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Home-based business owner wouldn’t have it any other way By Judy Bird For L-P Creative Services Owning a home-based business is too much of a risk for some people, but for others, it’s the top choice over any other job. “As a small business owner, I have a great deal of flexibility,” says Brian Smyth, owner of Clickstream Interactive in Regina. “I can work on a wide variety of projects with a wide variety of customers because of that flexibility. Also working from my home means my overhead costs are very low.” Clickstream is involved with the Internet and the World Wide Web. “We do Internet consulting and work related to the web, such as web site hosting, design and development of web sites. We’re also involved in search engine optimization, which is work related to search engines.” Clickstream’s consulting work includes situations where a client may want to have a private area for members on their web site. “We consult setting up an Intranet and deal with any issues of security, spam, viruses, and so on. A lot of the consulting is basic, such as how to help a client achieve marketing products or services through the Internet.” Smyth has been in this line of work since 1995. He began Clickstream in 1997 and continues to operate the business from his home. The work was not new to him, nor was the concept of working from home. “Prior to Clickstream, I had a number of marketing and sales positions where I worked from home so I got in the habit of a work-at-home discipline right from the start.” One of the challengess with having a small business is making the company known. Smyth promoted his business by joining clubs, associations, industry groups, putting on seminars, taking part in trade shows and newspaper advertising. As his business became known and work flowed, he was able to refer new clients to sites the company created as solid evidence of what the company could do. The lack of a physical storefront hasn’t created any problems for Clickstream. “Most people understood that our industry was different from other ones. We typically go to the client’s place of work and they are fine with that arrangement. Clickstream has been around long enough that our clients know our work and know that they can trust us with their project. It’s actually more convenient to operate this way because most of the graphic designers and developers that work with Clickstream work from their homes. One challenge with operating a virtual company is that I have to work a lot harder on the communications aspect. I can’t just walk down the hall and stop in at somebody’s office. It’s sometimes more difficult to work when distance is involved, even if it’s just a short distance.” For Smyth, the benefits of his at-home business are many. First is the creative license he has as the boss of his own company. “The creative challenge is very rewarding. Each project is unique from another one and I have the chance to do some creative work with each one. My work is not routine; it’s not the same thing day in and day out. The creative work that is done on the graphic side with some of the web projects or digital projects is very exciting. I love that my work is an opportunity to do things with the branding of someone’s business.” Of course there are the perks that come only with having a home-based business. “It takes me just a minute to get to work,” says Smyth. “I am able to get a lot of things done by not having to spend time travelling.” Then there is what many workers dream about: not being a slave to a time clock. “Having flexible time is a definite reward. I’m the person in charge so I decide when things get done. I can accommodate time to take in events at school, for example, however, the other side to that coin is that I’m often working nights and weekends. Then there are other challenges,” he says wryly, stating what every home-based business owner knows. “You have to be careful about letting the neighbours see you around home in case they think they can come around and visit anytime. There’s definitely a misconception that since you’re home, you’re not really working. |
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