With more and more people looking to work from home, there are some questions to ask yourself before taking the plunge and moving from office to home.

Working from home can offer many people working in all sorts of different industries a far more flexible and comfortable lifestyle than working in an office. As well as cutting travel time and allowing you more freedom to decide your own working hours, it can also dramatically reduce costs, both in terms of travel and overheads.

There are challenges relating to home working, however, and these must be addressed early on. Consider the suitability of your home for the type of business you are in.

Do you need to have customers visiting you? Do you plan on growing and taking on staff and will they fit in your home? Will the credibility of your business be undermined by not having an office? Does your business need key infrastructure to operate that you can't get at home?

Following this, take into account your own personality – if you are the kind of person that thrives on chatter and interaction, working from home may not suit you.

Alternatively, you may find it very hard to sit down and start working at home, rather than being distracted by chores or children. Try to create a work environment separate from your living environment.

Setting up your work space is essential – fast internet connection, phone lines and accountant considerations must all be in place from day one. Talk to your accountant about how you can gain appropriate tax recognition for using your home as an office.