| There are literally thousands of businesses a person | | | | pipe out to the drums. The material was pumped into |
| can get into and operate from home. There is a | | | | tank in a small room at the back of the office and a |
| difference between a home based business and a | | | | surfactant was added (the secret ingredient) and |
| work at home business. In a Home Based Business, | | | | then bottled and boxed. One box of product was |
| the home is the base for booking, bookkeeping and | | | | nine bottles which made forty five gallons of |
| equipment while the work is preformed away from | | | | ready-to-us material. The package weighed ten |
| home. In this scenario, people call in and place work | | | | pounds, easy to handle and cost little to ship. I made |
| orders and the technicians respond. An example of | | | | my own box labels but had the bottles screened |
| home based businesses are: carpet cleaners, carpet | | | | printed and shipped to me. |
| layers, painters, plumbers, yard services and so on. | | | | The product was a one of a kind product that deep |
| These services go from their homes each day, | | | | cleaned by using static attraction. It saved the |
| preform a service and return home at days end. | | | | customer many hours of labor and restored their |
| Their bookkeeping is kept, usually in one designated | | | | carpet in the process. One of the most active |
| room of the house where it can be credited for IRS | | | | customers was hospitals. At one time I was shipping |
| purposes. | | | | to hospitals in every state and of every size. |
| A work at home business is different in the since | | | | But this is only one business you can run from your |
| that the work itself is preformed at home. Many | | | | home. There's one big problem. If your not self |
| times the business person travel from the home to | | | | motivated, forget it and go get a job. You absolutely |
| acquire supplies and returns them back for | | | | have to treat it as any other job. You have get up |
| manufacturing of sorts. This type of business range | | | | and be in the office at the same time every day. |
| from sewing to mixing non toxic, non volatile | | | | Your customers expect it of you and if you want to |
| chemicals. I includes Furniture repair and refurbishing, | | | | keep them you will do it. |
| upholstering, picture frames, raising dog kennel. Auto | | | | Better be a Jack of all Trades. |
| detailing, small engine repair and so on. | | | | It's up to you to make the sales calls, send letters, |
| On the one hand the work is preformed away from | | | | mix and bottle the product, ship it, bill the customer, |
| the home, Home Based and the other instance the | | | | do collections, and keep the IRS happy. You have to |
| work is preformed in the home. | | | | know the local rules for businesses, pay your local |
| Here Comes The Good Old IRS | | | | and state taxes, keep up on Environmental |
| The IRS will allow you to designate a portion of the | | | | Protection laws, find the best shipper, and know |
| home for tax write off. Is is better, if possible to | | | | everything there is to know about the product and |
| have a free standing building detach from the home | | | | its application. |
| because you can write off all its expenses. If you | | | | You are the chief cook and bottle washer, and don't |
| have a detached garage or tool stead use them for | | | | forget it. You fool around and don't pay attention, |
| your business office or workroom. Have a telephone | | | | the business suffers. It will only do for you what you |
| installed, that shows you are permanent. If you are in | | | | do for it. Think you can run off and play golf, forget |
| a neighborhood, do not put up sighs most cities do | | | | it, there's always something else that needs to be |
| not allow it. | | | | done. The only glory in being a small business owner |
| Most service business do not require customers to | | | | is, it's yours, kind of like being married - except you |
| come to their place of business anyway. All business | | | | get to set the rules. You do the planing in how much |
| transactions are done by telephone. Advertise your | | | | you will make and you will get a big dose of the free |
| telephone number not your address. Even if you are | | | | enterprise system, from the inside out. Make no |
| giving you customers 30 days to pay, give them a | | | | mistake about it, it is not easy. No matter what the |
| box number to respond to. Mail boxes can be rented | | | | Government says, they don't want you to be in |
| from the US Postal, Mail Boxes or US, The UPS | | | | business for yourself. They want you to draw a |
| stores and other places as well. | | | | regular paycheck where they can take their cut |
| In the house or not? | | | | without hassle. They don't like doing audits and |
| Ideally, You can operate from a garage located on | | | | messing around with your few thousand dollars when |
| the lot next to your home. This way your home has | | | | they can go after much bigger pickings. |
| one address and the business has another. I did this | | | | Even Your bank won't believe you. |
| for years, it worked out great. The second lot was | | | | Another little tidbit, when you are self employed, |
| zoned commercial so I could have large trucks deliver | | | | people think you are unemployed. If you want to get |
| without problems. UPS also made daily pickups for | | | | a loan for a car or house, get ready to show |
| must less charge because of the commercial address. | | | | everything you have done from day one and |
| As it worked out the rent and expenses on the | | | | beyond. You have to keep good records, or have a |
| office was almost as much as the house payment, | | | | CPA do it for you. I went to buy a house, the lender |
| that worked very well with the IRS. Be warned | | | | wouldn't believe my IRS filings, I had to go to a CPA |
| though, the office had its own address and was used | | | | for verification. All in all I wouldn't have had it any |
| only for business and as so, could be written off as a | | | | other way. I'm too dang hard headed to work for |
| tax liability. | | | | someone and can't stand working with someone. So |
| Specialty Chemicals, easy to make easy to sell. | | | | you make up your mind, working from home is and |
| We produced carpet cleaning chemicals. A commercial | | | | experience like no other. |
| mixer would mix the product to our specifications, | | | | Is it worth it? Well, I have to say yes, for the strong |
| put it in fifty five gallon drums and deliver it to us. I | | | | willed and no for the follower who is comfortable |
| build a loading dock at one side of the building and ran | | | | working for retirement. |