Even though you work from home, it doesn’t mean you can just leave your files everywhere, meet prospective clients in your living room, or use personal phones to transact business. If you want your customers to take you and your business seriously, you need to have a home office, no matter how small. An office will also help you separate your family or personal affairs from business.

Here are some steps that will help you in building a home office:

Step 1: Find a perfect spot in your home for your office. A separate room, no matter how small, is ideal because you can set a boundary between your home and office.

If you can’t find a separate room for your home office, you should somehow place dividers or walls. The divider will make your workstation look more professional and conducive to working. You need to let your kids and other family members learn the importance of respecting your place of work.

Step 2: Make an office floor plan. Determine the arrangement of your furniture and equipment. Ensure that the things that you will need everyday are within your reach. The arrangement of home-based workstations is usually U-shaped, but you can use an L-shaped setup if your space is cramped and small.

Step 3: Plan your wiring requisites. You should take into consideration electrical outlets, phone and coaxial cable jacks that you will need to ensure the smooth operation of your business. You might also want to consider investing in a surge protector. This will protect your equipment and increase its useful life.

Step 4: Invest in two telephone lines for your business. One is to take calls, while the other is for fax or Internet connections. Some telephone companies provide discounts for small-to-medium-sized businesses so don’t forget to ask your provider.

Step 5: Buy office equipment and furniture that will fit your plan. You need to make sure that the things that you will be using in your office will match the theme of your office and the available space.

Tables, desk lamps, chairs, shelves are the major fixtures you will need in your home office. Meanwhile, the important electronic devices that you should have are computer (desktop or laptop), fax machine, and photocopier. In fact, you can buy machines that are multi-functional, such as a printer that can also be used as a scanner, fax and photocopier.

Follow these 5 simple steps, and I am sure you will find it easy to set up your own home-based office.

Stumble it!