Emma Jones: bringing the world of home workers closer together

Business Car Manager: Editor’s Blog

We’re all increasingly wired; plugged into the networked world of the internet, Facebook, Twitter and Google Buzz and so on.

While some people lament the lost, easier pace of working life, regulated more by the arrival of the post rather than the inbox pinging a new message, it has liberated a whole legion of people – those people that work from home.

It’s provided unheard of flexibility – and opportunity.

One of the people I met at the HMRC’s first ‘Supporting Small Businesses Partner’ conference last Monday (see blog 398 – Good record-keeping makes a good business) was Emma Jones. Emma runs her own website called Enterprise Nation. It’s for home businesses, providing a free resource for all those who make a living in their own home.

It was founded by Emma in 2006, and now hosts the UK’s largest website for people starting and growing a business from home, runs the Home Business Awards, and produces the annual Home Business Report. Emma also advises the government on home working.

“Many people almost start by accident,” Emma told me. “They have a hobby, realise they’re quite good at it, and then start earning money from their hobby.”

If you have your own home business then do visit the site. You know that it’s run by someone who’s done just that: run her own business from home.

I particularly like the idea of the ‘watercoolermoment’ on their Twitter site: https://twitter.com/e_nation. “At 11 o’clock every day, home workers can take a break and ‘talk’ via Twitter about anything they like,” says Emma. “We only launched it a few weeks back, it’s become very popular. It allows you to engage in converstation – or if you’re too busy, then you can carry on with your work. You don’t have to ‘stand around’ talking!”

It’s a great idea. If you’re a home worker, why not join Emma and the rest of the connected group of home workers at 11am on Monday? It’s yet another benefit of the wired world.