If you have started, or are planning to start, a home business, you might already have your check-list of essentials planned out. While things like business insurance, a website, marketing strategies, accounting, etc., are certainly all essentials, there are a few other important things you should keep in mind to help your business run smoothly. Below are four other home business essentials you should make sure are in place to give you the best chance of success and help you find the work/life balance.

1.   Home Office

You must create a dedicated workspace in your home if you want to avoid distractions and remain focused during your work hours. If you have a spare room, turn this into your home office. Alternatively, if you have room in your garden, you could have an office built somewhere on your property instead, or perhaps convert an unused garage or other outdoor building into one. Separating your working environment from your main living space will not only reduce your chances of getting distracted but will also help your switch off psychologically at the end of your working day.

2.   Storage

If your home business involves selling products to customers, you will need to have adequate storage space for your stock. You might have this at home if you have a basement or attic, but if these areas are being used for your personal belongings, this might not be the best option. Instead, look at renting out a storage unit near to you to house your stock. You can use Storagearea to find facilities offering this service either in your town or close by to your home. Just make sure you’re renting space within a reasonable distance of your home to make processing orders and shipping out products to customers easier.

3.   Set Office Hours

One of the downsides to starting a home business is that it can be difficult to keep your work separate from your everyday life. It’s too easy to be tempted to quickly respond to this email, or check your orders, update your social media, etc. To make sure that your work life doesn’t begin to take over your time completely, set yourself strict office hours. You might have to do overtime occasionally, just like with any other job, but this shouldn’t frequently be happening. Stick to this routine and only work within your office hours to make sure you’re getting enough time to relax.

4.   Use Separate Phones

You can look into getting a different landline number to use for your home business, and this is a good way to make sure your home life and business stay separate. Alternatively, if you prefer to use a cell-phone rather than a landline, purchase a separate work phone to take your calls. You can switch it off when you’re out of office hours or leave it in your home office and check your messages in the morning. Otherwise, you might find yourself feeling pressured to answer calls from customers and associates if they are using your number, even if they are calling you out of hours.

If you want your home business to be a success while still maintaining a healthy work/life balance, make sure you have these four things in place.