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Barking dogs. Screaming kids. Those now-infamous leaf blowers.Your neighbor's blaring radio.
What do the above have in common? That's right--noise. Andunfortunately, noise seems to be an inescapable part of our dailylives. Hearing loss is on the rise, and according to Newsweek, morethan 20 million Americans are regularly exposed to dangerous noiselevels. From street traffic to airplanes to lawn mowers, noisesurrounds us day in and day out. And urban areas--home to countlesshomebased businesses--are most at risk. Consider this: The ambientnoise level in our big cities increases one decibel every decade,says acoustical scientist David Lubman.
Noise affects more than just your ears: Think high bloodpressure, a faster heart rate and sleep disturbances, all of whichcan hurt you and your business. "It's more of a problemthan has been recognized, and it's growing," says Lubman,founder of Westminster, California, acoustical consulting firmDavid Lubman & Associates.
Homebased business owners regularly struggle with noisepollution, and Lubman is no exception. He considers the worstoffenders to be neighborhood lawn mowers and leaf blowers."They drive me crazy," he says.
If noise interferes with your concentration, invest in someearplugs. Remember that solid walls keep out more noise than wallswith windows. If working with a view is a priority, considerinstalling double-paned windows, which help block noise. You canalso purchase thicker "sound-rated" doors to achievesimilar results. And if you're in the market for a new home,determine beforehand the sorts of noise you'll encounterthroughout the day.
No matter what you do, realize that it's impossible tocompletely insulate yourself. While some people carry on inblissful oblivion, we are all victims of a world that's justplain noisy.
Talk Show: Leaf Me Alone
It's one of those peaceful mornings when I savor working athome. Birds chirp, the sun shines--all's right with the world.I pour a steaming mug of coffee, open the window to bask in thegentle breeze and sit down to make my first call of the day.
"Good morning, Mr. Wilson," I say in my brightestphone voice. "This is Ka--" GRRZZKK!!!GRZZBRAGGHH!!!
Agh! Like a quarterback diving for the end zone, I hurl myselfacross the room to shut the window, step on the cat, knock over mycoffee, scald my shin, utter some choice words and lunge back tohang up the phone, praying that my client doesn't realize whojust called him. The leaf blowers are at it again.
Leaf blowers? No, they aren't giant mutant insects, butnoisy machines used by gardeners on whom Southern Californiahomeowners rely to keep their lawns neat. (At press time, a ban onblowers had sparked a battle between the Los Angeles City Counciland the gardeners, who claim they can't work without themachines.)
Gardeners say the ban on blowers will destroy their livelihood.What about my livelihood? It's tough landing new clients.It's even tougher when your calls sound like they're comingfrom a phone booth next to LAX.
It all boils down to this: Would a homebased business thatspewed pollution, blew dust all over the neighborhood, and madesounds loud enough to wake the dead at 7 a.m. be in business forlong? I rest my case.
In the meantime, I highly recommend Mack's Pillow Softearplugs.
Independents' Day
By G. David Doran
If you're an independent contractor or use the services ofone, take a lesson from the following: Eight workers who signedfreelance contracts with Microsoft between 1987 and 1990 sued foreligibility to participate in the company's stock purchaseprogram after an IRS audit reclassified them as Microsoftemployees. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of theworkers, saying the so-called independent contractors did much thesame work as Microsoft's regular employees. Microsoft then tookthe case to the U.S. Supreme Court. In January, the Supreme Courtlet the lower court's decision stand, making Microsoft liablefor millions of dollars in back benefits as well as IRS taxes andfines.
How can homebased business owners who hire independentcontractors protect themselves from a legal nightmare like this?According to Dennis R. Bonessa, a labor law attorney with Reed,Smith, Shaw and McClay in Pittsburgh, business owners shouldexamine the IRS' 20-question test to make sure the worker is anindependent contractor. "It boils down to the ability tocontrol how and when a job is done and whether or not theindependent contractor [offers his or her services] to thepublic," says Bonessa.
If you're an independent contractor working from home, makesure you pass the IRS test. While independent contractorscan lose their home office and business deductions if they'rereclassified, the company they work for often has to payretroactive taxes and fines, which may cause it to be gun-shy abouthiring independent contractors in the future. For more onindependent contractors and the IRS, see "Legal Ease,"February.
Class Act
By Cynthia E. Griffin
Long before soho became a buzzword of the '90s, the DuquesneUniversity Chrysler Corp. Small Business Development Center (SBDC)in Pittsburgh was catering to the needs of homebased entrepreneurs.This June, the center is holding its 10th annual homebased businessconference.
The conference is a perfect example of the above-and-beyondsupport of homebased business that has made Duquesne a role modelin its field. Sixteen workshops covering topics such as marketing,financing, the Internet, hot businesses, recordkeeping and legalissues will be featured at the daylong meeting. Vendors, includingbanks, software and computer companies, credit card services, andother companies providing services to homebased business owners,will also be exhibiting.
In addition to helping homebased businesses, the SBDC conducts abiannual zoning study for Allegheny County in Pennsylvania. Theresults of the study help entrepreneurs learn about zoning laws inthe county's municipalities and find resources to tackle zoningproblems. Sometimes, entrepreneurs come in just to peruse thecenter's homebased business library.
Beginning in June, the center will also co-host monthlybreakfast meetings. "Homebased business owners have a problemwith accountability," says Laura M. Magone, manager of programdevelopment. "These breakfast meetings are designed to providea buddy with whom homebased entrepreneurs can review goals andobjectives."
Contact the SBDC at (412) 396-6233 or e-mail duqsbdc@duq.edu
Healthy Returns
By Charlotte Mulhern
As if you can fit anything else into your already crampedschedule . . .
Actually, you can--and you should, especially when it comes toexercise and healthy eating. "One of the biggest challengesfor [people] who work in their homes is finding time forthemselves," says Connie Diekman of the American DieteticAssociation.
While too many of us dedicate all our time to thebusiness--leaving nothing for our own well-being--the good news isthat it's easy to get back on the right track. And the betternews? You won't regret it once you give it a try. When you takecare of your health, you feel better. And the better you feel, themore productive you'll be in your business. To get started,Diekman offers these tips:
- Plan your schedule as if you still worked in the corporateworld. When your schedule is determined by someone else, it'svery clear when you're working and when you're not, saysDiekman. When you're working at home, it's often hard toseparate the two.
Make an extra effort to decide when you're going to work andwhen you're going to take breaks. In other words, plan your ownschedule, and make sure it's the one that works best for you.Plan regular mealtimes--and take them. Schedule time to stretch andexercise--and do it. Write everything down in your daily planner asreminders.
- Pretend you can't go back into the kitchen once you'vegone to the office. This accomplishes two goals: saving time andcontrolling your temptation to snack. Start your day with a healthybreakfast, then put everything else you'll need for the day inyour office: bottled water, a bagged lunch and healthy snacks suchas bagels, rice cakes, popcorn, pretzels, low-fat crackers, fruitand veggies. That way, Diekman says, "When you want to eat, itwon't take 10 minutes to figure out what to fix and another 10to fix it."
- Plan exercises that are quick, easy and don't requiresophisticated equipment. Stretching is always a simple--andideal--solution. When you're sitting at your desk, twist yourankles, do leg lifts under the desk, and do arm bends, reaches, andother movements that give you flexibility. "These might nothave a lot of aerobic benefit, but they'll help you feel betterand keep you from being stiff from sitting," saysDiekman.
Try walking. If you take an hour for lunch, eat for half thetime and walk around your neighborhood for the other half--thefresh air will improve your emotional well-being and rejuvenateyour senses. If you don't have that much time, schedule quick10-minute walks throughout the day.
- Learn to appreciate the benefits of healthy living. Once youcontrol your diet and exercise regularly, you'll achieve acomfortable balance between work and play and will feel moremotivated, energetic and keep your weight under control. "Butif you don't have a schedule," warns Diekman,"you'll find yourself working whenever, and theneverything else goes out the window." Don't let thathappen to you.
Your Chance To Win
Top of the world. Lonely at the top. Top dog. Straight to thetop. Let's face it, our society is obsessed with being numberone. Lately, we've been giving this number-one thing a lot ofthought, too. This thought turned into a quest, and the questbecame a contest: Office Depot and Entrepreneur'sHomeOffice magazine's first-ever search for the SmallBusiness Owner of the Year.
Maybe you can help us. If you've been in business for atleast a year, are a founder and majority owner of your company, andemploy fewer than 100 people, enter the contest (see details onpage 94). In exchange, we'll give you the opportunity to win agrand prize of $5,000 in merchandise from Office Depot, plus a fewextra bonus prizes. Who knows? Our quest for the Small BusinessOwner of the Year could lead directly to your welcome mat, andthat's something you'd be hard pressed to top.
Solitary Confinement
Have You placed yourself under "house arrest"?Loneliness is the number-one complaint I hear from homebasedbusiness owners. I've been working from home for more than 30delightful, richly social years, and I'm convinced that mostpeople who experience working solo as a curse have brought it onthemselves.
Because most homebased business owners have left salaried jobsto go out on their own, they often experience withdrawal from thebuzz of water-cooler gossip, office politics, professional ladderclimbing and--let's be honest--office flirtations. Suddenly,everything's quiet. A "social event" in a typicalhome office is when you waylay your mail carrier or check youre-mail.
Working from home is the traditional American way of life. Abouta hundred years ago, 90 percent of us were self-employed, asdoctors used their living rooms to treat patients and shopkeepersoften lived behind their stores. Business, family and socialactivities were played out together in overlapping spaces.
Today, with all the communication tools every home office uses,we are slipping into a "virtual" life that may bring usbusiness contacts across the globe but doesn't satisfy our needto mix it up. Having a computer, a modem, a telephone and atelevision, plus services that deliver everything from software tochampagne, allows us to cocoon. And that's why we slip-slideinto shells of apparent self-sufficiency. Then we complain aboutbeing lonely outposts of entrepreneurship. We may be"wired," but we don't feel connected. We begin tomiss the corporate office maze of cubicles. Sure, they were"veal fattening pens," but at least we went to lunchevery day with colleagues and friends.
So why trade the corporate beehive for a home office hamstercage? Get out there and boogie, dear pioneers. You'rereinventing the original spirit of enterprise that was the earliesttheme of American life--living resourcefully and independently butin the spirit of community.
Some advice? Make it a central part of your professional freedomto celebrate that long-awaited phone call or new client by goingout to lunch. And why not have lunch with your old company gang?You'll be keeping old friendships alive and may find newcontacts to help your career thrive. Or invite them over for abarbecue. Another way to stay connected is to give back to yourcommunity. Here are three examples:
- A consultant can devote his or her trouble-shooting skills toproblem-solving at a local school, civic group or charitableorganization.
- A tax preparer can offer free services to low-incomepeople.
- A landscape designer can organize a team to clean up a favoritepark.
Also consider teaming up with another homebased business, onethat complements your service or product, turning community serviceinto a team sport. The word-of-mouth appreciation that hums throughyour community will be music to your ears.
Remember, you're working from home, not justat home. Stay in touch.
Contact Sources
American Dietetic Association, (800) 366-1655
David Lubman & Associates, (714) 373-3050, dlubman@ix.netcom.com
Home office workshop leader and author Jeff Berner can bereached at
