Advantages of Working From Home - And a Few Disadvantages

by Captain Homebody

Working from home certainly has its advantages. I know something about this subject, because I'm writing this article in my pajamas while listening to Beethoven—something I obvously couldn't do if I worked in a regular office environment.

But while there are plenty of advantages to working from home by yourself, there are some disadvantages as well. So before you decide if a home-based business is right for you, consider the list of pros and cons I've created below.

Top Three Advantages

• Your income is unlimited. This is arguably the biggest advantage of working from home because it affects your quality of life. I like know that if I want to increase my income, I simply have to work harder. When you work from home, there aren't any salary caps.
• Personal freedom ranks high on the list of advantages too. If you've ever had a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach when asking for a little time off from work, you will certainly enjoy the freedom of taking time off when you want.
• You are practially guaranteed to get along well with your supervisor, because you'll be the supervisor. Granted, you will stil have to interact with other people, like clients. But you won't have any direct supervision when you work from home.

Of course, there's also a downside to everything we just discussed, in some form or fashion. For every advantage to working from home there is a disadvantage. In my experience, the pros of a home-based business far outweigh the cons. But to keep this article well-rounded, we have to talk about some of the disadvantages to working from home.

Top Three Disadvantages

• Your home is your office. When you have a home-based business, your home environment becomes your work environment. For some people, this can be a negative because they feel like they are always at work. (I have a home office where I do all of my work, to help "segment" my work like from my regular home life).
• Your income is less certain. Earlier, we saw how this can be an advantage of a home-based business (no salary caps), but it can be a disadvantage as well. When you work a "regular job," you have the benefit of a steady paycheck. But with a home-based business, there is typically less certainty and regularity with regard to pay.
• The cost of insurance. In most cases, you will pay more for insurance each month when working from home (as compared to working for a company that offers an insurance plan). So generally speaking, you have to make more money when you work from home than you do when working for an employer.

So is a home-based business right for you? Only you can answer that question. If you're anything like me, you will truly love working from home each day. I know I'll never go back to a regular office job.

Consider the advantages and disadvantages I have outlined above, and expand my list with your own list of pros and cons. Somewhere in there, you'll find the answer about whether or not working from home is right for you.