In addition to the characteristic business savvy and entrepreneurial traits typically required to run a business, there are key ingredients that cannot be overlooked in setting up a workable home office that will support ongoing success and longevity. Although there are numerous factors to consider, many fall neatly into 4 main categories – physical space, organization, social interaction and work/life balance; all of which are essential to running a successful business from the comfort of your own home.

We often take these four factors for granted when working outside our homes as they are already set in place for us – an existing team, an office space with a desk and chair, pre-existing information and time management systems, and a build-in physical and chronological separation from our personal life. Inevitably, working away from home buffers us from the frequent interruptions, distractions, downfalls and pitfalls that can impact us in our home environment, i.e., family interactions, household responsibilities, barking dogs, unstructured days, and isolation to name just a few. What can we do to optimize our physical space, organization, social interaction and work/life balance?