Whether you should keep working from home or open a location where customers can visit you depends on what your overall plan is. You can run quite a nice business from home and you can do it at your pace through appointments, but you have to have enough clients to make it worth your while.

The big advantage you might have by opening a location is, if your location is good enough, you might generate customers who wouldn’t normally be able to find you. You’ll also have a location for walk-up customers and some instant advertising with your storefront and signage.

But the downside is you’ll have to pay for your location and all the overhead and, unless you want to be their all the time, you’ll need to train and hire staff.

I believe your “seasoned computer guy” probably comes from a position where it’s easier, and more cost effective, for him to service his clients when he wants to and working from the home makes that a much easier proposition.

But remember, just because that’s the road he has chosen, that doesn’t mean it’s the right choice for you. You have to decide what type of business you want to run and that involves weighing your priorities.

Opening a shop might lead to the type of success (and wealth) you hadn’t considered, but it will be a lot of work to get there.

If you can generate enough referrals to keep you busy and making enough money by working from home, that might provide better balance in all things. Nobody can truly answer this question but you, and to do that you’ve got to weigh it all out.

Write everything down, the pros and the cons. Figure out if opening a shop will lead to more revenue or profits, or leave you be scrambling to pay your rent. Once you’ve weighed all the factors, you can make a decision as to the right course for both you and your business.

All the best,
Brad Sugars