Work: At Home (Freelance Or Your Own Business)

In order to work from home, you will need to set up a home office that permits you to do your job as well as people who work in an office. A list of basic needs follows:

• Telephone
  • A dedicated work line -- which could be a mobile phone if you get good, secure reception. 
  • If you use a landline, an answering machine or a service in case you are not available.
  • Either a call waiting feature or understand that callers will get a busy signal when you are on the line.
• You will likely need a computer sufficient to run a variety of programs, high speed internet access, and a video cam for some meetings. Depending on your needs, this could be a desk top, a lap top or possibly even a tablet or other mobile computing device.
• Possibly a video camera, microphone and speakers for video calls and conferences.
• Unless you are computer savvy, someone to maintain the computer and software for you.  When vetting people to take care of your computer, look at:
  • Expertise
  • Whether they have experience working with small businesses
  • How fast they can respond to emergencies. 
  • Whether they insist on coming to your house or can work remotely over the internet through such free connectiions as LogMeIn.
• Office basics such as a desk, chair, and filing cabinet . You may also need the ability to scan and send and receive faxes.   (If you only would use a fax machine on rare ocassions, consider faxing through a web site such as www.eFax.com  rather than purchasing a machine and/or setting up a separate phone line.)
• You will need a quiet place, free from intrusion, where you can set up a home office.

Also:

• Be sure you consider the effect that other people, such as children, loved ones, or roommate(s), may have on your ability to work from home.
• Consider getting a separate business phone line. A separate phone line will not only allow you to keep a better accounting of business related phone charges, it will also allow you to ignore business calls at the end of your work day.

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