Be A Homie: 3 Tips For Your Startup Home-Based Business

Business Blog

Starting your own business should give you certain freedoms, and hopefully, more time to do the things you want. But having your own business will also bring certain responsibilities that you don't usually have as an employee. The following guide will offer a few tips to help you with your start up business.

1. Consider Sticking To An Early Schedule

Even if you have the freedom to work when you want, you may still want to put yourself on an early schedule. This may help you be more productive. This will also give you the afternoon and evening to relax and unwind.

And believe it or not, keeping to a regular early schedule could protect your mental health. A study showed that working irregular hours, evening, or night times could age your mental abilities by 6.5 years.

2. Have A Designated Office Area

If you have the room, keep one room for your office. If you do not have an extra room, you can sanction a specific area in the house that is exclusively for business purposes. This will be helpful during tax time because you might qualify for certain deductions. Remember that these deductions could include the following:

  • Percentage of your mortgage interest
  • Insurance expenses
  • Utilities
  • Repairs related to your home and business

There are more deductions that you may be entitled to, but you can talk to your tax consultant to get more specified recommendations.

Having a designated office space may also help with the following: 

- help you feel more business-like and a professional in your trade

-area for any clients that you may have at some point

-allow you to better concentrate on business-related tasks

-give your clients a sense of commitment and authenticity

3. Record Everything

Yes, having a home-based business also comes with the responsibility of tracking all of your activity, such as expenses, etc. So that means you may need a bookkeeper. You have the following options:

  • Try to do it yourself; follow the link to learn the basics.
  • Hire an offshore and slightly less expensive bookkeeper online.
  • Find a bookkeeper in the states using a dedicated search engine just for bookkeepers to narrow down the choices.

Be sure to talk to a business plan company about other things that may be important to your specific business, such as permits. But, as you can see, starting a business at home does take a little effort.

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30 December 2015

Planning for the Worst

When I first went into business, I was confident that there was a market for my services and that I had the smarts and drive to make a go of my business. But while I was hoping for the best, I also made it a point to plan for the worst. That’s why I wanted the most comprehensive commercial insurance for my business. I shopped around, researched different types of commercial insurance, and finally found a policy that I thought could protect me against almost anything. I am much more confident knowing that no matter what happens, I’m protected. I think that’s really helped me do what I needed to do to get my business off the ground.