Emma Jones is the founder and managing director of Redbrick Enterprises, a
company that advises local authorities and regional development agencies on
promoting and increasing home enterprise, and is the editor of www.enterprisenation.co.uk,
a free-to-use home business website that offers help to people who want to
start and grow a business from home.
Jones is an expert in the field of home working, having set up and run
successful businesses out of home offices in Manchester, London and
Shropshire, and is a keen supporter of this modern way of working.
Q. Why did you give up work and start a home business?
I had a great job working for a major accountancy firm, but after five years I
decided I wanted to be my own boss and have more control of my life, so I
left to start a company from my spare room. My first day of self-imposed
self-employment is etched on my mind - I sat in that spare room, stared at
the phone, and waited for it to ring. On the second day I realised I was the
one who had to start making the calls, and I haven’t looked back since.
Q. What underpins a successful home business?
1. A good idea
2. A brief business plan
3. Sales
4. Marketing
5. The will to keep it going
6. Spending equal amounts of time on the golden triangle of, business
development, client care and admin.
Q. What are the benefits of running your business from home?
It costs less to start a business from home, which means you reduce your risk
and keep your overheads low as you grow the business. By avoiding the daily
commute, it is possible to save a day a week, while always arriving at work
on time and feeling refreshed.
Q. What are the pitfalls?
People can feel isolated running a business from home, but with modern
technology you needn’t be. In my business, we use Skype/instant messaging
and internet forums as our virtual water cooler, while coffee shops have
sprung up on virtually every high street if you just want to feel the
humdrum of human activity around you.
Q. How did the experience change your life?
Starting, growing and then selling my first home business in the space of two
years meant I learned the basics of running a business very quickly. By
starting a home business you gain freedom and flexibility and the incredible
feeling that you are in control and that’s a good feeling as you wake up
each morning.
Q. What would you say to those who have tried and failed?
I never understand why the government counts the number of businesses that
fail, but never count how many of those so-called failures get up and start
another business. Most failures are part of the learning experience and many
businesses go though a couple of incarnations before finding a successful
formula.
Q. How do you see the future for home based business?
Very bright indeed. Our site traffic and all other national indicators show an
increase in the number of people considering and starting a business from
home. If you look at the sectors that are taking off; arts and crafts; IT
design; catering; online trading etc; they all offer home business
opportunities. It’s like a return to the cottage industries of the past but
this time super-enabled by technology. There are some amazing businesses
being run behind residential doors in every street of the UK and, when it’s
cheaper, healthier and more environmentally friendly, why would you choose
any other way to work?
Q. What advice would you give to anyone thinking of starting a home
business?
Buy my book.
Spare
Room Start Up: How to Start a Business from Home by Emma Jones
(Harriman House £12.99)
