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Home Based Business: Is Your Home Suitable? 

Home based business: Some realistic considerations about your home 

If you have decided a home based business may be for you, you must then honestly and realistically assess whether your residence is a good place too start and operate your business.  Many people decide to start a home-based business without giving this question any thought at all.  Not all residences are equal in their ability to provide an appropriate location for every home based business.  In fact, in some municipalities in Canada and in the United States there are zoning laws which prohibit these types of businesses entirely.  Therefore, before investing any significant money in developing your home business you need to determine if your residence is the right location for starting this type of enterprise, or whether it will even be legal.  Some of the main considerations in deciding whether your residence will be adequate and appropriate for a home-based business include: 

• Zoning regulations
• Safety issues
• Security issues
• Space requirements
• Access for employees and clients
• Mechanical requirements, including electrical phone lines
• Pollution concerns the form of noise and odor
• Special insurance needs
• Neighbors and neighborhood issues
• Suitable and adequate parking
• Privacy for yourself and family
• Adequate storage space for business needs
• Laws involving employees working from your home

There is really no way around these issues when considering whether your home is suitable for a home based business.  If your residence is not appropriate or suitable you have a few choices: move, make whatever changes are necessary to ensure that your home is right and appropriate, decide on another business, or do not start a home based business. Once again, you do not want to invest large amounts of time and money in starting or purchasing a business venture when your home is not even appropriate or suitable for running a home-based business.  

Some information from Ultimate Homebased Business Handbook by James Stephenson 

Additional information and webpage by Paul Susic MA Licensed Psychologist  Ph.D. Candidate   CEO/President Susic Psychological Consulting P.C.

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