Have a Home Based Business? Here Are 5 Musts!

If you’re an entrepreneur with a home based business or you’re thinking about starting a business from home, here are 5 musts…

I’m an entrepreneur and an investor and I’ve run my various businesses and investments from our home for over 10 years now. My household dynamics have changed over the years – my youngest was born, my other two kids grew from toddlers to pre-school’ers to grade school and now high school. During that time many aspects of my household have changed but my office (business) environment has stayed the same.

I made sure I incorporated these 5 things into my home office right from the start.

#1 – Ideally you want to set up your office in a separate room where you can close the door for privacy. Now I know that everyone’s physical layout is different but if you can set aside one room with a closable door this is so important. It’s critical not only to be able to shut out the various noises from the rest of the house, but it’s critical for your peace of mind. Believe me, this is a must if you can swing it.

#2 – Get a separate phone line. Do not, if at all possible, use your home phone number for your business. Even if it’s a cell phone, maintain a separate phone number dedicated just to your business.

#3 – Never use a P.O. Box as your primary business address. P.O. Boxes on business cards and web sites scream ROOKIE, NOVICE, VERY SMALL BUSINESS, or  “Mom and Pop”. Sure you can have a P.O. Box to receive goods from suppliers or if you want to have a P.O. Box for customer returns, that’s fine. Just don’t have one for your primary address. Use your home address. No one really knows whether 1234 Morningside Lane is a home or an office building anyway.

#4 – Make sure you have a professional sounding voice mail message. Have someone who’s voice you think sounds professional record it for you. Remember, in many cases, this will be the first impression a potential customer gets of you and your business.

#5 – Get a professional e-mail address. Just like a P.O. Box, having an e-mail like johnsmith2435@hotmail.com totally telegraphs “unprofessional”! Using YourBusinessName@gmail.com is okay (just barely) because gmail is so widely used. But it’s best to get your own domain name so your e-mail can be johnsmith@yourbusinessname.com.

Of the 5 “musts” #5 is the only one that may require a little technical know-how. If you don’t already have your own domain name, or if you do have a domain but have some questions about how to set up your e-mail account just let me know by leaving your question in the comment box below.

Happy home based business building,

Del Lewis