Not all home-based must deal with the issue of meeting clients in person. Some businesses are able to be run entirely over the internet with perhaps the occasional telephone contact or virtual meeting. Other businesses do require some client contact. The home-based professionals that run these businesses must deal with the delicate issue of whether to invite their clients to meet them at their home office.
If you are thinking about inviting clients to meet with you at your home office, be sure to thoroughly examine local zoning regulations regarding home-based businesses. Depending upon where you live, having clients meet you at your home may not even be an option that you can do within the boundaries set by law. If local regulations permit opening your home office to clients, common sense is a good approach to take in doing it. Some suggestions include having the home office in its own space where the noises of the home can not be heard. If possible, it should even have its own entrance. If the rest of the house is a mess, it should not be visible from the home office and the office should be kept tidy. Children should be with a caregiver during the times that you will be meeting your clients. In short, you are the best judge of whether and how to invite clients into your home to meet with you, trust your professional judgment and knowledge of your home, family, and clients to guide you.
Personally, I have not and will not meet with my law office clients at my home. I have been advised by some of my law-practicing peers that it is important not to do so out of concern for my privacy and safety. Their advice makes sense to me because the business of law is an interesting one. While we may think we know our clients, there are always things that we do not know. No matter what area of law we practice in, clients occasionally get upset. I witnessed this first-hand when I worked at the front desk in a law office a long time ago and an angry client stormed into the office and threatened violence. Other clients are very needy, and without meaning to they may overstep boundaries. I do not want an angry client to confront me at home, nor do I want an overly needy client to think that they can just drop by “whenever” without an appointment.
Regardless of the eventual decision that you make regarding meeting clients at your home, it is not a decision to take lightly. If you choose to open your home office to clients it is important to make sure that you do it in a way that enhances your business image and the relationships that you have with your clients. If you choose not to meet your clients at home, you will need to be prepared to suggest appropriate alternative places to meet such as their house, a local coffee shop, or even a park if the weather is nice.