Ghost Town

Shops around the country are being forced to close their doors and board up their windows leaving what is being described as “ghost town Britain”.

Experian has estimated that around 140,000 shops will become empty by the time we call in 2010 and the whole situation is being put down to excessive property prices.

The business director at the British Retail Consortium, Jane Milne, has underlined the need for action to be taken immediately by the Government to solve the crisis.

“Property is one of retailers’ major costs and it has spiralled out of control as landlords and the government cashed in on competition for prime sites during the boom times.

“A haemorrhaging of retail jobs and local services is now evident in many communities. Urgent action is needed by landlords and the government – boarded-up shops help no-one,” said Milne.

Home business advice…

So in light of these issues a lot of small businesses around the country will be thinking about downsizing their business space and moving back into their home to keep their business on track and afloat through this trying economic climate.

However, don’t forget it’s not exactly a straightforward option and there are some things that you need to keep your mind on if you’re going to take the plunge.

•    Keep your family life and your work life separated – there are no words to explain how important this is!  It’s nice to be around your family and it is definitely a perk to having a home business (unless you’ve got a nagging wife).  However the family life can easily become a distraction from your work life and then the business suffers.

It is important to strike a clear line between where the family life ends and the work life begins and once this is realised then you will have overcome a definite threat to your business.

•    Don’t overwork – for some there is an urge to get more work done as the office is only in the next room, even when it’s 11:30 at night and everyone else in the house is asleep.

This is obviously not a good idea…you will suffer from stress because you will be overworking yourself and those around you will get upset because you’ll start to spend family time in the office.

•    Try not to isolate yourself – after knowing the social side of an office it can seem to be a bit of a drag to find yourself alone in the quiet of a home office.  No office chatter, phones ringing or delivery people arriving the whole situation can seem to be quite depressing.
This is a true obstacle that needs to be overcome and there are a few ways to make the room feel a little less empty – if you have the option try and have a window in your room and keep it slightly open to pick up the noise of the street or if your lucky then the sounds of nature.

Other options are to have a radio in the room or put up posters but whatever happens don’t get too distracted by anything so no televisions or games consoles!

There’s more advice on this issue to come so stay tuned and sign up the RSS feed to stay up to date.  If you have any tips for home businesses then feel free to comment – I’m sure your words will be appreciated.

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