Home Business Ideas and Resources

Home Business Distractions and Solutions
This is an article about balancing home and work, including the challenges of a home-based business. Tips include separating the office from the home, instead of working in the den or living room. Home office distractions can be minimized by separating the office from the home, simply by setting up a separate room as an office. Creating separate working hours benefits clients by giving them a set time frame to contact you at your home office. Home-based-workers can avoid becoming workaholics by sticking to the hours and taking breaks when necessary. The last tip is to install a separate home office telephone line so work does not interfere with home activities.

Writing Off Your Home Office on Your Income Taxes
With the proliferation of home offices, the IRS has been forced to establish strict guidelines for what constitutes a home office and which parts of a home office can be deducted from your income as legitimate expenses, and which ones can't. Starting in 1999, a home office only needs to be a place to administer a business in order to qualify for a deduction; a home office does not have to be the primary place where you meet clients or even the sole place from which you perform your day to day work functions. However, for a space within the home to qualify as a home office for tax purposes, that space must still be used exclusively for business purposes.

Home Office Resources
This collection of resources is designed to help you improve your business. They are listed by category to make it easier to find the right book, organization or business for you. Links include home office books, home office books for parents, telecommuting books, small business support websites and online publications to aid home office workers. Home office tips, a question and answer section and more home office resources are included.

Time Management in the Home Office
This article from Informit.com's The 24/7 Lifestyle section offers advice and tips on better time management for those who work out of the home. Includes advice on shipping, mailing, sending business flowers, paying bills on-line, and setting up your body clock to be most effective. Other tips include advice on scheduling leisure time, quiet time, productive time, and planning time.

Keeping Your Home Office Mobile
From the website YouCanWorkFromAnywhere.com, this article by "the mobile man," offers advice on keeping a fluid, mobile home office that's not tied down to one location. There are tips on accessing data from anywhere, advantages of WI-FI, tips for keeping balance, tips for managing remote and mobile workers, business flexibility, virtual office, etc.