Home Work Gains Popularity More Workers Abandon Office Jobs To Establish Businesses In Their Homes

A small wooden sign above Bill Langan’s doorbell reads, “Protek - Ring for Service.”

Customers are greeted by Langan’s wife and directed down a carpeted stairway into a neat, brightly lit basement. Another staircase leads up to the family kitchen, where two parakeets chirp noisily in a cage.

The downstairs shop is where the Spokane Valley man punches his personal clock. An electronics repairman, Langan is one of a growing number of Americans who run businesses from their homes.

About 6 million people worked from their homes in 1984. That number has jumped to about 13 million today, said Rudy Lewis, president of the National Association of Home-Based Businesses. Part-timers add another 13 million to the group. Entrepreneur magazine reported in September that total revenues of home-based businesses are estimated at $427 billion.

It’s unclear how many Spokane people own home-based businesses because neither the city nor county keeps records. Librarians and bookstore managers, however, say they’re fielding increasing numbers of requests for magazines and books dealing with the subject. Material available on the topic also is increasing, they say.

Even without statistics, it’s clear that Spokane’s home-workers are a diverse lot - ranging from artists to consultants to contractors.

But common themes run through their decisions to go it alone.

The most commonly cited reason is the increased control the business owners have over their lives. They can see their kids off to school and be there when they get home. Their hours are flexible and the dress codes, casual.

“We have pajama Mondays,” said Rita Ryan, who runs a cosmetics company from her airy Suncrest home overlooking the Spokane River. Ryan and her three employees also take her paddle boat out on the river for summertime lunches.

Still, there are drawbacks to working from home. Customers call and stop by at all hours, intruding into personal lives. It’s lonely at times and some home-workers miss the social aspects of the office. And the financial risk is substantial.

When she set up her business, Wendy Zupan, who promotes sporting events, had to consider that she wouldn’t be paid for events until after they were over. Frequently, that meant working for six months on something before being paid.

“To me that was the biggest risk factor,” Zupan said. “It definitely puts you to the test of your self belief.”

But Zupan did something right. Each job led to another and recently, Zupan and her partner Gino Lisiecki were hired to promote the World Cup/Jeep National Mountain Bike Race, which takes place in Georgia, just before the Olympics. “We’re expecting Olympic athletes from around the world,” Zupan said.

Not surprisingly, money is one of the most important factors in successfully launching a home business.

Zupan and other home-business owners recommend setting aside at least six months salary as a security blanket.

Home-business owners frequently don’t earn as much money as they did in corporate America, but the control they gain over their lives seems an acceptable trade-off.

“You can dictate when you work and when you don’t. You gain more independence,” said Jeff Kolcum, a financial adviser who left corporate accounting to start his own business.

For several years, Kolcum worked for Ferro Corp., a Fortune 500 company in Cleveland, Ohio, that annually reports more than $1 billion in sales.

Setting up the business can be complicated. First, there’s the decision of which room in the house will be sacrificed and converted to an office.

Memory VanHyning, a marketing consultant and business strategist with a high-profile client list, says business owners shouldn’t scrimp on the decor. VanHyning took the biggest, best-lit room in her home and made it into her office. She bought new furniture and hung artwork.

“A lot of times people open home offices and use an old desk or relegate themselves to the basement,” VanHyning said. “This is the nicest office I’ve had in my whole life.”

Others have followed that lead. Zupan converted her master bedroom into an office, installing the necessary phone, fax line, computer and copier and hung promotional posters of the mountain bike races she’s organized.

Most home-business owners agree that a computer, copier and fax are necessary for setting up shop. They also advise those interested in starting a business to install another phone line.

Some home-business owners feel it’s absolutely necessary to designate their businesss area as “the office” and not go back after work hours. But a majority feel the draw in the wee hours and on weekends - whenever inspiration strikes.

“For creative people, the accessibility of a home office can’t be beat,” said Bill Burke, who runs a marketing and promotions company. When he’s struck with inspiration in the middle of the night, “It’s tough to go into an office downtown and break in.”

Still, having work just a room away makes it tough for some people to stop. Most of the businesss owners interviewed for this story are energetic, outgoing, driven people. They’re also workaholics.

“It’s tougher to cut it off because it’s always there,” said Zupan. “When you know you’re the only one that’s going to make things happen, your work ethic increases by 100 percent.”

Ryan finds it tough to switch from businesss owner to Mom when her kids get home. During the day, Ryan and her three employees package and ship thousands of bottles of skin care cream to drugstores all over the Northwest.

“You get going and you’re cooking and then they come home and it’s like, ‘Whoa,”’ Ryan said. “It’s hard for me to get off the wall.”

And if the businesss doesn’t have a separate phone line, family members - including young children - need to be trained to answer the phone stating the businesss name, said Langan, the electronics repairman.

Langan loves being able to greet his children when they come home from school, but, conversely, the kids know not to bother Dad. Langan decides when he’ll take a break and say hello. His family also has learned to put up with the customers who call after hours or stop by to pick up their repaired equipment.

“They know I live there,” Langan said. “You have to tolerate it.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo

MEMO: For related stories, see headlines: Publicist sings praises of working from home Rita Ryan positions home business for eventual nationwide distribution Relaxed atmosphere, personal touch attract Bill Langan to home business

This sidebar appeared with the story: Getting started The Idaho Small Business Development Center will hold a class on starting a home business from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday at the North Idaho College Workforce Training Center in Post Falls. It costs $35 to attend. Call (208) 769-333 for more information.