Back in April, I wrote about whether or not the address you put on your stationery and web site matters in terms of people’s perception of your business. Address and actual geographical location are two different things, however. For a retail business or a restaurant, location is an obvious consideration—but does the geographical location matter when it comes to a home-based business?
Like so many aspects of a small business—it just depends. It depends on what you are doing as a business, who your target market is, and whether you need to handle “people traffic” for your business or not. For example, it is tougher to have a home day care if you live far out in the country, just as you will need extra space if you do dog boarding and customers may actually prefer a place in the country.
If you are going to operate a business where customers will be coming to your home, having a central, easily approachable location will be important. Additionally, if you will be doing a lot of shipping, then access to UPS, the postal service, or other shipping company (and their access to you) will be a consideration.
The great thing about the modern, home-based business movement, however is that there are potential successful businesses for just about any location. With internet and phone service, you can connect with the entire world, and still have your business based out of a home in the wilds of anywhere—granted you don’t need to take in too many meetings or have a physical location for customers to visit. So, the quick answer is yes, location matters—but the extent to which it matters will depend on your home-based business, not to mention how good you are at making accommodations for the realities of your situation.