The Consultants Business Book

SETTING UP YOUR HOME OFFICE About 10 million Americans operate a business from their home, making home offices the rule, rather than the exception. Add to that the concept that about 15 percent of workers normally at least one day a week working at home for their company and it is easy to see that home offices are often a necessity, not a trend. There are some things to consider when you are establishing your office. While some consultants choose to operate out of a fixed office space, others decide to operate from an office in their home. There are advantages and disadvantages to each location. Advantages of a Home Based Business · Economic factors- The cost of transportation to and from work, whether you use a car or public transportation results in substantial savings. Eliminating the need to maintain a large set of “office clothes”. · Elimination of downtown office rental space. · Elimination of time spent on commuting and the stress involved in the commute. · Flexible work hours · Lack of co-workers interruptions, staff calls, meetings · Elimination of corporate politics · You control your home environment and can eliminate distractions Disadvantages of a Home Based Business · Isolation - lunch companions may not be as available · If you are not a self-starter, stress can build up and you must meet your own deadlines. · Not having enough space to set up an efficient office Office Space Find a place that you can call your own. Perhaps an unused room or a basement area would be ideal. Feel free to fix it up a bit with some walls, lights, wallpaper, etc, since any improvements that you put into your home for the purpose of business are deductible from your taxes. Perhaps adding a few walls in the basement, a dropped ceiling, lighting fixtures and a bathroom would not be a bad idea. And don't forget to put in plenty of electrical outlets so that you can plug in your office equipment without tripping over electrical cords. Have a nice, roomy desk that you can work from. There will be lots of times when you find yourself working on a topic, only to find that the phone rings and you have a hot client on the line. You will want to push some of the things you are working on off to one side so you can work with your client. If you are saving a few dollars by working from a cramped table you won't be able to concentrate or clear things up in your mind. Keep your work area nice and open! You will be surprised at how many bookshelves you can fill up! Once you start putting books on a shelf the books will take a life of their own! I like to use three ring binders whenever I can, so my book shelves must be deep enough to accommodate those binders. Don't forget storage boxes to put things out of sight with. Commonly called “bankers boxes” they are nice to store material that you won't use for a few months. Be sure to label those boxes on the end so that you can tell what is inside of them without opening them up or getting them off the shelf! Once you have your office location established, remember to hook up your telephone line and answering service there. Desk units are inexpensive if you shop around at places like Quill or Office Max. But don't overlook the local auctions or the Government Reutilization Office. With all of the downsizing in the government, they have an abundance of office chairs, desks, and office equipment. So Find out where your local Government Resale Office is and get to know them. They have sold desks for as little as $25 and five shelf bookshelves for as little as $10!! Look up their address in the white pages of the phone book under Federal Government. Control the noise in your office. Sometimes you need time to think and concentrate, other times its just necessary to carry on a conversation with clients. Fabric placed on walls and panels will tend to deaden sound. Lighting Lighting is very important in your area. If the light in your office is dim you will end up getting depressed as you work. So turn up the lights and you will find that you will be more cheerful and get more work done! Sometimes just installing a light umbrella in the corner of the room and aiming a light at the underside of it provides a soft glow of light for the room. Good non glare lighting will save your eyes, alleviate eyestrain and add energy to your office day. It also brightens your mood. If you use fluorescent lighting, see if you can replace the tubes with healthier full spectrum lights often called “grow lights” from the hardware store. Adding a desk lamp for direct lighting also helps. Speaking of grow lamps, plants can brighten up the office as well as soak up indoor air pollutants. A study from Washington State University showed that plants help reduce stress, increase productivity and improve attentiveness. So use an odd number of plants in your office and consider the amount of available light in your office. The best plants for offices with no direct sunlight are Rhoeo (Moses in the Cradle), Corn Plant, Pepperomia, Boston fern and Pothos. Your local garden store can help you select plants that won't die on you…