Though many people started working from home due to the pandemic, there are many other advantages to remote work aside from it allowing you to continue working during global lockdowns.
Because of the pandemic, many people were forced to rethink how they work, which led to the realization that remote work can actually offer a more balanced life and flexibility.
As eCommerce sales skyrocketed during the pandemic, many entrepreneurs sought to take advantage of this and their new normal of being stuck at home all the time by opening up their own online businesses.
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Now, online shopping is the new normal, and growth is expected to continue in the eCommerce industry through 2025. However, the benefits of eCommerce are not only about sales and increased profits.
While entrepreneurs would certainly be wise to consider eCommerce for its financial potential, they can also look to eCommerce to help them live a more balanced life that prioritizes their well-being.
It constantly seems as though we are living in a world where stress and burnout have become chronic issues.
While stress can stem from a number of things, studies show that one of the most common causes of burnout and stress is the workplace.
According to OSHA, 83% of workers in the U.S. suffer from work-related stress and 54% say that their workplace stress affects their personal life.
Furthermore, work stress has reportedly caused nearly 120,000 deaths each year in the U.S.
Looking at these numbers alone, it’s no wonder that people have been seeking alternative work paths to help them cut the stress out of their lives.
Becoming a self-employed eCommerce business owner is one of those paths.
Despite the stress that the pandemic caused many employees, when small business owners were surveyed, they reported that their mental health was actually “good” or even “very good.”
Though business ownership certainly comes with its challenges, those who have made the switch have reported that they are happier and healthier.
In contrast, those who continue pushing themselves and stay in their toxic workplaces, can experience a number of stress-related health issues.
Stress truly can affect the body and the mind in so many ways, and in some cases, these issues can become life-threatening if the stress is unaddressed for too long.
For example, stress is known to trigger hormone activity in the body, which can cause a number of issues.
Most commonly, stress will cause a person’s heart rate to become elevated due to an increase in adrenaline, which can cause heart palpitations.
When the heart races faster due to stress, it can also raise your blood pressure.
If this becomes a chronic issue, it can lead to cardiovascular and kidney disease. Increased adrenaline from stress may also cause breathing problems, such as hyperventilation.
Another hormone level that can rise from stress is cortisol, and when cortisol levels are too high, it can impact blood glucose levels and even damage the arteries, which can also contribute to cardiovascular disease.
Additionally, chronic stress depresses the immune system, which can increase your chances of developing a number of other health conditions.
Stress also contributes to mental health issues like depression and anxiety.
All of this is to say that it is important for workers to find ways to reduce stress in their lives, and finding a healthier work-life balance is one of them.
With virtual therapy, you no longer have to travel to a therapist’s office to prioritize your mental health.
Virtual therapy allows you to access various therapeutic modalities, including traditional talk therapy, cognitive-behavioral techniques, and even massage therapy, from the comfort of your own home.
Now, you have access to therapy services anywhere you have an internet connection.
If you’ve been struggling with stress and burnout in your current or previous career, starting a home-based eCommerce business can help you find more balance in your life.
Not all entrepreneurs work from home, but this is a great option if you are seeking more flexibility in your schedule and want to be more in control of your day-to-day.
However, while you may find that you are happier and have less stress once you get more settled in your role as an eCommerce business owner, it can take some time to get there.
The key to finding that work-life balance as an entrepreneur working from home is to set yourself up for success from the start.
The first thing you should do when starting a home-based business is determine your product and your niche.
There are millions of online businesses, so if you want to be a success, you have to set yourself apart by finding your niche and selling a product that people actually want to buy.
Your niche is the area of the market that you want to cater to.
Identifying your niche helps you focus your business toward a specific audience of customers, which is essential when it comes to marketing to the right audience so you can boost sales.
Examples of niches can include health and wellness, travel, fashion, gaming, sustainability, pet owners, parents, and beauty. And those are technically broad niches.
You can narrow your niche down even more to help you target the right audience, like plus-size fashion, women’s health, RPG gaming, or international travel.
Once you determine your niche, then you can decide what products would be best to sell that will be of particular interest in that market.
For example, if your niche is international, you might specifically sell a product that benefits people who take long flights, as international travel takes much longer.
You don’t have to be so specific with your product or your niche, but it’s helpful if you are as this will increase your chances of targeting your product to the right audience, which will help you make more sales.
As you are starting an eCommerce business, your website must be superior.
If you are targeting online shoppers but your website is boring and doesn’t function well, then you are going to struggle to turn a profit.
So once you’ve determined your niche and your product, build your website to appeal to the audience you are targeting.
Everything from color schemes, photos, videos, text, layout, and organization can affect a customer’s experience when they visit your website.
It’s also important to make sure your website is accessible to all audiences.
This means making sure it can easily be found, perceived, and navigated. You don’t want to leave out customers who have certain limitations, for example, such as an online shopper who is blind.
Some ways to make your website more accessible include using alt text for images and videos, using larger font sizes, keeping color contrast in mind, adding keyboard navigation, and using descriptive URLs.
It’s important to make sure that anyone can visit and navigate your website so you don’t alienate any segment of your customer base.
When it comes to your well-being as a home-based entrepreneur, perhaps the most important aspect of starting your business is your home office.
Your home office not only plays a role in the success of your business, but it can also play a role in your ability to lead a more balanced work and home life.
For example, if your home office is simply a desk in your bedroom or even your living room, this can make your job more challenging.
It makes it harder to focus if there are distractions around you in the home and it can make it harder for you to keep your workspace organized.
Having your home office in a space you use for other things in your personal life can also make it more difficult for you to separate your work from your personal life.
If you had a stressful work day, for example, it might be hard for you to leave that stress “at work” since your office is also your home.
Thus, it is extremely beneficial and better for your well-being if you can create a home office space that is separate from the other areas of your home.
One crucial element of a conducive home office is investing in the right furniture, especially a pc desk that meets your work and health needs.
A well-selected pc desk can significantly impact your productivity and comfort. This could be a dedicated room that is just for your business, or perhaps your basement.
Some people convert their garage into a home office as it's even more separate from the rest of the house.
If you do convert your garage into a home office, you may need to put in extra work to make it a safe, comfortable, and functional space, but it’s worth it if doing so benefits your business and your well-being.
For example, you’ll need to give your garage a good cleaning and insulate it so you can stay warm.
You may also need to install new lighting that is more conducive to getting work done in your garage. Some people even soundproof their garage and add in new flooring and new walls to make it look more like an office and less like a garage.
Aside from that, you’ll also need to choose suitable furniture and equipment that will help you run your business, such as desks, workstations, shelving, cabinets, computers, printers, webcams, and label makers.
Web-based communication and connectivity are also essential when you are running an eCommerce store.
There are hundreds of different tools and services available today to help entrepreneurs run their businesses more efficiently. Some worth considering include:
These are just some examples of the many different tools out there that can help you run your business to increase your chances of making it a success.
Though working from home as an eCommerce business owner can help you lead a more balanced life, it’s not something that will magically happen when you transition to working for yourself.
The best and happiest at-home business owners are the ones with a routine and system that helps them work smarter, not harder.
Some tips that you should live by if you want to improve productivity and reduce stress include the following:
Being an entrepreneur and running a business from home comes with its challenges. No one ever said that being a business owner was easy.
However, it is possible to run an eCommerce business and lead a happier and healthier life if you prepare yourself and adequately set yourself up for success with the right space, a good website, and the right tools.
You must also learn to be adaptable and cut yourself some slack, as there will be times when things get hard.
But if you allow yourself some grace, take plenty of breaks, and do what you need to take care of yourself, then there is no reason why you can’t have a more balanced and successful life as an eCommerce business owner.