10 Things I've Learned About Home Offices

by Cliff Ennico

There have been some "speed bumps" along the way, though. Here are ten things I wish I had known when I first set up my home office.

Never See Clients In The Home

Unless you have a home office that is physically detached from your residence (and even then I would think carefully), you should adopt a strict policy never to see clients or customers in your home.

You just don't know about people these days, or their motives. Some are legitimate prospects. Others are voyeurs, potential home buyers, or outright thieves. Some people, sadly, may visit you in your home office and then claim, with a straight face, that you sexually harassed them (or worse) while they were there. If you do see clients in your home, make sure a colleague is physically present during client meetings and interviews so you have a "witness" if they make absurd claims later on.

On a more mundane level, you should ask yourself: do you really want to let the outside world see how you live? Do you want the burden of keeping your entire home squeaky clean and well-decorated all the time to impress your clients? Do you want the burden of dressing up for work every day "just in case a client stops by". Taken to extremes, seeing clients in your home.

Use A Remote Address

Whether or not you see clients in your home, you should never use your home address as your business address. In my law practice, I get lots of registered and certified mail, which requires a signature upon delivery. If I used my home address as my business address, I wouldn't be able to leave the house for fear of missing an important delivery, and the neighborhood kids wouldn't be able to play in the street after school for fear of being run over by the UPS, Federal Express, Airborne Courier, and other trucks making the twice daily pilgrimage to my office. My neighbors wouldn't be too thrilled, either.

Get to know your local MailBoxes Etc. or Mail Depot franchisee. These are wonderful services that will provide you with a street address (not a P.O. Box), office machinery, and equipment that is available 24/7, and friendly people who will sign for packages, registered mail, etc. Heck, they even call and tell you when something important arrives. And won't the traveling salespeople, religious solicitors, etc. be surprised when they stop by your "office" for an unsolicited chat!

The Telephone Is The Enemy

When you work solo, as I do, the telephone is your lifeline to the outside world. It is also your biggest distraction. I have over 200 clients and I wouldn't be able to get any work done during the day if I had to stop and answer every telephone call that came in. It took awhile to get used to, because I really believe in providing prompt customer service, but I learned that using the telephone as a "screen" letting messages pile up and returning only the most important ones within an hour or two will be acceptable to most clients, provided you let them know in advance that that's how you work.

Be sure to get Caller ID and keep the box by your PC so you can see who is calling you as you are working. As I'm writing these last two paragraphs, three telephone calls have come in. Two are from people trying to sell me law books, and the third is a client who I know is just leaving some information on my Voice Mail and doesn't need to speak to me right away.

Get A Dedicated Fax Line

When I first started, I used one telephone line for both my telephone and my fax. Bad idea. When I was on a long conference call, people couldn't send me faxes, which frustrated them. Similarly, clients would complain they couldn't reach me for hours when someone was sending me a 100-page legal document by fax. Having your fax on a dedicated line is an inexpensive way to keep your clients happy.

Keep Your Computer Modem And Fax Line Separate

What about having your fax machine and computer modem (if you are still using dial-up Internet access) on the same line? Not as bad, but I wouldn't recommend it, especially if you are in a business (as I am) where many important documents are not yet available in electronic format. It is a pain in the neck to have to log off the Internet several times a day because someone wants to fax you a 30-page document. Better to splurge for a cable modem or DSL service, if it's not too expensive. In a few years you will no longer be dialing up to the Internet anyway (or using a fax machine either, for that matter), so you might as well join the broadband movement now.

Beware The ? Honey Do? List

More than anything else, a successful home-based business requires that you keep all distractions at bay. The people who love you, and in many cases live with you, can be the biggest source of distractions if you are not careful. It's tough, because you hate to say "no" to your loved ones, but it must be done.

When I first announced that I was starting a home-based law office, my wife was delighted that there finally would be someone home every day to deal with contractors and run errands on weekdays when the local stores weren't all that busy.

My mom, who lives an hour's drive away, was delighted that I would now be able to visit once a week rather than once a month. I reminded them both of the reasons why I was setting up a home office (making more money and keeping more of what I make), and offered to do as many chores as they wanted as long as they paid me $150 an hour (my standard legal fee).

My wife and I compromised that I would do two or three small chores each week without charge, plus "emergencies" (for example, a broken toilet requiring an emergency visit from the plumber). Of course, being a loving husband, I do a couple more, and Mom gets visits twice a month. Never, ever, try to negotiate with your mother.

Beware The Refrigerator

I gained 20 pounds during my first three months as a home-based lawyer. Enough said. Whatever your dietary and exercise regimen was when you worked outside the home, stick to it when you move your business in-house.

Keep Your Files At A Remote Location

Files clutter up your office, take up extreme amounts of space, and look ugly. If you have a basement or accessible attic (one that doesn?t require pull-down steps), keep your files there, especially if your home office is on the second floor of your home.

The exercise you will get making several trips to and from your basement file room each day will do you good. Also, basement file room space can be added to the square footage of your home office to determine the amount of home office deductions you can take for tax purposes.

Choose Music That Won't Distract From Your Work

I have loved classical music since I was a child and I love working to it. But, certain types of classical music (Beethoven symphonies, for example, or German operas) do not work. Music that must be paid close attention to in order to be enjoyed is no good for a home office.

Stick to things that sound great as "wallpaper" and fill the silence. If you are a classical music lover, Gregorian Chant, Renaissance choral music, and orchestral music from the Baroque and Classical periods (roughly 1650-1800) work extremely well. Rock ?n roll, "top-40" hits, and R&B classics from the years 1950-1990 are always fun - as long as they do not distract by invoking memories of your lost youth.

It's A Home Office, Not A Crib

I repeat, getting rid of distractions is your primary goal in setting up a home office. While having a few personal items around for inspiration is a great idea, and humanizes your office, having too many personal items around can cause perpetual distraction, and may disqualify your spare bedroom for the "home-office deduction." Photos of your family, or a framed dust jacket from your latest best-selling book, are always in order. Your 200-piece collection of erotic statues should find a home elsewhere.

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Cliff Ennico, best known as the host of the PBS television series MoneyHunt, is the author of ten books on small business and the legal correspondent for the Small Business Television Network at www.sbtv.com. You can find out more about him at www.protectingyourbusiness.com.