Working from home, it’s not as easy as it sounds…

So, we have all been there, you are in the office at 8am, you’ve already fought with the alarm clock, battled through the traffic and now you are sat, waiting for the day’s barrage of challenges. Your colleague rings in to say they are ‘working from home’ today and a pang of jealousy jabs you, because the thought of working from home is great, easy, relaxed, but is it? Let’s discuss. Throughout my pre-children career, I worked in numerous offices, ranging from converted barns to concrete jungles. For me, the consistent trait that I found with all offices is the feeling of restriction. Once you are there, you know that it is for at least nine hours, if it is not a happy place, then that is a long time to be miserable!

I am very fortunate now to have the privilege of working from home, because I have my own consultancy and beauty blog, but also, I have two little people to care for. Setting up my own business was the most cost and time effective way for us, as a family, to be able to look after the children, but I also maintain my career. I will be honest; at times I find it difficult to dip in and out of my two personalities, mummy and serious business owner. Forward planning in all areas of my life is essential to ensure that I can maintain professionalism and deadlines. I do not tolerate lateness, and I don’t expect anyone else to. Businesses do not want to know if my children are ill or that I was tired so I couldn’t get their press release to them on time. This is the downside to working from your home office, working for yourself and being mummy, it's all on you!

The scenario I described in the introduction is obviously very different to mine, but the principal of working from home is still the same. It takes a great deal of determination, focus and self-control not to get involved in the more appealing aspects of home working, such as having the TV on in the background or sitting in the lounge with your sandwich. I have made these fatal errors in my early days, time just slips away and you are left feeling deflated for not achieving your goals for the day.

Talking about feelings for a moment; working from home can be a lonely place if you are not happy with your own company, especially if you have left an office environment and starting up on your own. I found it very difficult in the early days to ramp up the motivation to sit upstairs with no office banter or atmosphere. Once I took on some clients, and started making my calls and emails, it is just the best place to be.  The main piece of advice for regular home workers is to set yourself goals for the day, just as you would in the office. There has to be rules, rules about coffee breaks, lunch and definitely no TV or Facebook! 

I have an amazing office space now, away from the family environment, so I can differentiate between them and not feel like I am constantly at work. It is also important to leave your home office area clutter free and organised, just as you would at a workplace. Thinking that home working is easy and relaxed will lead you to an unstable working ethic, and would be a mistake. Yes, the positives outweigh the negatives for me a million to one, but I have trained myself to adapt to a very disciplined way of working. There needs to be structure, to work towards achieving life and career goals and maintaining professionalism.

To conclude, home working does not suit everyone, even if they think it is the easiest option. Depending on what stage you are in your life and career, it can be a very productive and cost effective solution, for individuals and companies alike.

The changing face of Tesco

Over the years, Tesco has evolved into a retail giant within the grocery sector. What is their secret? Well, if I had that formula I would be very wealthy! However, from an outsider looking in I have seen the expansion in two main areas, the F&F fashion line and the beauty section.  I can only comment on my own observations and experiences, so here they are.

I remember as little as five to seven years ago, among my friendship group it was unthinkable to purchase items of clothing from Tesco, a supermarket.  Now, there is a completely different opinion and buying ethic when it comes to getting that piece of fashion with your weekly shop.  I think that the fashion store Primark has helped the supermarket clientele to realise that fashion can be fickle and changes constantly.  Trying to keep up with the high end brands would be very expensive and exhausting. One can purchase a high fashion item (or in Primark’s case, several items) at a cheap price. Once it is on, who would know where it came from? Only you! I must say that I have purchased odd bits from Tesco and the TU brand at Sainsbury’s, and I see many other young women doing the same. As I walk through the vast clothing section, there is a wall of jeans, rows of tops, trousers, dresses, shoes and boots, even an exclusive Fifty Shades of Grey lingerie and nightwear section! 

Before I offer my summary on their success, there is another area of the store which has grown immensely over the last few years. If you love beauty, then Tesco has pretty much everything you need under one roof. I did not see the expansion coming if I am entirely honest. In my local superstore, the beauty section went under what I can only describe as a transformation. It is like a beauty store within a store. There are beauty advisers employed to offer advice on the huge range of products on offer. There are the recognised brands such as Barry M, MaxFactor and Bourjois, but with unknown brands included in there to spark your intrigue. The section is a credit to the store and whoever thought of the concept of creating this beauty space, they did good! It is very difficult to please everyone, but Tesco are certainly trying to accomplish this concept. 

 Tesco have made it very easy to gain access to their products, be it clothing or beauty. The online site is very good with clear, high quality imagery along with accurate descriptions of the items. The in-store pay points for both beauty and clothing are within those sections so there is no need to queue with other customers buying their bread and milk. I feel this almost makes you feel you are buying from a separate company. The promotion of the clothing and beauty has hit their targets accurately, well it worked for me and I am quite a snob! I read magazines such as Cosmo and Elle and yes I have purchased items based on their beauty or fashion edits, it happens to the best of us! I would imagine that Tesco do gain a lot of sales from this type of promotion, along with the good old favourite, word of mouth. We know it is the marketing and PR tool of choice and every company wants it.  

There is however, always a slight stigma attached to the after purchase experience for me. Call me a snob, but I just cannot get over that all these wonderful items and brands are in Tesco, a supermarket. My perception is changing the more I see BIG brands appearing alongside the retail guru. For me, it will take time to fully disengage with the perception of Tesco as just a supermarket, along with many others I would imagine, but I think that from where they were, to where they are now is truly astonishing.