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Setting Up a Home Office

Home-Based Businesses

Setting Up a Home Office

Starting a home-based business can be a great way to become an entrepreneur but it is also a risky venture if you do it wrong. We offer some great advice for home-based businesses to get started on the right track.

Statistics indicate that somewhere between 20 and 39 million Americans are currently engaged in home-based business ventures.

If you are one of the many entrepreneurs working at home or are considering starting a home business, you will likely find our advice for home-based entrepreneurs below useful:

Separate your home office from the rest of the house as much as possible. You don't want a visitor to your home office to be able to see the dirty dishes in your kitchen sink. Having a separate door to your home office is a good idea as it creates a clear line of separation between your home and your home business. It's also a good idea to engage a cleaning service for your home business. You'll be more productive in a clean office and you'll be ready should any customers need to visit your home office on short notice.
Having employees in a home business is a tricky matter. If you will have workers in your home, make sure you have the necessary insurance coverage and workers' compensation coverage. It's a good idea to screen prospective employees carefully. After all, you are letting them into your home. You should also make sure that they will be comfortable working in a home office - it's not for everybody.
Relationships with your neighbors can become a tricky issue. They may object to the frequent visitors to your home business. It's a good idea to proactively work to create good relationships with your neighbors so you have some relationship capital to draw on if something ever goes wrong. You should also educate your visitors to respect your neighbors - for example, parking in the neighbor's driveway, even if just for a few minutes, is a no-no.
Invest in a good phone system. Most home business transact 90% or more of their business by phone. It's worthwhile to spend a little extra money on a professional office phone system to get that extra edge.
Consider using local coffee shops for business meetings. Some home businesses are not set up for visitors. So, when you need to have a business meeting, why not take advantage of the ambience of your local Starbucks or Panera? These days, they all have fast connections to the Internet, so you can even be online during your meeting in case you need to access some files or a demo online.
The most important key to success for home businesses is discipline. If you co-mingle home and business at the same time, you'll never make any progress. When you are at work in your home business, don't do anything but focus on your business. No wandering into the kitchen every five minutes for a snack. No TV shows on in the background. No kids to watch. Just focus on your business.

Good luck to you in your home business! Come back to our site when you need more advice on growing a business. Our resources for entrepreneurs grows more expansive every single day. If you've got advice for entrepreneurs that you'd like to share, please send us a message.