Original post date: 2/21/22

Written by: Carla Lopez of boomerbiz.org

Starting your own business is an exciting thing. Being your own boss and being able to spend more time at home can be a dream come true, but figuring out the logistics of running your business from home can be challenging. These tips from Burr Consulting can help you establish your business and set up the perfect home office space, so you can get down to business right away.

Establishing Your Business

One of the first steps of opening a business is deciding how you want to file. Do you want to form a corporation, be a sole proprietor, organize a partnership or something else? As you weigh your options, note that for small businesses, filing as a limited liability company, or LLC, can have many advantages. As the name implies, an LLC limits the liability you incur as a business owner. Unlike a partnership or sole proprietorship, owners of LLCs don’t risk losing personal assets to repay debts or settle lawsuits if their business gets into trouble.

Along with creating an entity for your business, you’ll need to file an annual report each year. While this isn’t a huge project, it will take some of your focus away from running your business. The filing process can be simplified by filing online.

Setting Up Your Office Space

Once you have all of the paperwork out of the way, it’s time to set up the perfect office space in your home. Your office should be a place where you feel comfortable, relaxed, happy and productive. Investing in your home office can do wonders for your job satisfaction and the success of your business. First, Architectural Digest explains you’ll need to determine how much space you need, any business-specific needs and the style that you want. Then, you can get to planning!

Some homes just don’t have enough space to accommodate an office, and a small home shouldn’t hold your business back. If you need more room, research your market and talk to a realtor about buying a new home. You can explain your price range and exactly what you want for your home office and living space, and receive personalized help finding the perfect house that fits all of your needs and your budget.

Sometimes, a house has a room that would be perfect for an office, but it needs a little bit of TLC to spruce the place up. If that’s the case for you, then consider renovating the existing space. Small changes, such as adding new lighting, replacing furniture, adding an area rug, and hanging up some wall art can go a long way in creating your dream office. These quick and easy projects will help set up an incredible office in no time, so you can get to work right away.

If you already have a home office but the area has some room for improvement, consider redesigning your office space. You can build an addition to increase your office space, remove walls to improve the layout or make cosmetic changes. These design changes will help you create a brand new office that’s perfect for you and your business.

Whatever you decide to do, be diligent about keeping and storing receipts and any necessary documentation. Purchases for your business can be included as tax deductions, while renovations can increase your home’s value and need a paper trail to back it up. Stay organized by keeping all your files digitally organized in one place. You can even combine PDFs into one file so that you’ve got everything in a single place.

There’s a lot of work that goes into running a home business, but the payoff is well worth it. Setting up your home-based business right from the beginning puts you on a strong foundation for success.

Burr Consulting can help your business solve critical HR issues. Reach out to learn how we can help your organization. 607-227-4386

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Published by Mathew W. Burr, MJ-LEL, MBA, MHRIR, GPHR, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, CPHR-INT, Chartered CIPD

Mathew W. Burr, MJ-LEL, MBA, MHRIR, GPHR, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, CPHR-INT, Chartered MCIPD Lean Six Sigma Black Belt ABOUT: Matthew Burr has over 18-years of experience working in the human resources field, starting his career as an Industrial Relations Intern at Kennedy Valve Manufacturing to most recently founding and managing a human resource consulting company; Burr Consulting, LLC, Talentscape, LLC and Co-Owner of Labor Love, a Labor, and Employment Law poster printing company. Prior to founding the consulting firm, the majority of his career was heavy industry manufacturing and healthcare. He specializes in compliance auditing, training labor and employment law, conflict resolution, performance management, labor, and employment relations. Matthew has a generalist background in HR and operations, while providing strategic HR and operational solutions to his clients, focusing on small and medium sized organizations. He works as an Adjunct at Alfred State University, Tompkins Cortland Community College, and Montgomery Community College. He successfully designed an HR Concentration in the business management major that aligned with both SHRM and HRCI certifications, providing opportunities for students to sit for both the SHRM-CP and aPHR certifications upon completion of the degree, concentration, and internship hours as an Assistant Professor of Management at Elmira College (Retired January 2022). Matthew is also the SHRM Certification Exam Instructor, with a current pass rate of 92% on the SHRM-SCP and 83% pass rate on the SHRM-CP and a combined 88% on both exams over a 7-year period of instructing the course (Elmira College, Collin College & The College of St. Rose). Matthew works as a trainer at Tompkins Cortland Community College, Corning Community College, Broome Community College, and HR Instructor for Certification Preparation for the Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI). He also acts as an On-Call Mediator and Factfinder through the Public Employment Relations Board in New York State, working with public sector employers and labor unions. PUBLICATIONS: Matthew has over 70+ publications including, American Bar Association (ABA) Experience Magazine, Cornell HR Review, Business Insider, New York State Bar Association (NYSBA), PayScale, Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), and Expert 360 (in Australia). In early 2017, he published his first book, “$74,000 in 24 Months: How I killed my student loans (and you can too!),” proceeded by his second book, which was published in January 2021, “Slay the Student Loan Dragon: Tips and Tricks on How to Conquer the Student Loan Game” and his most recent book, “Unbox Your HR Career” in July 2023. VOLUNTEER WORK: Matthew is currently the New York State Society of Human Resource Management (NYSSHRM) District-Director. EDUCATION & TRAINING: Additional Training & Development:  SHRM Workplace Coaching and Mentoring Recertification Program, 2020  SHRM Foundation Employing Abilities @Work Certificate, 2020  SHRM Foundation Veterans at Work Certificate Program, 2018  Delta County Chamber of Commerce: Delta Force Leadership Program, 2013 FEATURED IN & ON: Matthew was featured on CNN Money, Fast Company, Fits Small Business, Fox News, Magnify Money, Monster.com, My Twin Tiers, Namely, Student Loan Hero, Smart Sheet and CEO Blog Nation, Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI), Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM). Burr Consulting, LLC Capabilities Statement General Information: Burr Consulting, LLC Owner: Matthew W. Burr Mission Statement: “Strategically Aligning HR as a Partner for the Success of Your Business” Contact Information: Burr Consulting, LLC What's New in HR Blog Talentscape, LLC Labor Love, LLC (Labor Posters) The HR Support Center The Upstate HR Podcast (607)227-4386 Matthew@Burrconsultingllc.com Facebook: Burr Consulting, LLC LinkedIn: Burr Consulting, LLC Twitter: @Burrconsulting Online Certification Verification: Credibly Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) Number: 080776443 NAICS Codes: 541612, 923130, 54161, 541611, 541613, 611430, 541618, 561312, 561311 SIC: 8742, 8748, 9441, 8748001, 8748026 Our Services HR MANAGEMENT New Hire Orientation; Temporary HR Support; Recruiting and Application Tracking; HR Compliance (ADA, FMLA); Employee Handbook; Policy and Procedure; HRIS; HR Audits; Job Profile Design and Revision; HR Key Performance Indicators; EEO Reporting and Classification; State Unemployment Insurance Services TRAINING & TRAINING DEVELOPMENT Organizational Development; Employee Relations; Workplace Violence; Harassment & Sexual Harassment; Union Awareness; Managerial EMPLOYEE & LABOR RELATIONS Employee Relations Training; Conflict Resolution; Mentoring; Workplace Investigations; Labor Contract Costing; Mediation & Arbitration Prep; Fact-Finding; Workplace Investigations; Coaching & Counseling; Performance Reviews; Contingency Plan Development; Contingency Plan Training; State of New York Public Employment Relations Board (PERB)PERB Mediation and Fact-Finding Panels (Albany, NY covering the Elmira, NY Area) HIRING & RECRUITMENT Applicant Tracking Systems; Metric Development; Interview Training; Workforce Planning; Recruitment; Interviews; Job Offers; New Hire Process POLICY & COMPENSATION Group Plans – Healthcare, Dental, Vision, Group Life, Short- and Long-Term Disability; Retirement – 401(k), Profit Sharing, Roth; Workers Compensation; Total Compensation Design and Strategy; Deferred Compensation Plans; Salary Surveys; Reward Systems; Online Payroll; Customized Payroll Processing; Employee Self Service; Customized Reporting HR COMPLIANCE MATERIALS Burr Consulting, LLC is excited to announce a new partnership with Labor Love LLC, expanding our services to include HR printed materials compliant with industry standards.

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