As the saying goes, “Go big or go home,” but whoever originally spoke those words probably didn’t envision everyone being stuck at home courtesy of a global pandemic. For Dominique Fluker, being stuck at home inspired her entrepreneurial calling. During quarantine, Fluker had to bring her 9 to 5 tech job home, and working and living in the same space made her sick of her surroundings. So what did she do? She decided to “spice up” her living area and make her WFH space more productive.

Fluker then caught the eye of an Apartment Therapy editor who saw her curated creation on social media, and gave her a feature. That inspired Fulker to take her passion for interior design i, and turn it into a business. DBF Interiors was born⎯ a virtual interior design studio focused on curating compelling interiors with accessible luxury.

Starting and running a small business is difficult in and of itself. Starting and running a small virtual business, based on creating the feel and energy of space during the height of the pandemic, proved even more challenging. Fluker shares four tips that helped set her up for success as a WFH small business owner.

1. Create A Workspace

Fluker's first word of advice is doing exactly what she did that led to her to building her business. DBF Interiors is all about a space’s utility and ambiance, so you need to create a dedicated workspace. “I had to make sure that I carved out a space that was dedicated just for work,” Fluker says.

She also mentions that when it comes to your workspace, size doesn’t matter. “A corner or a desk in your bedroom will do ... and furnishing it with things that will inspire you to get the work done.” For her, one of those things was her ring light. “I had several lamps and art that inspired me to get the work done.” And being able to remove yourself from the dedicated workspace at the end of the workday is just as important. “That way I can close the door, and close the door on the workday as well when I was done,” she adds.

2. Utilize Technology

Small business owners usually wear all, if not most of the many hats necessary to keep the business afloat. But that doesn’t mean help isn’t available. There are apps to help streamline almost all business-related tasks, to make life easier, and Fluker takes full advantage of them. “You have to make sure that you are organized and really blocking out your time. I think procrastination stems from not having good time management,” she explains.

To make sure she’s using her time effectively, Fluker relies on work management platform Asana. “I use Asana heavily. Asana has saved my life professionally and personally, to where all my tasks are blocked out by the week ... I make sure that I'm time managing on a Saturday or a Sunday, maybe take 15 minutes to plan my whole week ahead, or even two weeks of tasks that need to get done.”

For clerical tasks, Fluker recommends a paperwork tool like Bonsai. “It's for contracts and invoices. It's all in one suite that lets you focus on everything like templates, proposals, invoices, agreements, and quotes. I do all my contracts, proposals, and invoices in this.” 

3. Over-communicate

Whether your business is virtual or not, communication is something that must be done clearly and often. “It takes a lot of communication, overcommunication, especially when you're communicating through digital spaces,” Fluker shares. Though the digital space wasn't always easy to navigate, they were essential to Fluker's success. “I am a first-time entrepreneur, so not having that human interaction and reassurance that I could do it, and step into this newly created space that I decided to do, was dodging at first. But that's what zoom is there for. That's what other meeting tools are there for, and just having support from social [media] and my community on social media helps me propel myself forward.”

4. Get serious about self-care

It’s no secret that taking care of our mental health is essential to handling the uncertainty and pressures of life⎯ perhaps even more so for small business owners, and especially during a pandemic. Stress and burnout are creativity and productivity killers, and Fluker advocates for taking self-care seriously. She suggests carving out an hour a day for self-care like you would for any other business-related activity. “Make sure that you are incorporating an hour of self-maintenance every day. An hour just to yourself, if that's all you can do. Make sure you're doing it,” she advises. Her favorite methods of relaxation include catching up on a show, taking a relaxing bath, or reading a book. Whatever method you choose, she reiterates doing it every day.

Another form of self-care for Fluker that she wants to bring awareness to is self-talk. Her biggest tip for any entrepreneur is hands down, “Be kind to yourself.” The quality of your inner talk affects your mental health and your work. “You're already in business for yourself, which is a huge step forward and a hard task to do," she adds.

Written by Abby Stern