When you decide to do data entry work at home, your entire home and family is affected and needs to treat this as a family responsibility.

Data entry work at home requires that the family learn new habits to facilitate your work. You will need to pick up managerial skills to conduct your business with your clients. You will have to pick up entrepreneurial skills, change some habits that were useful in the corporate scenario and retain a few.

Discipline family members

Interruptions, small requests and errand requirements make you run the risk of missing a deadline. Data entry work at home is a big responsibility to undertake and the family must be disciplined to allow you to make a success of it. The family must be aware of the importance of low noise levels around your area of work. There will be an increased need for self sufficiency among family members.

Educate yourself

You must know what running a small business involves when you do data entry work at home. Policy decisions, financial skills, legal implications of contracts and changing customer requirements involve you in activities that are far removed from the main job of data entry. Before you take up major contracts, work with lawyers to understand loopholes in the contract that can adversely impact your entire business. A poorly drafted contract can bring about the end of a good entrepreneurial initiative. You must be aware of the impact of policy decisions you take when carrying out business with your clients and sub-contracted staff. When you sub-contract work, you must be cognizant of the legal implications of your action.

Learn

If you have worked in a corporate scenario, you would have learnt how to cope with work pressure, co-operate with colleagues and clear misunderstandings rationally. These skills will hold you in good stead when you do data entry work at home. The customer comes to you with a clear expectation and it is for you to find solutions along with the team you have sub-contracted work to. If there are misunderstandings between you and your client, your first effort will be to clear it without affecting your relationship. Unlike a boss, who is responsible for you, the client has no binding relation with you but can cast a doubt on your credibility if you are unable to deliver effectively.

Unlearn

You have probably been used to having priorities set for you, being told whom to go to for a solution, brainstorming on how to get things done and being obedient to your boss. You will have to unlearn some of these habits when you take up data entry work at home. You have yourself as the boss when it comes to deciding what kind of work you take up, the cost and timelines you agree to and the policies your set up will follow. Your customer is the boss when it comes to laying down expectations. You may need to negotiate with the customer in case of requirement changes in the course of the work. A customer who is unreasonable might turn out to be expensive for you and you may need to learn to walk away from the project after taking an informed decision.