I love The Office. And one of my favorite episodes involves a debt-ridden Michael Scott trying to declare bankruptcy. As you can see, though, it doesn’t exactly go well:
Michael was looking for a quick and relatively painless solution to his money problems. However, bankruptcy usually isn’t the answer to such problems. Even though you can get some protection from your debts through bankruptcy, recent laws mean that you can’t discharge everything that you might like to. And bankruptcy might not even be the best choice. It might be better for you in the long run to try and get out …read more

I really enjoy The Office. One of the recurring themes in the show is that Michael Scott is something of an incompetent manager. However, the people working under him manage to do reasonably well in spite of his ineptitude. One of the funnier things that happens in an episode of The Office is that Michael tries to declare bankruptcy by yelling the word at his co-workers.
Well, as you know, there is more to it than that.
When you declare bankruptcy as a business, you need to go through special paperwork and protection. In some cases, if you plan to restructure as …read more

As a freelance writer, you own your own small business. So that begs a question about phone lines – should you own a business number? Here are the pros and cons:
Pros to having a Business Number:

You’ll never tie up your phone line wen other members of the family want to use it, or worry about tying up the line with personal calls when a client is trying to call.
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It helps to legitimize your business.
You don’t have to worry about accidentally dialing a client when you meant to call a friend at 2 in the morning.
You can turn off the phone …read more

A writer’s space is often a snapshot of just how successful they can expect to be during their work time. Need convincing? Just look at my workspace evolution:

I started writing when I was in college. My workspace was a desk where I also did homework, and I shared the room with one of my friends – though it was an actual apartment, not a dorm room, so we had a separate living space. I only did freelancing part-time, and my success was mild. Often, I was a bit overbooked and unorganized.

Image: sxc.hu

I then moved to my own bedroom in an …read more

It isn’t really fair that I’m giving you advice that I myself don’t follow. Well, at least not all of the time. I’m better than I used to be. The advice in question? As a freelancer, one of the first things you should do is set up a home office…and do your work there. Why?

You have to be able to shut the door and “leave the work at the office.” If you don’t, you’ll never stop working. It’s true – just ask anyone who’s ever been my roommate. It’s better to work solidly for 8 hours than on-again-off-again for 12 …read more

Recently, a new website hit the Internet to help companies in the UK make money from unused desks in their offices. Called Desk Space Genie, this website will connect businesses with empty offices to freelancers or small business owners who don’t want to rent an entire office, but want a place away from their home to work.
Says Ciaron Dunne of Desk Space Genie in the company’s press release:
The supply has been more than matched by demand, as the past decade has seen an explosion in remote working due to improvements in communications and an increased reliance on freelancers and contractors, …read more

So about 8:30 I come home with a brand new HP OfficeJet j5780 which I got from my nearby Staples. It’s cool; it’s small, it has a sheet feeder and a pretty small footprint… smaller than the one it replaced.
I’d forgotten the goat dance that goes on when you get new equipment.
First, there’s the unpacking. Then there’s taking all the shipping tape off. HP knows I won’t read a manual to start so provides a big sheet with drawings of what I’m supposed to do… which works pretty well until I get to the USB cable.
The software kept saying I …read more

Jennifer Hofmann, who blogs at MyOrganizedBiz.com, another b5media blog, posted recently an article called: Should your office be in the bedroom?
She makes a strong case that it should not, but I know I wrote in a studio where my bed turned into my desk turned into my bed (www.hiddenbed.com) for years. It was an economic necessity, and now it isn’t. I sure love having a separate office… I can even close the door on it.
But I got to wondering… Where do you write? Tell us about it.
Write well and often,

Two newsletters:
Abundant Freelance Writing – a resource for freelance writers including …read more

It’s been years since I’ve had a separate room for an office. That’s largely because I’ve chosen to live a fairly alternative lifestyle. For example, I spent 16 years aboard a wee houseboat in Sausalito in a community of artists and waterfront workers called Galilee Harbor. No office there, just a desk that looked out over the water.
When I moved to San Diego I lived aboard a different boat in a marina on Harbor Island in San Diego Bay. There my writing area also looked over the water. Most recently I was in a studio in the North Park community …read more

Okay, I’m bragging… my desk is close to tidy. Someone suggested that while a cluttered desk may be a sign of a cluttered mind, a clean desk actually opened up space for your writing business to expand.
I have no idea if that’s true or not, but the idea of cleaning up my desk so my business will grow is a much better motivator for me than the virtue of cleanliness or because it would please my mother.
So, what’s on my desk today, more or less:

Computer, monitor, track ball, printer and speakers

Solar calculator

A box of ink cartridges (hidden …read more