Quality work in home office requires passion, dedication

By PATRICK REVERE patrick.revere@hollandsentinel.com (616) 546-4280 David Armstrong, former vice president for sales at Herman Miller, operates Armstrong Associates from his Park Township Home.

Date Released: 07/18/2007

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David Armstrong is retirement age, but continues to run a business from home. How does the former Herman Miller furniture company executive stay motivated? By adhering to the golden rule of staying productive with a home-based business: Do what you love.

"The client keeps you motivated," said Armstrong, who runs Armstrong Associates, a business consulting firm, from his Park Township home office. "If someone is in need and wants you there, if you can help people stay healthy and keep local people employed,

The percentage of employed people nationwide who work from home continues to rise. According to home-based business experts, the phenomenon is fueled by larger employers that are doing more with fewer employees and the increasing prevelence of technologies that allow workers to be productive from remote locations.

"We work with business that are anywhere between a sort of trauma condition to very healthy businesses," Armstrong said. "We basically do strategic and organizational planning."

Armstrong said he spends as much time as possible with clients, observing how they work. For every hour he spends with a client, he spends an hour or more at home working on a plan to make their operation more efficient.

His home office has natural light, sits in the center of the home easily accessible from the garage, and is loaded with computers, software, phone and Internet lines, a fax and other office equipment.

"It's a minimal space, but very functional," he said.

Susan Hutson, a spokeswoman for Bizy Moms, a San Francisco-based home-business consulting company, said Armstrong's passion for his job is the key to success.

"You are going to have to face your business everyday, make it something that brings you joy," Hutson said.

Other keys to being successful include writing a business plan, getting family help, networking and keeping expenses low.

"There are so many ways to market your business for free," Hutson said. "Word of mouth, business cards, free samples, using products as gifts and starting an e-mail newsletter are just a few ways to market your business on a very small budget."

Sharon Koops has been running Added Touch Receptive, setting up Michigan motor coach and cruise tours, from her Holland home for 15 years.

Koops said it's important to treat a home business like a traditional off-site business.

"I would never think of going to work in my pajamas," Koops said. "You need to dress for the position, even though you're not going out to an office. Occassionally I work in jeans, but I don't do that often."

Koops said she starts work at 9 a.m. on the second floor of her home.

"I go up in the morning and lock the door at 5 when I'm leaving," she said.

One of the pitfalls of working from home is feeling isolated. A former Tulip Time festival employee, Koops said she misses the comaraderie of the office.

"Sometimes you have to escape a little," Koops said. "You have to force yourself to take some time off. Short interruptions are very valuable."

10 home office tips

• Dress for success
• Make a regular schedule
• Make designated work space
• Eliminate home distractions
• Make list of daily goals
• Take a real lunch break
• Go "home" at day's end
• Make exceptions wisely
• Take occassional days off
• Take holidays