Take Yourself Seriously Chances are, your clients will, too.

Q: Isometimes get a negative reaction from potential customers whenthey learn I work at home. While I like being homebased, I'dconsider the additional costs and inconvenience of having anoutside office if it meant I could grow my business. Are there anysolutions short of making a move I don't really want to make?What do I say when people ask where my office is?

A:You're not alone in suspecting your clients, potentialcustomers and business associates aren't taking you seriouslybecause you're homebased. It seems strange to say this in 2001,when millions of people have migrated into home offices, mostcorporations offer formal telework options and technology is makinglocation increasingly irrelevant. You can answer e-mail, work onthe telephone, program a distant computer and participate inmeetings with people scattered all over the globe. And who knowswhere a physical Web site is located? While we're in themountains of Central California, for example, our server is inAtlanta.

So unless you volunteer information about working from home,most people won't know where you're working unless theyask. But if they do, are they really asking if your office is aspare bedroom or a high-rise office building? Probably not. So ifyou simply answer "In Palmdale" or "NorthMinneapolis," you'll probably be providing all theinformation they're seeking.