5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting My Small Business From Home

Starting my own small business from home sounded like the absolute dream. I imagined setting my own hours, being my own boss, and building C-Creationz Limited from my living room. But honestly? The reality of the journey was far more demanding than I ever expected.

When I started out, I had zero experience. Over the past five years, I've had to learn countless lessons, some easy, and some definitely not. Now, I want to share the five crucial things I truly wish I had known before I dove into starting a small business from home. If you're an aspiring entrepreneur, this practical home business advice is for you.

1. I Am the Entire Team

This was the hardest realisation for me: I'm not just the CEO. When I started out, I thought I'd spend most of my time creating products. In reality, I quickly realised I was also the accountant, the customer service representative, the marketer, the content creator, and the shipping department.

I estimated that about 70% of my time went into administrative tasks, like replying to emails, figuring out how to run ads on different social media platforms, and packaging up orders.

Actionable Tip: My advice? You absolutely must set up strong systems and routines from the very beginning. Now, I dedicate specific blocks of time for specific tasks. For instance, I might set a specific amount of money and time aside every Monday for running ads on Instagram and TikTok. Structure is the only thing that will keep your one-person show running smoothly!

2. My Home Became My Office (and Vice Versa)

I didn't expect running a business to change my physical space and mindset so much. The line between "work" and "life" completely vanished. At one point, my dining table, my dressing table, and even my bed were covered in my machines, printers, and inventory. It was pure chaos.

Actionable Tip: If you take one piece of small business tips from me, make it this: create a dedicated workspace. Even if it's just a small corner, that needs to be the specific place where you do your orders. Also, develop a "shutdown routine". I put my laptop away and clean up my space, ready for the next day. That separation seriously keeps you sane.

3. I Had to Embrace Content Creation

This one surprised me the most. I've always been a quiet person; I hated talking online and even tried to avoid in-person conversations. But when I started my business, I decided to randomly start sharing behind-the-scenes content, simply making an order, packing a product, or finding blanks at a wholesaler.

What happened? My views and my orders increased dramatically. People truly like to see orders being created.

Actionable Tip: You don't have to record every single thing. If I have 20 orders, I'll aim to record the making or packing process for maybe two of them. Make a video about anything: packaging, admin work, or even just your post collection. And post everywhere! Seriously, don't sleep on WhatsApp statuses, I've received so many orders, including bulk orders, from people in my own contact list who I never expected to be customers. Build the confidence and just post!

4. I Learned Not to Over-Purchase

At the beginning, I assumed buying in bulk would save me a lot of money. But here’s the reality: you don't know if that specific product will actually do well.

For my personalisation business, we order 'blanks' to customise. If I order 500 to 1,000 of a specific blank and can’t even sell two or three, it's a complete waste of capital.

Actionable Tip: Start small. Test products with smaller quantities first. It's much wiser to sell out and have to re-order than to be stuck with inventory you can’t shift.

5. Other Business Owners Became My Biggest Supporters

This was a difficult thing for me to realise. Sometimes, the people who claim to be the closest to you—your friends and family—will not be there to celebrate your success. They might even expect a discount!

Instead, my biggest supporters turned out to be complete strangers: my customers and other small business owners. I’ve had customers reach out to me, sending extra money or a little gift just to say thank you for a beautiful order.

Actionable Tip: Know that the friends and family who do pay you and make the effort to support you are priceless, never forget them. But also, cherish the support you get from your wider community. Finding other business owners and amazing customers has been one of the most heartwarming parts of this journey.

Starting a small business from home is a journey that is both nerve-wracking and incredibly rewarding. By setting up those key routines, separating your work from your home life, creating regular content, being smart with your inventory, and building your community, you can make the journey a whole lot easier.

What's one piece of advice you wish you knew before you started your business? Share your own small business tips in the comments below!