Tell us a little about your business.
I do professional administrative services for small business in my area. I offer professional word processing, data entry, reports, general office overflow assistance, correspondence, and reminder services, mass mailing, bookkeeping, business forms, graphs, charts, newsletters, brochures, flyers, desktop publishing with color printing, and matching business cards, letterhead, and envelopes.

Why did you decide to start your own business?
I started my own business because I needed to work at home after I was in an accident that hurt my back very badly. Then when I could have went back to work I wanted to be a stay at home mom. And now with a 3 month old son, I am glad I did.

How did you get started?
I was scammed into buying a disk for $50 that contained names of businesses that were in my area. I could have very easily have looked up the numbers myself had I known that was what I was paying for. When I looked over the disk I choose people in my immediate area and told them what I had to offer.

What makes your company unique?
Because I do all the work myself and from my home I can afford to charge less than the competition and still offer my clients fast turn over and high quality.

Were any special skills/training required? Where did you get this training/experience?
I didn't have any special training I just learned the software I needed and then kept experimenting so I could learn neat tricks that grab peoples attention.

What were the approximate start-up costs?
Excluding the cost of the disk, my start up cost was very little. I already had the computer and the software, so all I needed was to pay for was envelopes, stamps, paper and time.

Did it require any special purchases (equipment, inventory)?
I didn't need any equipment because I already had the computer and software plus the printer.

What difficulties did you encounter starting out?
I started to get discouraged at first when I did not receive any replies but I just stuck with it.

How many hours do you work in a typical week?
I can work from 15 to 25 hours. It all depends on how many clients that week and what they would like done. I would like to expand my hours though.

What are some ways you market your business? What method has worked best for you?
I haven't really marketed my company although I have sent out letters and placed my business cards on bulletin boards.

What has been most rewarding about working for yourself?
For me the most rewarding thing is to be home with my son. I think all children need a parent at home to be there for them.

What has been most frustrating?
I think the most frustrating thing is trying to separate home from work an trying to fight off the isolation blues.

How do you separate work from home?
My fiancee takes our son and I work or else I work when he is sleeping. When I am working, that is it. I don't think about anything else, unless he wakes up. It is just work time.

How do you handle working at home with children? I work around his schedule, but still meet my deadlines.

What advice do you have for others starting their own business?
Do not give up. It will happen. Just keep trying and don't let anyone discourage you. And don't fall for any scams. If it seems to good to be true, it is. Even if it doesn't seem to good, it probably still is. Your best bet is to trust yourself and succeed.