The Benefits of Starting A Home Business

• No long traffic jams or the stress of worrying about driving in bad weather. You won't have the stress of taking your kids to daycare and trying to get to work on time. Consequently, after work, you won't have the stress of picking your kids up from daycare on time. Many child care providers charge a large fee for overtime, and many get very upset when the children are picked up late.
  

• The flexibility and freedom to set your own hours. By having the flexibility to manage your own time, you can take some time off to run errands, drive your children to their after school activities, or just take a breather for yourself. Maybe you want to visit someone in the hospital, or just spend time with your family. This doesn't mean you work less; it just means you have the personal freedom to set your hours to your own convenience.
  

• You are your own boss. You don't have to be accountable to anyone but yourself. You make the rules. You don't have to experience the stress and grief an unfair and egotistical boss an puts upon you. Many people bring their job related concerns, fears and frustrations home with them and everyone in the home suffers. Job related stress can even cause marriages to break up.

• You get to keep all of the profits. You are not down somewhere on the job pole making beans, while the person on the top is keeping all of the profits.

• No office politics. You won't have any co-workers, so you won't have the stress of not getting along with them. This kind of stress can eat away at the inner core of your being and make the hours in the office seem like an eternity.

• You get to spend time with your children. Raising your own children is important. Why would you want to have children and then drop them at a sitter's house or a daycare provider? By working at home, you choose your personal hours and business hours to fit your needs. You can also hire a nanny to look after your children while working. Nannies love being there for children so you can still devote the necessary hours to your work.

• You have the freedom to be as creative as you want and you can outsource what you aren't good at doing. There will be no one limiting your talents or tying you down.

• You won't be tied down by someone else's demands. Are you often expected to work overtime? Are you worried about losing your job if you don't? Do you feel pressured to work on your days off or take work home? Working at home means you schedule your time at your own convenience and there will be no one demanding that you work on your personal time with family and friends.

• Tax Advantages. Owning a home-based business can literally save you thousands of dollars a year in taxes by allowing you to turn personal expenses into legitimate allowable deductions. You should talk to your accountant about allowable tax deductions, but I will list a few:

1. Auto Expenses
2. Education/Training Expenses
3. Business Entertaining
4. Travel
5. Interest and carrying charges on credit cards and business loans are fully tax-deductible.
6. Computers and Software. Check with your accountant about he rules that apply to your business.
7. Charitable Contributions are deductible. Rules vary depending on how your business is registered.
8. All Advertising. Anything involved in advertising or promoting your business, i.e. business cards, classified ads, yellow pages, brochures, flyers, internet advertising, etc.
9. Household Expenses. This can be one of your most valuable deductions. To qualify, a percentage of your home must be used "exclusively and on a regular basis" for your business.

• The following are often overlooked expenses:

1. Snow removal and lawn maintenance.
2. Household maintenance = would be deducted on percentage basis.
3. Homeowner's insurance, utilities and related expenses based on the percentage of the use in the home office.
4. Office furniture and equipment up to a certain amount can be deducted in one year.
5. A percentage of all household expenses, including property taxes, mortgage interest, homeowner's insurance, utilities, property maintenance, alarm systems, snow removal, grass cutting, etc.
6. Improvement costs to your office space.
   
7. Business related long distance services.

****If you are planning to sell your house within the next several years, consult your accountant about the tax ramifications.

The following is a list of business expenses. This list is not inclusive. If any item your are thinking of using as a business tax deduction is not on this list, that doesn't mean it's not legitimate. Check with your accountant or tax professional.

• Accounting & Legal fees (related to business activities)
• Advertising expenses
• Automobile expenses
• Bad Debts
• Bank Charges
• Business Taxes & Business Licenses
• Collection Agency Fees
• Conference and Convention Fees
• Consultation Fees
• Interest Expenses (on money borrowed to run your business)
• Insurance Expenses (for buildings, machinery or equipment)
• ISP Fees (business use)
• Membership Dues (for business-related organizations)
• Meals and Entertainment Expenses
• Office Rent Expenses
• Office Supplies Expenses
• Postage & Courier Expenses
• Private Health Service Plan (PHSP) premiums
• Promotion Expenses
• Property Taxes
• Repair & Maintenance Expenses
• Salaries of Employees-including family members
• Telephone/Telecommunications Expenses
• Travel Expenses
• Utilities

These are the many benefits of having a home business. You can choose how you work and with who you work with. Working at home doesn't mean working less, but it can mean working smarter, not harder.