58% of home business owners feel like work has taken over their home

Many entrepreneurs have turned to remote work in search of a better work-life balance. But as more of them manage their businesses from home in pursuit of that flexibility, for many, it’s having the opposite effect.

A study from Dunster House has found that 58% of home business owners feel their business has taken over their home – with work spilling into living spaces, spare rooms, and even evenings and weekends. 

The good news is that many recognise the problem and are taking steps to solve it, from building dedicated garden offices to creating simple daily habits to keep work and life apart.

Business owners ditch office spaces for greater flexibility

Being your own boss has clear perks. You can manage your own schedule, keep all your profits, and choose where you work, with an increasing number of entrepreneurs choosing to manage their business from home. 

However, while trading in busy co-working spaces for the sanctuary of your own home may seem like a no-brainer, that freedom has a cost. According to new research from Dunster House, 55% of home business owners regularly work evenings and weekends, as boundaries between work and home dissolve. 

The study also found that 48% experienced loneliness or isolation as a result of working from home, with water-cooler chit-chat being traded in for the quiet of an empty house. 

For some, boundaries have broken down entirely. One in three (33%) have had customers turn up to their door unannounced, blurring the line between professional and private life in the most literal sense.

It all points to the same conclusion: working from home may remove the commute, but without clear parameters, it can just as easily remove the “home” from home-working altogether.

As work-life boundaries continue to blur, how are remote workers reclaiming their space?

To address these challenges, many entrepreneurs are heavily investing in dedicated workspaces. Dunster House found that almost two-thirds have already spent money on improving their workspace, with respondents investing an average of £5,170 into creating separate working environments.

For some entrepreneurs, like Carole Baker, this includes building a dedicated studio space. Baker runs her wellness business from a converted stable in Bury St Edmunds, after trading in a commercial centre she founded in 2005. 

Baker’s commute is now a stroll across her garden, and she has grown her offering to include breathwork and retreats. But she’s candid about the risks of blending work and home so closely: “It can take over your life if you let it.”

You don’t have to build a separate workspace to draw a line between work and home, though. Freelance events coordinator Olivia Barton aims to work outside of the house when possible. When she does work from home, she confines herself to the table, avoiding the sofa or bed, and treats 9-5 as a hard boundary.

For freelance journalist Lana O’Sullivan, the ritual comes at the other end of the day. Leaving the house as soon as work finishes, whether for the gym or a walk, to mentally “finish” and step away from screens.

With work always in reach, the pressure for entrepreneurs to be always-on is real. However, if you’re serious about making working from home sustainable in the long run, knowing when to switch off isn’t just an option; it’s what stops your business from taking over your life.