Few things are worse than getting stuck in a rut. In business, getting caught in a standard pattern with no alterations is both demoralizing and somewhat dangerous. It’s demoralizing because instead of being the master of your business, you become the slave of your work routine. It’s also somewhat dangerous to the business: whether the owner feels it or not, he is always the pacesetter for his home business, so when his energy and drive peter off, the business will inevitably begin to hiccup and stall as well. Still, it’s not an easy task to always keep up your business excitement when you spend every day following the same pattern, by yourself, between the same four walls of your home office. So what is a wise entrepreneur to do when every new day of a work from home business feels like the day before it? Here are a few ideas.

Take Breaks

Though it seems like something that should go without saying, it’s definitely worth mentioning. Too many home based business owners are so single-mindedly obsessed with conducting business, that other things like taking care of themselves fall to the wayside. Even in the office world, breaks from work are legally mandated for one primary reason; it’s good for us to rest, both from a physical and mental standpoint. The benefit of home business that many do not take advantage of is that you have the freedom to take a break whenever you need to. So take advantage of the freedom that comes with a home based business and take a five minute break every hour as well as a decent lunch break in the middle of your day.

Work Outside

A home office is bigger than an office cubicle but, ultimately, it’s still just four walls and a floor, and maybe a window. In any enclosed space, it’s not hard to go a little stir crazy. If you notice your skin getting a little pasty and you’ve forgotten what a tree looks like, it can help brighten your spirits just to move your laptop to an outdoor patio table every now and then.

Hit A Coffee Shop

Another simple idea to help stir up the work week is just to pack up your things and go work at a downtown coffee shop for a day, or even just a few hours. As long as you can concentrate amidst the bustle of other people, the energy of being around others can really help re-energize a fading franchise business owner.

Change Up Your Work Hours Periodically

What good is it to own a work at home business if you never use the scheduling freedom it provides. Say you owned an Allstate Investment Group franchise. As the purveyor of vending machines housing both drinks and snacks, the prime responsibility in your business is restocking machines and finding new locations for future expansion, both of which are tasks that can be accomplished at virtually any reasonable time. So, if you’re in a bit of a rut, restocking the same machines every morning at the same time, and that’s bothering you, maybe it’s time to rearrange your schedule. Spend a slow morning out at breakfast and running personal errands, then go take care of your restocking route in the afternoon, just because you can.

Make A Day Of It

Many home based franchises have a side of business that gets the owner out making deliveries and chatting with clients, and there is no rule that says you can’t put those outings to use to spice up your day. For instance, the TVME franchisee who has to visit a restaurant to seal the sale of a TVME computerized media center can easily make that excursion a great excuse to treat his family to a day on the town. His wife and kids can go to a nearby mall while he makes his sale, then catch up with him for lunch at the restaurant where the sale was made, and maybe catch a movie afterward. Though we like to draw stark lines between business and fun, sometimes the two can work together.

Take Work On The Road

One of the absolute best things about working from home on a business that often only requires a computer and a phone is that you’re not bound to any location, so take advantage of that. As a seller of GPS tracking equipment for corporate car fleets, the Vehicle Tracking Solutions franchisee is often simply finding new potential clients online and keeping up contact with existing clients via phone. So when there are no immediate client meetings to have, he is entirely free to grab his computer and his phone and take his business on the road for a little getaway.

Having a home based business is great, but like most things in life, it’s easy to lose sight of how great it is if you’re not working to keep things vibrant. If you’ve lost your zest for business, consider simply shaking up the routine and getting yourself out of any rut you may be in. Sometimes all a person needs to correct his vision is a change of pace or new vantage point from which to see that vision.


October 11, 2008