While you may be able to cut corners on furniture, do not scrimp on telephone service, experts advise. A separate business line is essential, as are fax and retrievable voice messaging. Trying to balance work and personal calls on a residential phone line ends up sounding unprofessional and practically guarantees lost business, said Kathryn Stafford, an Ohio State University associate professor who has researched home-based businesses nationwide, including in Hawaii. Stafford said virtually anything that helps clients reach a home-based enterprise is worthwhile, including such simple but often overlooked tasks as getting listed in print and online business directories. If someone is on the premises because of a business transaction and gets hurt, that's not covered by your personal homeowners policy.
Most people underestimate.
Not to mention those paid vacations, holidays and sick days. To get the flexibility they find they have to put in more hours. Some feel isolated and off the career track, others spend their own money and time to get supplies freely available at headquarters. For anyone working at home, whether self-employed or as an employee, there's a constant struggle to balance work and personal time. Barb Niehaus of Cincinnati has been doing it for 12 years, first as a marketing analyst for another company and since last spring as the publisher of a free online newsletter devoted to helping people find and create legitimate home-based jobs.