Blog by: Sharon Wagner
It's a peculiar juggling act-building a business from scratch while unpacking silverware into unfamiliar drawers. Yet for a growing number of aspiring entrepreneurs, launching a new venture while relocating to a new city like Atlanta isn't just coincidence-it's a strategy. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 20% of new business owners moved within the last year, with many citing lifestyle improvements and new market access as motivators. Starting a business from home offers control, autonomy, and freedom, all traits that might feel necessary after the upheaval of a big move. But both ventures-entrepreneurship and relocation-demand time, patience, and structure. Fortunately, with a few grounded strategies, it's entirely possible to settle into both roles and thrive.
Turn Chaos Into a Calendar
Boxes don't unpack themselves, and neither do business plans. It’s tempting to treat the house setup and business launch as two massive parallel to-do lists, but that’s a quick route to burnout. Instead, turning both into one unified, time-blocked calendar gives structure to the madness. Reserving specific hours each day for business setup, client outreach, or product development carves mental space out of what otherwise feels like a logistical avalanche. Likewise, scheduling home-related tasks into the same calendar keeps things honest. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s progress without derailment.
Expand Skills Without Leaving the House
Strengthening your grasp of business fundamentals is easier than ever thanks to online courses that let you grow while staying firmly rooted in your new home. Whether you’re sharpening accounting skills, brushing up on management strategies, or learning how to communicate more effectively with clients, digital learning offers access to real-world knowledge that can be applied immediately. Flexible scheduling and self-paced options make it possible to grow your expertise without sacrificing unpacking time or client commitments. Exploring various business degree choices also helps chart a long-term path while still focusing on immediate wins.
Define a Temporary Work Zone Early
The dream of a picture-perfect home office can quietly sabotage progress. Waiting until the “ideal” workspace is designed, decorated, and free of clutter wastes critical early momentum. Instead, identifying and claiming a corner—however humble—as a functional, distraction-free work zone lets operations begin immediately. It could be the dining table, a nook in the bedroom, or a folding desk in the garage. What matters is psychological consistency: sitting down in that same spot each day helps train the brain to flip into work mode. Don’t worry if it’s not Instagram-worthy. Function trumps form, especially in the beginning.
Prioritize Foundational Business Tasks First
With distractions everywhere—open boxes, Wi-Fi issues, Amazon returns—it’s easy to get pulled into non-essentials. Waiting until your office is “finished” is a trap. Identify a distraction-free corner and make it your HQ. What matters most is showing up consistently in the same space. Puttogo’s relocation experts often guide clients through setting up a functional space during their first property walkthrough—even before the furniture arrives.
In the earliest days of launching a home-based business, foundational tasks deserve focus: confirming a legal business structure, opening a business bank account, setting up a basic website, and securing reliable communication tools. These are the bones that hold up everything else. Marketing and branding will evolve, but if the foundation isn’t solid, every future step feels shakier. Focus on stability before scale, no matter how tempting it is to jump into the creative side first.
Proof Point: One tech founder we relocated from Paris to Buckhead launched his SaaS startup within 21 days of moving-in by prioritizing workspace setup.
Ritualize the Start and End of Workdays
One of the greatest threats to productivity in a new home-based setup is the lack of psychological separation between work and rest. Without commutes or office doors, boundaries blur fast. Developing small but consistent rituals to mark the start and end of the workday becomes essential. Lighting a specific candle, putting on a designated playlist, or even changing clothes helps signal the transition. At the end of the day, doing the reverse—closing the laptop, stepping outside, or clearing the work surface—teaches the mind that the workday is done. Without these cues, work bleeds into dinner, and rest becomes restless.
Don’t Wait for “Settled” to Begin
There’s an instinct to wait until everything feels stable before fully committing to the business plan. That instinct makes sense—new homes feel temporary at first. But waiting to feel settled can delay progress indefinitely. The truth is, momentum isn’t a result of being fully settled. It’s often what helps bring that feeling about. Making even small moves in the business—sending one pitch email, setting up one invoice—plants flags that claim this home as a place where work gets done and dreams get chased. The business doesn't need a pristine backdrop. It just needs you to begin.
“We don’t just help people move into homes—we help them move with a purpose. Atlanta is an entrepreneurial city, and with the right structure and support, you can thrive from day one,” said Maia Samb, CEO of the Puttogo Global Group and Co-founder of ExpatEase .
Building a business while settling into a new home isn’t easy, but ease is rarely the goal. What matters more is alignment: aligning daily actions with long-term goals, even when the dishes aren’t put away and the Wi-Fi’s being weird. It’s about resisting the urge to wait until the space is “ready” and starting now, with what’s available. The boxes will empty eventually. The furniture will find its place. But the time to bet on an idea, to work it into something real, is right now—between paint swatches and Post-its, amidst the dust and hope of new beginnings.
Discover your dream home in Atlanta with Puttogo Global Group, your trusted partner for expert guidance and personalized real estate services in this vibrant city!