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The business community has undergone significant change and transformation over the past 20 years. A combination of innovative technology, changing attitudes, changing mindsets and greater cultural adaptation as a result of powerful economic forces has paved the way for new types of businesses that can be run without anything but a computer and mobile devices.

4 tips for success

Maybe you have always wanted to run a business but have not been willing to invest time or resources in developing expensive infrastructure. (After all, it’s a little scary to buy office space and expensive equipment in a marketplace like the one we are in now.)

Well, that’s good news. As long as you are willing to be creative and acquire / implement new skills, there is little that will stop you from running a new business right from a computer. Here are some helpful tips:

Automate time-consuming tasks

Automation is what makes it possible to run a business remotely without using anything other than a computer. Without automation, you have no chance. The key is to choose the right tasks to automate.

Almost anything can be automated. The challenge is to figure out which tasks should be automated to be as productive as you can be.

When it comes to marketing, the most popular automation tasks include social media and analytics. This is usually the best place to start. After all, the more you can automate your exposure, the less you have to worry about creating content on a daily basis.

Outsource non-core tasks

Automation is just one of the levers you can pull. Outsourcing is another. And if you want to run a practical business that does not require a lot of internal infrastructure, you need outsourcing to be part of your strategy.

Outsourcing is popular for tasks such as accounting, marketing, sales IT administration, customer service, research and analysis and production. If you spend money on business, it can be most valuable to outsource administrative tasks.

“Virtual assistants are becoming more and more common, especially for solo entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs working from a home office,” explains SBA.gov. “There are VAs that can handle everything from inbox management and planning to social media posts. This is often one of the cheapest ways to outsource, since there are VAs that charge as little as $ 10 an hour. However, you will probably pay between $ 30 and $ 75 per hour for skilled VAs or those with a specialty. “

Hiring local businesses in specific geographic markets is another great option for outsourcing. For example, real estate investors often hire local real estate management companies to manage their portfolios in different markets. This makes it possible to own rentals in several cities and states while you can still work remotely.

Whether you outsource tasks to VAs, freelancers or other businesses, make sure they fit well with your business. As an external company, you need partners who are comfortable communicating remotely and who do not require you to be in a specific place.

Establish clear communication

One of the biggest challenges in running a business remotely – as opposed to being in the same physical office with employees – is the “digital veil” that is created on the communications front. If you want to succeed here, you must establish clear communication from the start. A chat application like Slack, or a project management solution can help.

Find a dedicated office

Although you should technically be able to run your business from anywhere, it is helpful to have a dedicated office in your home. This gives you an area that is exclusively reserved for running your business.

You need to decide how you want your home office to be, but be careful about factors such as lighting, temperature, noise and ergonomics. Ideally, your office should have a door that can be closed to increase privacy.

Put it all together

To succeed in running a business from your computer, you need to be both proactive and patient. These may seem like opposite properties, but they actually work together. You need to be proactive in the sense that you set up the right systems to help you automate mundane time-consuming processes for greater scalability.

But you have to be patient in the sense that you are not trying to do too much. Staying focused is key. Focus your energy on doing the 20 percent of the tasks that generate 80 percent of the results. This is how you run a successful business from your computer.