15 Misconceptions Virtual Business Owners Deal with on a Daily Basis

Day 2: Now THIS is what I call telecommuting...
Originally uploaded by DDFic

If LOVE working from home and having a virtual business.

I love the flexible hours, the freedom to choose whom I work with, and the ability to work from the comfy-ness of my own home office. I can take breaks when I want and can actually have lunch out on a sunny patio rather than in a sterile cafeteria or "break room".

I also don't have to worry about having my lunch stolen from a community refrigerator --now that's a plus!

I wouldn't have things any other way, but I've noticed that there are some challenges and misconceptions that many of us virtual business owners run into on a daily basis. It can be annoying, but I can't really blame people who have never worked virtually for being confused about what it's really like.

Recently I bumped into a great post by Glen at LifeDev, which lists 10 misconceptions we self-employed folks deal with all the time. A few of these hit home, and these also got me thinking, "Hey, but what about such and such--that happens all the time too!"

Let's start the countdown! The first 10 of these are from LifeDev, with my commentary. The rest are my additions:

1. You’re ALWAYS open for business.

I actually don't have this problem (but I know many people who do) because I'm very clear about what my office hours are. I don't pick up the phone or answer IMs after my office hours are over, and I also don't interpret someone contacting me as them saying "Answer me now!"

I know that folks live in different time zones and I encourage them to contact me whenever they feel like it. They also know that I will respond when I get back in the office. I've never had a problem with this, but if you do I would really encourage you to set office hours and stick to them--don't answer the phone or be checking emails after you're off duty. Just let it go to voicemail and respond the next day--believe me, the world will not collapse if you're unreachable overnight :-) .

2. “You’re at home. How can you be working?”

Yeah, this one is more common for me. I think that a couple of my retired neighbors who are home all day might think that I don't work at all, because they see me out on the patio having lunch every day, and I will also do certain chores during the day if it's convenient (mowing the lawn, etc).

It's happened more than once that they will walk over and ask me if I work (not where I work, but if I work!), and I explain that I do, but I work from home and just happen to take breaks outside. I don't know if that sinks in with them or if they really believe that someone can actually work from their home via their computer. 

3. You take too many breaks.

Yes, when folks see you sitting outside every few hours drinking iced tea, they will tend to think that you spend most of your day on breaks rather than working (if they think you work at all :-)).

Sometimes I just want to say to the retired man next door,

"Listen, I know that the last time you came outside I was sitting out here, and now you come outside again and see me sitting here, but I have not been sitting out here the entire morning--I swear. Since I saw you last I have been inside and have done 2 hours of very focused productive work. Now I'm taking a break."

I do take a break every couple hours (usually for just 10-15 minutes or so), and I do this purposely because it keeps my mind sharp and helps me finish more work in less time.

4. You don’t NEED decent office equipment.

Shhh--don't tell anyone: For the first few months I was in business I worked off a tray table in the living room.

It's not that I didn't have a real desk--I did and still do. But just for some reason when I first started out, I wanted to get away from the feeling of being in an office.

Eventually I realized that it was a much better idea for me to have a dedicated office space in the house--a room that had a real desk, with a computer that stayed on top of the desk. I used to like the mobility of a laptop, but I find that I work much better in a more structured office environment.

Also, as far as computers go--I make my living on the computer, so I've invested in the highest quality computer I can afford. Maybe I don't need a fancy iMac, but I have one, and at the very least I think it gives me a psychological edge knowing that I have high quality office equipment.

5. You never have to leave your home.

I don't usually leave my house to work, but Glen at LifeDev says he leaves home and goes to the coffee shop when he really needs to focus. I can relate to that, because that's how I started my 4-hour workday thingy--one day my internet went out at home, and I was forced to work from the cafe. I discovered that when I put my mind to it I could accomplish 8 hours of work in 4 hours of time.

In my experience though, it is not enough just to change your location. The reason why working from the cafe was a high productivity breakthrough for me was that I really took the time to organize my workday plan, and I also had a strict start and stop time. I also went to the cafe during off hours, so it was rather quiet. I think the planning and the restricted work hours really is what helped me.

I think a change in location can get your adrenaline flowing and help you focus, but it's not really necessary. Some folks find working from the cafe to have fewer distractions than working at home, but depending on what your situation is, the cafe with all the hustle and bustle and people wanting to say "hi" and such can actually be more distracting than working at home. Just depends.

6. You can work whenever you want.

I actually do work whenever I want to, but when I want to is usually the morning time. I never really work at 3am or any other off the wall time. Also, I have clients in other countries, so we don't even try to coordinate working at the same time during the day--we just work when we work and have a good communication system. It really feels like we're "in the next room" as they say. I do work whenever I want, but the days of working in the middle of the night for the fun of it are kind of passe for me.

7. You’re rich.

Haha--this is what Glen at LifeDev says:

"Maybe this is just my own experience, but it seems that when I tell people that I’m my own boss, I must be making bank. Completely untrue. Although I think I do pretty well, I’m not by any standard wealthy. I pay my bills, and that’s about it."

Hmm, I don't think I've had the experience of having anyone think I was rich, but who knows. Maybe they thought I was so rich that they were intimidated by my Donald Trump-ness ;-) . To-tally kidding.

8. You work in pajamas, don’t brush your teeth, and never see the sun.

Now, I know where this misconception comes from. When you work from home, it is very easy to get caught in a rut, not changing into "real" clothes for work, not having outside stuff to do. But, I really think that most of us learn that being a healthy human and having a home business are not mutually exclusive. We need to get outside, run, jump, play, visit with folks, and then go into our offices and work a reasonable workday.

When you work in a traditional office you have built in people to talk to, and you have a built in reason to get dressed up and participate in society. As you get more used to having a virtual business you will likely see that you enjoy things more when your life has balance, when you take care of yourself, exercise, do fun stuff, and have a social life outside of work.

Yes, you can have a virtual business and be a "normal" human being. In fact, from my perspective your life can be even more fun and satisfying having balance and working virtually because a) you can go out to lunch and not have to worry about getting back by a certain time, b) you can take a half day on Friday to do something fun c) you can have fun wearing your own style of clothes (I'm not talking about pajamas) because there is no dress code.

9. You only work 45 minutes a day, and the rest of the time is spent playing video games.

Yes, there is always the chance that someone will assume that working from home means you're a slacker (especially if they catch you wearing your pajamas at 3pm :-)), but the plain truth is that people who are self-employed and work from home are generally much, much, much more productive than people who work in traditional offices.

You know the statistic--the traditional office worker completes only 1.5 hours of work in an 8 hour work day. Yikes!

Especially for those of us who bill by the hour--that performance will not cut it. As independent business owners we are highly motivated to get stuff done in a timely manner. We work for our money--we don't have a set paycheck, we don't have sick leave, we don't get 2 weeks of paid vacation--we work very hard.

This is why I focus so much on productivity--I can't spend 8 hours completing 1.5 hours of work. I need to be much better than that. Self-employed folks can be some of the most productive people on the planet--we have to be or our wasted time is just money down the drain.

10. You know everything about computers and "the internets".

Hee hee, this can actually be kind of embarrassing, because I don't know squat about the inner workings of computers. I mean, just because I work on a computer on "the internets" does not mean that I can assemble a computer, or set up a home network, or do web design, or do coding, or do behind the scenes techie stuff on websites. I just know how to work my computer and do regular blogging and internet stuff. As hard as it is to believe, I will never be able to stand in for Matt Cutts or any other web techie guru. 

11. Your internet business is not a "real" business.

To people who aren't online much, the internet seems like a sketchy place where folks look at porn and gamble at online casinos :-)--sort of a boulevard of broken dreams and sketchy get rich quick schemes.

But I have to tell you--there are other types of virtual businesses other than online casinos! In fact, I don't count those sketchy sites as being legitimate businesses at all.

Virtual business owners have real business licenses, pay real taxes, and must pay out the whazoo for the privilege of running our own real business. Just because this is not a brick and mortar business does not mean that it isn't real.  For someone with an internet business the website that their business is on is their store. It's online, but it's real too.

12. There is no way in the world that you can work closely with people you never see in person. The concept of working closely with someone on the other side of the globe makes people cross eyed sometimes--they just can't fathom it.

One thing that folks need to understand is that when you collaborate on the internet, it feels like we share a mutual office--our office is our website, or our online team space, or any of the other places where we do work on the internet. I guess it is a mind shift to be able to think of someone far away as being near and to have no geographical boundaries. I am so used to it now that I don't even know how to explain it--it is just a natural thing for me now. It's totally not a big deal to not be sitting in the same physical office.

13. You don't have to deal with office politics. This doesn't happen much with me, but I do have friends who have major office politics to deal with. Working from home and being self-employed does not mean that you don't work with other folks, and it doesn't mean that you will always be able to control who you work with.

From what I've observed, the folks who time and time again get all wrapped up in "who stepped on whose toes" are not that discriminating about who they work with. Really, if you choose who you work with carefully and let them know your boundaries, you will radically decrease the odds that office politics will come into play. 

14. You are less productive than traditional office workers because no one is watching you. The truth is that the quality of work that comes from someone who sees themselves as a self-employed, independent business owner is much higher than work produced by someone who thinks of themselves as an employee.

Business owners just think differently. We think more responsibly, more proactively, and we have a vested interest in making our clients successful. The beauty of working with someone who is a business owner themselves is that no micro-managing is necessary--we manage ourselves.

15. You have a virtual business because you couldn't find a "real" job.

When you tell friends or family that you have an internet business, they'll sometimes look at you in a concerned way, and it's like you can see a little think bubble pop up over their head that says,

"I didn't know you were that desperate for money. I have a friend in HR who could probably get you an interview at the Fortune 500 company I work at."

In my experience, the reason why people start their own businesses is because they have an idea and they decide to run with it. They love the challenge of creating something that hasn't existed before. They are proud of their creation, their business, their customers, and their products.

Owning your own business is not easier than working a traditional job--it is harder. It requires more thought, more effort, more planning, more responsibility, more risk. But it just so happens than the entrepreneurial types of this world thrive under those conditions. This is why we have our own businesses.

Soldier on virtual business owners! It is natural that doing such a cutting edge type of work will generate some misconceptions, but eventually folks will catch on. Working virtually is starting to break into the mainstream, and even folks who do not own their own businesses are starting to work from home.

We just might come to a time in the future when people assume that everyone works virtually, and people who still work in traditional offices will have to explain why they still work in such an archaic fashion.

What about you...

Do any of these misconceptions hit home with you?

Are there any that you think we've missed here? 

Comments

[Jack @ Ample]

Ok, I'll admit it. Most days I work in gym shorts and tennis shoes. But only because I work out in the middle of the day so there's no point to my getting showered before then!

Great entry. I have grappled with many of the above misconceptions that are not always misconceptions but rather sad truths. I work at home as a freelance editor and copywriter (by editor I mean both text and video, which can get confusing) so #4 rang especially true to me. A lot of my friends think they can do what I do with a crappy digital camera and a stolen copy of Final Cut Pro 4 that they can hardly run.

The only difference between myself and a production house is the working space, which I try to make as professional as possible. I even invested in a gotvmail account so that callers get the impression they're dealing with a real company (the automated messages and extensions help a lot). I don't care what the neighbors think so long as my clients don't have the same misconceptions!

Also, I wonder if a study has been done about the number of work-at-home freelancers with Mac computers. I have this theory that Apple is used way more by telecommuters...anyway, more on that later...

[Sharon Sarmiento]

Hi Jack,

Thanks so much for your input--excellent points!

I don't always get "dressed up" to work either :-). Gym clothes are acceptable in my mind--at least it's not pajamas!

Hmmm, I wonder about work-at-home folks and Macs. That may very well be true.

I know that I didn't have a Mac when I worked in a traditional office because everyone just used a PC--Macs were not an option, and PC's were just the norm.

But then when I got in charge of my own computer situation, I opted for high quality thinking that it would save on IT costs (which I think a Mac does).

[Kevin Lee]

Hello Jack, Nice Piece! I have a more traditional job still, but do a lot online as part of my work, and I've had times when I've been home but working online on the job for several hours, then walk outside to hear a neighbor say to me, "So. Day off today?" They just don't get it.

Love your site. Thank you!

Kevin

[Sharon Sarmiento]

Hey Kevin,

Thanks for stopping by :-)

Sharon

[maryam in marrakesh]

I actually struggle to work from home. I find it harder and less productive than I was at the office. I find that it requires much more discipline. eeek!

[patry francis]

For me, the most dangerous misconception is that people think I should be available for hour long chats and impromptu lunches or visits because I'm not really working. Or I can just "do it later."

Good article. And I vow to get out of my pajamas before noon!

[Sharon Sarmiento]

Hey Maryam,

Yes, it requires a lot of discipline to work from home--so many distractions!

[Sharon Sarmiento]

Hello Patry,

Welcome! Hee hee--that is so true. When folks know you have a flexible schedule, they think that you can always 'flex' it for them :-) If we 'flex' it for everyone then we never get our work done!

[Ideas for Working at Home]

Your Number 8 can sometimes be true for me. Sometimes I do work in a bath robe all day before taking a shower at say 3pm (weekends only - as I do have a regular 9-5 during the week). But time passes so fast when I work at home, I really can get up at around 10 and work til 4 or 5 and think that it's just lunchtime.

[Jeffrey "Best Home Based Businesses" Mangulabnan]

I like number 4, "You don't need decent office equipment", this part is very interesting, actually I am a hardworking employee, and when it comes to my office equipment, I am a little bit choosy, what i mean is, good equipment good production!. :>

[kse pakistan]

Thanks for sharing the ways on how to do it. I have a small business and I use social media. I'm the only one who maintains it, I do the blogging, the articles, etc.

[laptops in islamabad]

Helpful advises above. I have noticed that many people are using twitter for marketing. I would love to try this too for my business.