I love this video...not only is it full of great ideas for the home office, but it's great to just look at...I wish I had that kind of office-it's gorgeous! I wonder how long it stayed that way though?

If you're like me, your computer is an essential tool in running your home business. For those of you with an HP notebook, there is an important announcement you need to know about. HP is acknowledging that there is a known hardware issue with certain models of their notebooks. To put it simply, the motherboards are faulty. I know this first hand because mine died 5 days ago! Fortunately HP will repair any affected notebook for free, including shipping both ways. To find out more, visit HP today!

Here is a video about starting your own business. It gives great tips and sources for anyone who wants to make the leap into being their own boss!

Here is a great video with tips on organizing and designing your home office!

This is the time of year when most of us would rather be anywhere but at our desks-and for those of us who work from home, we can be! This is one of the true benefits of working from home. If you've got a laptop you can take your office anywhere! I have a teak bistro set tucked under a big tree in my backyard. It makes a great outdoor office! If you don't have a laptop, I strongly recommend you get one. Not only is it great, and in some instances vital to be able to take your work with you anywhere, but having a laptop will come in quite handy if you ever have to evacuate your home due to floods or fire. It's so easy to simply grab your laptop and bring it and your data to safety! Something to think about.

Having a wireless or mobile broadband connection is a plus, but if you can get your work done offline, don't worry about it. In fact, without the internet to distract you you may find you get even more work done than you'd planned!

Pick a shady spot to make reading your paperwork and computer screen easier, grab the sunscreen and a cold drink, and relax. Think about how much money you're saving by not having a commute, and enjoy being a home business owner!

In the past few weeks I've weathered several small crisis'. I had a catastrophic computer crash, and then just last week a sudden death in my family. I'm sure I'm not the only one-with severe weather affecting people all over the country, floods and power outages just might affect your business next. We all know we should back up our data, but what else can you do to make sure your business runs smoothly when things go wrong? The most important thing you can do is communicate. Contact your clients and give them a brief explanation of the problem and when you expect to be available again. Most will understand-after all they are human and have probably gone through similar things themselves at one point or another. If you provide critical support services or have clients with time sensitive needs, its smart to have a list of colleagues in your field you can refer them to in your absence.

What if your business requires you to be able to get online whenever and wherever? You'll need a back up plan. A smartphone or Blackberry is a smart choice as they will allow you to be available via email, text or IM just about anywhere. It's also a good idea to have a back up computer you can access in case yours crashes. Hard drives do tend to die rather suddenly. I also highly recommend looking into getting a wireless data card from your cell provider. Not only will they allow you to use your laptop to get online in all kinds of places-even cars, they are also a lifesaver when your home Internet connection goes out (which tends to happen frequently during stormy weather, especially if you have DSL).

By making a back up plan and keeping the lines of communication as open as possible, your home business will weather any storm!

Hello my fellow home business owners! I apologize for my absence..my DSL service went out Thursday and didn't get fixed til today. Don't you just love technology?

Taxes are one area where home business owners don't have an advantage. Not only are we responsible for paying our own taxes, we often end up paying more because we have to cover all of our social security tax while those working for employers only pay about half. Worried about giving out your social security number on all the W-9 forms and other paperwork freelancers and independent contractors have to deal with? Get an Employee Identification Number or EIN. It works just like a SSN would but is a lot safer. You can get one from the IRS for free and online. Here's how:

https://sa1.www4.irs.gov/modiein/individual/index.jsp
http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=102767,00.html

Check it out and make your paperwork a little easier and a lot safer!