Guide to Freelancing - PCG

In a 2011 PCG survey, 12% of freelancers said they worked from home, and a quarter commute
between 20 and 50 miles a day, usually to their client‟s premises. Other options include renting or
sharing an office, using one of the many workhubs or workspaces springing up around the country,
or even building a dedicated pod in the garden.
WORKING FROM HOME
If properly implemented, giving up the office can work like a dream, but you need to be
disciplined, organised and have access to the right technical equipment.
Some of the benefits:
• Low-cost way of launching a business
• No nightmare journeys on commuter trains or gridlocks on motorways
• Flexibility of working methods and hours
• Increased productivity levels without typical office interruptions and “chat gaps”
• Low operating costs
• The ability to accommodate family demands
• The chance to stroll in the garden for a 10-minute break
• Having your own office helps show the tax authorities that you are „In Business On Your Own
Account‟.
“A wireless network means that I can work anywhere at home. However, work-in-progress is also
stored on remote servers, so in an emergency (like when builders accidentally cut the phone line).
I can resume work from anywhere with an internet connection. I usually keep normal office hours,
although I have the flexibility to meet client needs regardless, whenever they arise.”
Derek Pattenson of Small Office Solutions
Winner of the Remote Workers Freelance Consultant Award in 2009
Potential drawbacks
Home working doesn‟t suit everyone. For some people, the drawbacks outweigh the benefits:
• Feeling isolated and bored
• The chance of increased pressure and longer hours
• Clashes between business and family demands
• Not being able to switch off
• Poorer rewards if the working from home holds back development
of the business
• Interruptions from family, neighbours and friends who do not respect work regime.
Some people create a separation between work and the family by converting their shed
into an office or building one in the garden. Freelancer Phil Thane works from this selfbuilt
home office in Wales. It‟s also possible to buy purpose built garden pods, for
example www.roostuk.com or www.officepod.co.uk
Copyright PCG September 2011 Guide to Freelancing Version 7.0 56