This Blog was written by Jason Kenner Onparparent.com  jkenner@onparparent.com

Home-based businesses have become a popular trend in recent years, especially during the pandemic. Numerous business models, from consulting to dog grooming, are great candidates for home-based businesses. Some home businesses involve in-person meetings with clients while others can operate entirely remotely. Regardless, it’s important to stage and decorate your home workspace to showcase your professionalism and make clients feel comfortable. Here are some tips from the Hull and East Yorkshire Business Growth Hub to help you design a safe, client-friendly office!

Keep Track of Upgrades Before you make any upgrades to your home, consider how your home office will affect the value of your property. For example, Fool UK explains that building a garden office can add about 5% to the value of your property. This additional value works out to about 1.5 times the cost to install a separate office building, so the project is well worth it! Just be sure to keep track of your improvements so you can justify your home’s increase in value when it comes time for an appraisal.

Creating a Safe Office Environment

As the pandemic continues, it’s important to take proactive measures to prevent illness and keep everyone safe during in-person meetings. One of the easiest ways to do this is to provide masks for visiting clients. If the weather is fair, open the windows to increase ventilation during meetings. If your home is equipped with an HVAC system, consider installing a UV light to kill common viruses circulating in your indoor air. Also, consider setting up your home meeting space in a way that allows for distance between you and your clients.

Making Clients Feel at Home

Beyond making your clients feel safe in your home office, you also want them to feel comfortable. Clients can feel awkward visiting business owners at home. For this reason, Top Construction recommends adding a separate entrance to your home office so employees and clients can visit without infringing on your personal space. As an added bonus, you won’t have to worry about keeping your home clean and presentable for regular visitors.

Office Staging Tips for Virtual Meetings

Virtual meetings are a great alternative to in-person meetings during the pandemic—and anytime you’re working with long-distance clients. When you’re designing your home office, think about what you can do to prepare the space for video calls. Make sure your video call background is clutter-free and professional. If possible, position your desk so that you have a plain wall behind you. You can hang pictures or put up some shelving if you’re looking for interesting background decor.

Leverage Technologies to Minimize Contact

Making use of digital tools can help you limit in-person interactions and keep clients and team members safe. For example, you can use collaboration apps like Slack or Trello to coordinate team projects and keep everyone on the same page. Use automation services to replace physical interactions. For example, automated invoicing software can help you get paid without a face-to-face client meeting.

If you’re running a business from home and you have employees, the right tools will make it easier to manage your team from afar. For example, you can use time-tracking apps to foster a sense of accountability and track the progress of various projects. Rather than using these tools to look over the shoulders of your employees, use them to empower your team to work hard for your business!

Launching a business from home is a great way to save costs as you’re getting off the ground. When it comes to decorating your home office, keep your client’s needs in mind, especially during the pandemic. Make sure they will feel safe and comfortable visiting your home! Are you looking for small business support? The Hull and East Yorkshire Business Growth Hub provides business advisors, online signposting, networking events, and training. Check out the website for more!