Page 27 - Work At Home Moms Part 2
P. 27
ESTABLISHING A HOME
OFFICE
You’ve made up your mind and you do plan to work at home. Good for
you! Even if you have your field picked out, money in place and a
business plan all ready to go, there’s still more work to do. Perhaps one of
the biggest and most important steps has yet to be addressed. To work at
home and succeed, you do need a place to call your own.
Yes, of course, you want to be with your family and in the thick of it all.
Still, if you don’t have an office to call your own when you need it, you
could be very sorry. The fact is making phone calls to clients with a
screaming toddler in the background can be embarrassing. Writing reports
on deadline as your family watches television can be distracting. To
overcome and conquer these issues, you’re going to need a home office.
Besides, having one will give you a built in tax deduction!
To make a home office really work for you, it does pay to explore what
you truly require. It’s also a good idea to remind yourself why having a
space of your own is important.
WHAT YOU NEED
A home office doesn’t need to be elaborate to be effective. How much or
how little space will be required will depend on your own personal tastes
and the space you have available. In general, as long as there are utility
hookups – phone, cable and so on – and a door, you should be set. You
can even “workaround” the utility issues with wireless networking and
extension cords.
Beyond the space, you’ll likely need these things to set up a home office
right:
A Desk
Elaborate isn’t important here. You can go as basic as using a piece
of wood laid on top of two filing cabinets. Just as long as you have
a workspace for your papers and important files and you should be
okay on this front.
Computer And Other Equipment
Just about any field you go into will demand a computer these
days. If you intend to telecommute for your current employer, this
will likely be a must. Even if you mean to start a whole new career,
having a computer to work on can still be very wise. Invest in a
- 27 -