Small Office-Home Office Tips #9


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Proudly presents:
The Windows 98 Tip of the Day

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*1. GET BUSINESS ADVICE VIA E-MAIL

SCORE--the Service Corps of Retired Executives--now offers 
access to experienced business counselors through e-mail. Just 
visit the site at

http://www.score.org

and click Get E-mail Counseling. From here you can begin 
searching for a counselor by browsing through an alphabetical 
listing of 584 unique skills. Click the area of expertise you 
want, then click the Search For Counselors button. You'll see a 
listing of up to five SCORE experts. You can choose one, click 
on his or her name, and enter confidential information about 
yourself and your business question.


*2. ESTIMATED TAXES

Remember, the deadline for paying your estimated taxes for the 
second quarter is June 15. New to the process? Check out the 
IRS classic "Publication 505: Tax Withholding and Estimated 
Tax," which is available online at

http://www.irs.ustreas.gov/prod/forms_pubs/pubs/p505toc.htm


*3. CASH VS. ACCRUAL BASICS

What's the difference between the two major accounting methods 
of recognizing income: cash vs. accrual? With the cash method, 
you recognize income when you receive the check. So, if you 
sell an item on December 20, 1999, but the person pays you on 
January 3, 2000, you realize the income in the year 2000. With 
the accrual method, however, you would recognize the income on 
the date of the sale, in the 1999 tax year.


*4. A SITE FOR INSURANCE SHOPPING

Because most people who work at home full time are on their own 
when it comes to buying health insurance, we occasionally let 
you know about sites on the Web for learning about policies 
available for individuals. One site to check out is HealthAxis, 
which provides policy information, quotes, and application 
forms for insurers in a large number of states (though not all 
50 were included at press time). Visit the site at

http://www.healthaxis.com


*5. THE LUXURY OF WORKING YOUR OWN WAY

When you work at home, you have plenty of decisions to make 
about managing your time. And you'll find plenty of books, Web 
sites, magazines, and even tip services that give you ideas for 
how you should work. For example, some say to do the job you 
dread most first, while others say to tackle easier work first. 
One source may say to return all phone calls and e-mail when 
you begin the workday, while others say to save those tasks for 
the afternoon slump. The luxury of working at home is that 
nobody can tell you exactly how you should work. So experiment 
and find what's best for you. Perhaps a 40-minute nap in the 
afternoon recharges you to work until 7 p.m., or maybe you 
prefer to start the day with a three-mile walk before sunrise 
and then plow through your work and finish for the day by 2:00. 
Find your groove, and you'll naturally end up working more 
efficiently--and enjoying it more.


*6. RESOURCE FOR LEGAL DOCUMENTS

Although downloading a contract form or sample from the Web is 
no substitute for hiring a good lawyer, checking out contracts 
available online can help you prepare a simple one, or at least 
give you a good place to start. ADLAW, the interactive Web site 
from the law firm of Hall Dickler Kent Friedman & Wood, LLP, 
provides several model contracts you can view through its 
site at

http://www.adlaw.com/RC/rf_forms.html

If you have an interest in intellectual property law, be sure 
to also click the Resource Files tab at the top of the page.


*7. SITES FOR WORKING MOMS AND DADS

Several Web sites are devoted to helping parents who work at 
home deal with the challenges of keeping house, caring for 
children, and actually doing the work they get paid for. Most 
sites focus on mothers, but the first one we've listed gives 
equal time to work-at-home dads. If you're in this situation, 
here are a few sites to visit:

Work@Home Parents Web Site & E-zine
http://www.workathomeparents.com

WAHM.com: The Online Magazine for Work-at-Home Moms
http://www.wahm.com

Busy Moms: The Ultimate Resource for Work-at-Home and 
Stay-at-Home Moms
http://www.bizymoms.com


*8. PLEASE PERMIT ME

Depending on your particular business and where you live, you 
may need to obtain permits from local government. Check with 
your local chamber of commerce and/or city and county 
governments. At some point, you may need to obtain one or more 
of the following:

- A seller's permit, if you will sell goods subject to
  sales tax.
- A zoning permit, which is mainly a concern if your business
  will require customer parking or create noise or other
  inconveniences for your neighbors.
- A food permit, so that the health department knows what's
  cooking at your place. An inspector may visit periodically to
  certify that your food is created under sanitary conditions.
- Occupational licenses, which are generally administered at
  the state level.


*9. MORE FREE PUBLICITY

In previous tips, we've looked at cheap or free ways to 
generate publicity for your business, such as speaking to local 
groups or associations. Another way to share your 
expertise--and pitch your business--is to develop articles that 
can be posted on the Web. This route to publicity is especially 
timely. For one thing, many Web sites are actively trying to 
develop content, so you're likely to find an outlet for your 
work. Even short articles--500 words or so--are welcome on 
many Web sites.

Another great aspect is that Web sites tend to attract people 
who have a great need to know about the topic area. So, by 
getting exposure on a Web site that's centered around 
need-to-know issues for your potential customers, you know 
you'll have attentive eyes reading your article. Even if the 
Web site pays little or nothing for your article, the deal may 
still be worthwhile as long as the site provides contact 
information for your business.


*10. YOUR SUPPORT NETWORK

It's easy to become isolated when you're self-employed and 
working alone. You no longer have the opportunity to chat 
about projects and problems with colleagues at the water 
cooler. No boss will review your performance over the past 
year. If you get over-committed, you can't talk with your boss 
and team members about transferring some of the work. And, 
worst of all, no Friday lunches. So it's important to keep up 
with your old colleagues, as well as friends and relatives. 
Some will have business expertise that can make them valuable 
advisors. And don't underestimate the value of talking to 
individuals who don't seem to have relevant experience. As long 
as they care about you, want you to succeed, and have common 
sense, you--and your business--may reap many benefits in 
talking things over with old buddies and relatives who seem to 
have vastly different kinds of experience from yours. Often, 
just trying to explain a problem can force you to clarify its 
source and help you hone in on solutions.
