Every home-based entrepreneur should have a dedicated workspace.

This space should be furnished with office furniture, even if it’s secondhand, and if you have children make it clear that your office is off-limits. Keep your home office orderly, you’ll find that you get more work done, and also invest in all the office equipment you require to work efficiently. Creating a dedicated workspace helps you to focus on work, free of the distractions that prevent many home-based entrepreneurs from not achieving what they set out to achieve.

Every home-based entrepreneur should have a regular meeting space.

This space should not be at your home but rather in a business centre, and as mentioned above, this space can be rented by the hour with discounts afforded to those who join business lounge and related programmes. By meeting with your clients in a professional meeting environment you’re projecting an image of professionalism and this image counts for a lot.

Every home-based entrepreneur should have access to professional business support services.

This is essentially the outsourcing of admin and related duties. This doesn’t refer to mail forwarding and phone answering, as these are included in a virtual office package along with a business address, which is something that every home-based entrepreneur should have, but more so access to services that can be conveniently outsourced like spreadsheeting and word processing. Outsourcing tasks like these provides the entrepreneur with more time to concentrate on bigger things.

Every home-based entrepreneur should have their phone calls answered by a receptionist.

 This also helps home-based entrepreneurs project an image of business professionalism and it’s a great way to make a favourable first impression upon new clients. Virtual office packages are available in the same business centres where an office space rental in Manhattan would be sourced, and in addition to having one’s phone calls answered and forwarded, they can also have their mail sent there too.

Every home-based entrepreneur should have the ability to ‘workshift’.

 ‘Workshifting’, a relatively new term, is the ability of a worker, or in this case an entrepreneur, to work outside the office. This means that they are able to work whilst on the move and therefore work from cafes, hotel lobbies, etc. There are products available that help entrepreneurs to work more effectively when away from their home office, such as business lounge membership packages, and for meetings; conference and meetings rooms, which as mentioned above, can be hired by the hour.

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That being said, there are still situations that require businesspersons to pack a bag, board a plane and jump cities from time to time. However, the school of business travel is not as strong as it once was, and many have lost touch with the art of travelling for work without bowling yourself over with stress.

With that in mind, have a look at the following four tricks that all business travellers should master:

1.Leverage Your Smart Phone to its Fullest Potential

We all know that smart phones open up a host of opportunities and functionalities through the suite of apps that powers them. However, few of us leverage the power of our smart phones to anywhere near their fullest potential. This goes twice over for business travellers. Just take the following two situations as examples:

– You’re sitting at the airport and would like to log onto the Internet while you’re waiting, but the Wi-Fi fees are absurd. However, assuming you have a comprehensive data package, all it takes is a few swipes and taps, and your phone will be broadcasting wireless Internet that you can pick up with your notebook or tablet.

–  You are at the car hire kiosk and would like to upgrade to a GPS navigation model. However, rather than shell out the extra quid, you just take the basic model, then use a special stand to mount your smart phone as a GPS navigator in your car. You get all the functionality (albeit on a slightly smaller, but still mounted, screen) with no extra surcharges.

2.Tap in to Every Global Network You Can 

This depends a great deal on the types of membership you company offers. One of the most lucrative (and increasingly common) is membership with an office services provider. Businesses that sign up can take advantage of virtual office services, an international network of temporary offices and facilities and – perhaps most important to the business traveller – an extensive network of more than 1,500 business lounges around the world. These little oases are just what most business travellers need after a stressful day in transit.

3.Learn How to Travel Light

Packing light saves on times, money and the need to trust other people with your belongings. In so many words, it eliminates stress. Can you fit everything you need into a single tote or carry-on bag? While the answer certainly depends on the nature of your trip, it’s duration and the size of your bag, there is still an art to packing. The trick is knowing what you will and won’t need. In terms of clothing, it also doesn’t hurt to tweak the wisdom of Willie Nelson: know when to roll ‘em, know when to fold ‘em.

4.Become a ‘Trusted Traveler’

This is especially important if you do much travelling inside of US borders. With a nominal fee and a little bit of pre-screening, you can join the ranks of travellers who are known to and trusted by US Customs and Border Protection. This means that you can enter the airport, check in at a special kiosk and bypass the security nightmare that most travellers start fretting over the night before they depart. ‘Trusted Traveler’ status lasts for five years and works for security checks in Canada, as well.

Author: Matthew Parry – Follow him on Google+.

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