Small Office-Home Office Tips #14


----------------------------------------------

TipWorld - http://www.tipworld.com
The Internet's #1 Source for Computer Tips, News, and Gossip

Proudly presents:
The Windows 98 Tip of the Day

----------------------------------------------


*1. GOVERNMENT TELECOMMUTING

As far back as 1994, the federal government's National 
Performance Review and President Clinton's Climate Change 
Action Plan both called on agencies to explore the 
possibilities of allowing workers to telecommute. The reports 
cite benefits to the environment, including helping major 
cities comply with the Clean Air Act. A summary report even 
links economic issues to telecommuting, noting that traffic 
congestion encourages companies to locate away from urban areas 
because of the high cost of doing business there, due in part 
to traffic, worker dissatisfaction with long commutes, and 
delayed delivery times. Another driving force, according to the 
summary report, is quality of life: People would rather spend 
the one or two hours needed to commute with their families. You 
can read more about the government's perspective on 
telecommuting at

http://www.gsa.gov/pbs/owi/telecomm.htm


*2. TAX INFO FOR DIRECT SELLERS

The IRS considers a person a direct seller based on several 
criteria. One is that he or she sells in his or her own home or 
another place that is not a retail establishment. Direct 
sellers, according to the IRS, are paid based wholly or 
substantially based on sales generated, rather than hours 
worked. The contract between a client and a direct seller 
should also state that the seller will not be treated as an 
employee for federal tax purposes. Obviously, if you work as a 
direct seller, you will need more details on your tax situation 
than this brief tip can provide. For more details, visit

http://www.irs.ustreas.gov/prod/forms_pubs/pubs/p911toc.htm


*3. SITE OF THE WEEK: ENTERWEB

ENTERWeb is a nexus of links to topics important to small 
businesses, including finance and entrepreneurship. Although 
the site isn't specifically focused on telecommuters or 
independent contractors, it still offers a great way to explore 
the Web for information on growing even the tiniest of 
businesses. Sections that may be especially helpful to people 
in business for themselves include Entrepreneurship, 
Cyberbusiness, and Microfinance. You can also find sites 
devoted to more traditional business topics, including 
management and marketing.

http://www.enterweb.org


*4. PARTNERSHIP STAKES

If you decide to form a partnership with another person, 
remember that it's in your best interest to keep a majority 
interest--at least 51 percent. If you don't, it's conceivable 
that your partner could put you out of work. Also, before you 
enter into a partnership, carefully outline the division of 
labor and profits. Partnerships don't shield you from much 
liability (as forming a corporation would), so it's probably 
best to look at the arrangements skeptically. Because of the 
tax, control, and liability considerations, it's worth 
consulting a lawyer if you're serious about forming 
a partnership.


*5. PROMOTING YOUR WEB SITE THROUGH NETSCAPE

Netscape's Web Site Garage offers a variety of services to help 
you maintain and promote your site. A basic, one-time promotion 
through !Register-It! is regularly $49.99 but was recently 
promoted for $39.99 for one URL. You can also distribute a 
press release about your site for $99.99 or enroll in services 
to help small businesses manage e-mail lists. If you'd like to 
receive a free e-mail newsletter about promoting and 
maintaining a business site, click the Resources tab and sign 
up for the Web Site Journal. You can also browse through how-to 
articles on the site.

http://websitegarage.netscape.com


*6. RECOMMENDING OTHERS FOR A JOB

It's all part of networking: Someone does a favor for you and, 
somewhere down the line, you do a favor for him or her. But 
don't simply recommend someone's work to a client because you 
"owe" the person. If he or she doesn't come through for the 
client, you may look bad. On the other hand, if you really 
believe someone is well suited to work for one of your clients, 
recommend him or her and you'll score points all around.


*7. SITE OF THE WEEK: FINDLAW

FindLaw-Small Business contains a wealth of information for 
people in business for themselves. As you might expect, there's 
plenty of coverage of legal issues but also extensive links to 
business and consumer sites. But the highlight for those of us 
working at home is the Small Office-Home Office Guidebook, 
which features dozens of articles on planning, financing, 
marketing, and managing your business.

http://smallbiz.findlaw.com


*8. BUY NEW EQUIPMENT OR OUTSOURCE?

As you may know from late-night experience, many neighborhood 
copy centers have evolved into 24-hour office centers. In 
addition to copying capabilities, most offer fax and package 
delivery services under the same roof. So, when you're 
considering the purchase of major-ticket equipment, such as a 
fax machine or color printer, consider how often you would need 
to use it. You may find that it's much more economical to 
occasionally run to the copy center for color copies or faxing 
than to invest in the hardware.


*9. PROTECTING YOUR DATA

Most people who work at home are dependent on their computers. 
We communicate, keep our books, research new opportunities, and 
do much more with our PCs. In many cases, the work we produce 
is a computer file, whether it's executable code, a written 
document, or an electronic design. So don't forget the simple, 
effective ways to prevent a disastrous loss of data. Back up 
your hard disk on a regular schedule, or at least save the 
files you're working on to a diskette. Buy, use, and regularly 
update an antivirus software package. And be wary of power 
surges: A surge suppressor is a good start (check for higher 
joules ratings), but the best protection during a thunderstorm 
is to close your files, turn off your PC, and unplug it.


*10. METERED MAIL AT HOME

Several trials are under way that will enable people in small 
businesses to purchase postage online. You would charge an 
amount on a credit card, which would then be deposited in your 
postal account. Then, using software provided by the postal 
vendor, you could print envelopes that would include the 
metered postmark in the stamp area. Stamps.com and E-stamp.com 
are among the first to set up the service, but the U.S. Postal 
Service hasn't given them final approval to market it yet. 
However, if you go ahead and sign up now, the sites will 
contact you when the service is available. The sites plan to 
offer a variety of postal products, including Express Mail.

For more information visit
http://www.stamps.com
http://www.e-stamp.com

In the meantime, remember that you can print postal bar codes 
on your own envelopes with many newer versions of word 
processors, including Microsoft Word 97 and Corel WordPerfect 
Suite 8.0. In Word, click the Tools menu, then choose Envelopes 
& Labels, Labels, Options. In WordPerfect, look in Format, 
Envelope, Options or Format, Labels, Options.
