Being a home-based professional comes with many benefits. One very exciting thing about working from home is that depending upon the nature of your work; you may be able to work from places other than your home. If your work is conducive to it, you can put together a “mobile office” that will give you even greater freedom than you currently enjoy while working from home.
For example, freelance writing work can be done anywhere. I could be at home, sitting in the waiting room at the doctor’s office, or sitting in a cabana in the Caribbean as I write this. In the interest of full disclosure, I am at home today. I usually have my hands full of squirmy-yet-adorable toddler if I am at the doctor’s office, and I have not yet had the opportunity to go to the Caribbean. I have taken my writing work on the road before, though, and it has not taken much effort at all.
If you have a laptop computer that you use for work, it is easy enough to place it in a well-padded bag with its power cord. Add your laptop’s peripherals (mouse, mobile broadband card, etc.), client files, notebooks, your cell phone, your calendar, plenty of pens and pencils, and any other items that you usually use for work to the bag. Your “satellite office” is now ready to go wherever you go, whether it is down the street or halfway across the world.
Advances in technology have made it possible for even more types of work to be done from home (or elsewhere). Programs like Go To My PC, PC Anywhere, and Team Viewer enable users to access and work with their office (or home office) computers remotely. Web conferencing and virtual meetings can bring people from multiple locations together on the internet for collaborative work. In short, the walls of the traditional office are becoming more and more “invisible” and both employers and employees can benefit from the flexibility that these new tools provide. Where will you take your home-based business-in-a-bag next?