7 Common Mistakes Remote Businesses Make

Running a remote business is a great way to get your start interior design company because the overheads are much cheaper than opening an office and the associated costs that come with that. 

However, when you’re running a business remotely, managing your employees and ensuring that all of the basics are covered can be more challenging and mistakes can be made. That’s why I’ve put together a list of some of the most common mistakes remote businesses make in the hopes that by knowing what they are, you can avoid them in your future ventures.

1. Not investing in the right tech

One of the biggest mistakes you can make when tunning an interior design business, or in fact any business, remotely is not investing in the highest quality tech you can afford, and not choosing the best tech to meet your needs.

It’s obvious really that when you run a remote business you are going to be relying on computers, servers, and software packages a lot more than you might otherwise, so take your time to choose the most appropriate solutions.

2. Not investing in good IT support

Of course, there is no point investing in the right tech if it isn’t working optimally or if your server goes down, for example, which is why you need to ensure that you have access to good IT support. This does not necessarily mean that you need to have an IT team on the payroll – that is a pretty expensive ask for many new remote businesses – but it does mean you should have the contact details of a good iT support company that is always on hand when you need them. After all, if your IT system goes down, you can’t work and your clients will not be impressed, to say the least. 

3. Not building team connections

Obviously, if you are working solo you can skip this point, but if you are employing a team of designers to work with you in your remote business, it is fair to say that it would be a huge mistake for you to not go to the effort of introducing the team and getting them to build connections. Employees always work better when they get to know each other and their collective strengths and weaknesses. Teams who are close are more likely to collaborate and come up with more creative ideas, which is exactly what you need in the interior design industry, so even if you do have to meet over Zoom or talk on Slack, make team bonding a priority.

4. Not investing in a professional business address

Even if you are running your remote business out of a spare room or a shed in the garden or whatever, you are going to want to invest in a more professional address. This is something you can do very cheaply by buying a virtual address from one of the many companies that provide them. Why do you need to do this? Because clients who are willing to pay for interior design services expect a high level of professionalism and a fancy business address is always going to scream professional more than a residential address will. It may not seem like a hugely important thing, but it really can make a big difference.

5. Not focusing on employee wellbeing

It’s easy, when you are running a remote business, to focus on the actual business processed and procedures to the detriment of everything else, especially employee wellbeing because… well you simply aren’t seeing them very often at all. This is a huge mistake because study after study has shown that happy employees are more creative and more productive than those who are unhappy in their work. So, if you want to be a good business owner, be empathetic; listen to the concerns of your employees; offer to help them with a difficult design job; let them have days off for mental health; perhaps organize a few online or in-person days out where you can all let your hair down. Happy employees will make your business so much better, so don’t neglect them!

6. Working 24/7

When you and your team are working remotely from home, it can be tempting to never switch off and to expect your staff to always be available when you need them to. This is a significant mistake because when you are constantly working, you tend to get tired and make more mistakes; you certainly aren’t at your best creatively. In fact, numerous studies have found that having more breaks and more time off is what will improve productivity and allow individuals to meet their creative potential, so actually, you should be insisting that people work their core hours and nothing more unless there’s a major interior design disaster on the horizon, but how often does that really happen?

7. Attempting to micromanage your team

When you can’t physically see what your employees are doing because you are not in the same office as them, it’s easy to panic and think that they may be slacking off, but the worst thing you can do is try to micromanage them on Slack or teams or whatever, especially in a creative industry. Bosses who micromanage suck the life out of employees and make it difficult for them to truly let their minds wander and be as creative as they could be if left to their own devices. So, sure set targets and deadlines and monitor if they sr being met, but don’t be popping into your employee’s message feed every five minutes because that won’t help any of you.

As you can see, there are a lot of mistakes that it would be more than easy to make when running a remote business, but now you know about them, you should be much less likely to fall into the trap It isn’t always easy to avoid potential pitfalls, but if you are on the alert and you are always looking for ways to improve your company, you should do just fine.