This week, Twitter announced that it will allow many employees to work from home permanently. Many other companies, both large and small, have adjusted to remote work during the last two months — and others may decide that they don’t want to go back to the office, at least not the way they did before the COVID-19 pandemic.

If you own your own business, you may be considering the possibility of working from home long-term. I’ve been operating a virtual financial planning practice for five years — and FIT Advisors is proof, I believe, that you can run a thriving company from home.

If you’re ready to seriously consider transitioning out of your formal office and into a long-term remote work setup, here’s what I recommend. 

Designing Your Home Workspace 

Most of us have been working from home for about two months now, and while your home office may have been cobbled together out of necessity in March, you’ve probably realized that the kitchen table and the couch are not long-term solutions. 

When you start working from home, set up a dedicated home office. Think about where in your home you feel most productive and energized — I use a room in the front of my home that gets a lot of natural sunlight, and I’ve set my desk up right in front of the window so I can look outside. 

Invest in the equipment you need to feel productive. Choose a comfortable, supportive chair, and get a standing desk if you like having the option available. If you need a second monitor or a printer, even occasionally, add it so it’s there when you need it. 

In all the time you’ve spent on video calls this spring, you’ve probably realized the importance of maintaining consistent quality across your calls. Test a call with a friend to make sure your face is well-lit and that the background is something simple, like a bookshelf. 

Managing a Remote Team From an Office

Some people simply feel more productive when they aren’t working in their home. If that’s you, that’s OK! Search your region for coworking spaces or executive offices. 

The first FIT Advisors office was a standalone space, where I had to set up my own Internet coverage and pay for my own cleaning. It was perfectly fine, but it was more than I needed. So, instead, I opted for executive offices — individual office spaces within a larger, managed office suite. 

Many executive offices include high-speed internet, private offices for each client, a boardroom and conference room that tenants can book for meetings, access to a printer, routine cleaning and more. Like coworking spaces, they charge a monthly or annual fee, but tenants have much more privacy. 

My current office is in an executive office suite about three minutes from my home. It’s the perfect place to focus, but I’m still close to home if something arises suddenly. 

Use Technology to Manage Your Clients and Team

I live in California and my Client Services Associate, Amy, lives in Ohio, so we have to communicate across thousands of miles and three time zones. We use Slack for daily communication and have weekly video meetings to discuss projects for the coming week. 

To keep track of client tasks and activities, we use a CRM, with a workflow that assigns steps to the person who needs to complete them. 

FIT Advisors uses Google Suite for most of our basic software needs, including email. Google Meet allows me to screen-share with clients, and each meeting comes with a unique link, so it’s all but impossible for people to join without being invited. We offer clients a secure, cloud-based system so they can safely share confidential information with us, and we do not keep paper files.

Finally, for everyone’s convenience, we use ScheduleOnce. This online tool is embedded on the FIT Advisors website and linked to in my email signature. Prospective clients, clients, journalists, and anyone else I need to talk to can schedule meetings with me with a couple of clicks. Unlike Calendly, ScheduleOnce gives me the opportunity to confirm the meeting before it’s officially booked. 

Sticking to a Routine at Home

To stay productive while working remotely, I’ve found that I need a routine, just as I had when I went into the office every day. A routine isn’t meant to force you to sit at your desk from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. every day. It’s so that you can structure your day to be productive but also protect time alone and with your family. (Many of us have learned this spring that, when your home is also your office, it’s hard to fully focus on either one.)

Prior to the pandemic, I had a steady daily routine — I’d work from 8:30 until 11 each morning, then take a break to go for a run, eat lunch, and shower. I’d schedule all of my client meetings between 1 and 3 p.m. before picking up my daughter from school. Our afternoon nanny would care for Nyla while I went back to work until 6 p.m. or so. I try to take Fridays off for self-care and to spend time with Nyla, though of course that isn’t always doable.

Like all parents, I think, I’m in survival mode during COVID-19. I squeeze in a few hours of work between 5 and 8 a.m. before Nyla wakes up and I’m on mommy duty until after lunch. While Nyla naps, I typically have a client meeting. I’ve limited my schedule using ScheduleOnce to keep things manageable, but I’m still catching up in the evenings and weekends. 

Whether you work from home or run your own business, it’s easy to let work creep into every hour of the day. When you run your own business from home, it’s even easier. To protect your time, try calendar blocking — setting aside chunks of time to work on certain types of work, including long-term projects, so that they don’t get crushed by the weight of emails that need a response today. 

Every month, I block off one week from client meetings and devote that time to marketing and long-term business plans, as well as catch up on open client tasks. I also try to set up two-day working sessions with Amy that are dedicated to medium- and long-term projects for FIT Advisors. If I have days during this week that end earlier than usual, I take advantage of that time to practice self-care. 

I’m still learning to maintain boundaries between my work and home lives (I think all of us are!), but I love running a virtual business. I work fewer hours than I did during my corporate job, but my hours are much more productive. I’ve learned that you can get a lot done in a lot less time if you have the right mindset and tools. 

I’m looking forward to seeing more companies, large and small, move in this direction — so their employees can have more flexibility, so business owners can be more present in our homes, and so we can all work on the schedules that feel most right for us.