench: in the high position it is possible to work standing for a while.

• At least after every 2 hours of screen work, alternation due to other work or a break;

• For intensive screen work, install every 5 to 10 minutes, with micro breaks of approximately 20 seconds. At the time of the micropause, the shoulders and arms can hang or move along the body in a relaxed way.

And take a walk, it will not only give you some fresh air, it will also allow you to meet interesting people. Because you decided to work from home does not mean you are not allowed to leave your home any more.