While you may not consider rugs a small or home based business need, and certainly not one that can boost your business, that may not necessarily be true.

Area rugs, in particular, can add a tremendous amount of credibility and class to your office, even if it’s in a corner of your dining room. And anything that makes your business look more professional has the potential to ultimately increase your sales. Using rugs to brighten a room, define a walkway, or serve as a room partition is not only smart, but it’s good for business as well.

You may think rugs are too expensive to take a chance on ruining them by using them in areas that customers frequent, but cheap rugs that can be replaced more readily than carpeting, linoleum or tile can actually save your business money in the long run.

Of course, you’ll want to choose rugs based on not only the size of the area to be covered, but by color and design as well. You certainly don’t want a flowery pink area rug in a room with clashing walls or paintings. Instead, choose more neutral colors for a professional atmosphere. And match them to your walls, furniture and artwork.

For instance, if your room is painted beige and your art includes modern, geometric designs, choose an area rug in browns, beiges, rusts, greens and other natural colors that include lines, borders and geometric shapes.

If your room is papered with a busy patterned wallpaper, choose a quieter rug that doesn’t compete with the pattern and that will coordinate nicely.

Rugs should complement your decor, not detract from it. And when used properly, rugs of all shapes and sizes can add flair, protection and personality to your office whether it’s in your home or in a brick and mortar building in the center of town.

We moved a few months back to a rural area where, not only do they have to pump in daylight, but high speed Internet is almost unheard of. Both cable and DSL stop about a mile from where we live!

So, like it or not, since I work at home I had to go with satellite modem. I chose Wildblue.net, owned by Google, which is another bad story in itself. But the concept of “cyber stress” became a reality in my life.

Not only in the way it’s presented in the article Dealing with technological stress found at Web-Articles.info, which deals with the fact that the new technologies we all use every day now are causing stress on our bodies, but in the sense that this technology can stress you out! (Or at least it does me!)

This article talks about concepts that you’ve probably heard of before—how using computers and other virtual technology can lead to a variety of problems, including “repetitive strain injuries, muscle and back problems, tendonitis, eyestrain, blurred vision and e-thrombosis (blood clots in the heart or blood vessels caused by sitting at a computer for long periods of time).

The point is that we need to take better care of ourselves by sitting properly, using more ergonomically designed equipment, using glare screens, and such.

I don’t know about you, and while I totally agree that these are issues we should all be dealing with, my main concern is the rise in blood pressure when I have to sit for a full five minutes to load a web page using my “high speed” satellite connection that I’m paying $80 a month for!

No, I don’t mean in failing to spend time with them (which I hope you don’t neglect, either). But are you neglecting to care for them in case something should – heaven forbid! – happen to you?

As entrepreneurs and home-based business owners, we sometimes neglect to consider that if we should die, our family could be in a dire financial situation. Since we’re no longer working for an employer who generally provides life insurance, it’s up to us to ensure our family is provided for in the unlikely event that we should meet with an accident or fatal illness

So let me ask you this: Do have adequate life insurance? No, I haven’t gone into the insurance business and I’m not an affiliate for an insurance company. It’s just that this topic of conversation has come up around our house quite often lately, so I wanted to bring it to your attention as well.

The nice thing is, with the Internet being what it is, we don’t even have to leave home to buy insurance anymore. And no salesman has to call in our home. It’s really simple now.

• Just find a provider online.

One company you may want to try is Advantage TermLife. I’m not affiliated with them in any way, but they have a nice site that’s easy to navigate and that seems to offer a variety of services for anyone looking for life insurance.

• Decide what type of insurance you want.

There’s information on the site to help you made a decision as to whether you want term life insurance or whole life insurance with a definition of both so you know what would be best for your family.

• Request a quote online.

Give some basic information about your family and your needs using Advantage’s simple form.

• And get a rate comparison right there online.

I think that’s pretty cool.

You can get a quote by phone, of course, if you prefer. But I love the convenience of the web and I like the fact that I can do this on my time.

Working from home is such a blessing. We need to be sure we don’t let it become a curse for our families after we’re gone.

NOTE: Enjoy this guest article from Shelby of Working at home with 3 boys.

As a work at home mom, I am always looking for new ideas and businesses that will not only make money, but will work into my schedule and help my family as well. And, anytime you are looking for ways to work from home, you get bombarded with literally thousands of ideas and companies. How do you know what to choose? How can you wade through all the hype and figure out what will work best for you?

One of the main concerns people have with home businesses are the start up costs. Why do I have to pay to work from home? The answer is, you don’t. If you are simply looking for a work at home “job”, then you should NEVER pay for information or to work for a company.

BUT, if you are looking at a work at home business, then you will have to incur some start up costs. Most of the home based businesses today have a “kit” or “starter pack” that you can purchase that will give you all the information, paperwork and sometimes even products that you will need for your business. They cannot give all of that stuff for free, so there must be a “cost” to the business owner. Let’s face it. If you just wanted to clean houses for other people, you would still have costs of gas and cleaning supplies.

Now, one of the best reasons for having a home based business is the tax benefits. You can deduct the cost of supplies, business kits, websites, Internet, etc., as these are a “cost” of doing your business. The more expenses you can use to offset your income, the less you will have to pay in taxes. Even when your business is profitable, you can still look like you earn less because of all the deductions you are allowed to take for your business.

Have a great and profitable day!

Shelby
P. S. If you are someone who loves to travel and would like to have a home business and receive up to 70% off on travel, take a look at Unselfish Wealth at http://unselfishwealth.com. This is a newer company with a great concept of helping others instead of only helping yourself.

Whether you work outside the home or walk to the spare bedroom to run your business, mornings can be hectic. Establishing a few simple routines will eliminate some of the morning madness that plagues every work-at-home mom or dad.

• Have each child select the next day’s clothes before going to bed at night.

• Plan breakfast menus in advance and do as much preparation the night before as you can to give you a jumpstart on your day.

• Set the alarm ten minutes earlier to give yourself some quiet time before waking the kids.

• If your children are schooled outside the home, create a central location for items that go with them such as homework, school books, lunch boxes, etc. so everything is easy to find when it’s time to leave.

• Set the kitchen timer to remind your children when it’s time to catch the bus, or if your kids are home all day, to let them know it’s time to make their beds and clean their rooms and time for you to go to work.

With routines in place, you’ll find it’s much easier to get yourself on track each day and your typical morning madness will virtually disappear!