do you have what it takes to go mobile, solo, or soho?
by rick telberg
at large
working from home may be the greatest thing since computerized spreadsheets, but it can wreak psychological havoc, according to the finance and accounting professionals who do it regularly.
you’re probably one of them. most accountants and finance managers take at least some work home with them, and others work full-time at home or in a small office. almost everyone is going mobile to one degree or another.
technology often plays a key role in keeping people connected. but professionals say you also need the right psychological equipment too.
“prepare to feel isolated from other professionals and for a feeling of no separation between home and the office,” warns hans tanzer, a sole public practitioner in roseland, n.j.
in texas, the land of the lone ranger, public practitioners – like lisa bargsley of austin, catrina craft of dallas, and michael vaughn in spring — all advise lone work-at-home cpas to build networks of other professionals and regularly meet with them to offset the stress of so much independence. for vaughn, the key challenge is “maintaining momentum, focus and passion.”
it’s important to first “know your style,” says an assistant accounting professor for st. louis, mo. “you will have difficulty working soho if you frequently seek feedback, advice or interaction from peers or you need pressure from a supervisor ‘watching over you’ to get motivated.”
“working soho is not for everybody. you want to mentally separate home and work, otherwise burnout is likely,” added this professor, speaking anonymously.
“you have to separate the home and the work, and act as though you are in an office,” says debbie ballard, a public practitioner in weston, fla. if you “blur the boundaries” between home and work you risk mismanaging your time and not accomplishing anything on either front, she adds.
parenting sometimes intrudes. gayle simmons in phoenix advises sohos to ban other household members from your home office without your supervision. “be sure to separate yourself from the rest of the household,” adds weston, mass., public practitioner harold rubin.
john levy, a consultant in westfield, n.j., advises other work-at-home accountants to “establish a completely separate work area away from the rest of the home and distractions” and to understand that space is solely for work, and not for eating meals, watching television or other personal activities.
“the physical separation builds a discipline which allows me to focus on my work and be productive,” levy explains.
like any business endeavor, it’s all about discipline. and that’s particularly so when you’re just starting out or if you have family demands, says ralph mooney, a managing partner with mooney & thomas financial planners in aurora, ill. “you don’t need to have the identical behavior as at the office, but you need to be focused and that’s harder at home.”
“if you are disciplined you can do it, but it takes a certain mental approach, particularly if you have come from a larger firm to running your own practice,” says jay horn of indianapolis, ind.
in the face of working without the support and camaraderie of a larger team nearby, keith winnick, a public practitioner in eugene, ore., says it’s important that your mental approach includes “being able to self-congratulate on a job well done.”
so before going back to work after reading this, give yourself a pat on the back.
[first published by the aicpa]