Presenting your best image when working from home

Trying to start a home based business is chaotic at best and can be downright frustrating at times. There is a lot to take into consideration before you get started, not the least of which is if you should even start in the first place.

One thing I see a lot of is people asking about finding space for a home office. It is possible to run a home based business from your home and not have an office actually in the home. Many people have run successful businesses with no more than a laptop on their coffee table. Others have converted an unused garage or maybe a spare bedroom if they are lucky, but even just a hall or spare bedroom closet can make a good home office area.

I have seen quite a few home offices that are part-time guest bedrooms, and while this makes sense from the perspective of multipurpose space, it must be remembered that if the home office serves as anything not directly related to the home based business it can not be claimed on taxes as an actual full home office.

The key factor in having a home based business is in presenting a professional image to the client. You don't want to make them believe that you are larger than you truly are, since that can cause problems and even loose you work in the long run, but you do want them to see you as a person that is going to be taking their project serious and who takes your own business as a serious job - not just a way to earn pizza money for your Friday movie night: even if that is all you consider the job to be.

One way to present a professional image is to rent virtual office space - these are locations where you have all the convinces of an office, but you are renting the room based on the month, week, day or even hour. Such places have not only office space, but conference rooms and other necessities, including package and mail pickup and sometimes offering an answering service.