There are a ton of benefits to having a home-based business. To name a few: being able to set up meetings and run errands on a more flexible schedule, the ability to maintain the kind of environment you want— everything from the paint on the walls to the thermostat, you avoid some major overhead that a small business housed elsewhere would usually incur, and the commute is pretty easy on the gas tank, too! But, be careful not to make the mistake of getting too comfy-cozy when working from home, lest you come across unprofessional. Here are some details to keep in mind:

1. Set actual workday hours, communicate them to your clients and vendors, and stick to them! This isn’t to say you shouldn’t take meetings out, or run errands during those hours, but being consistent overall will eliminate a lot of confusion and runaround when people are trying to reach you.
2. Get dressed for work. Even though you can hang out in your PJs all day doesn’t mean you should. Studies show that if you look ready for work you’ll be more likely to come to the table, office, or laptop with gusto and get your work done. Your focus will be easier to come by if you feel put together.
3. Always answer your phone professionally. “Thank you for calling Business ABC, Inc. This is Margo, how may I help you?” -vs- “Hello?” or  “Hey, Name of Caller (because I have Caller ID and I think I know that it’s you.)” Starting off the conversation with your company’s name reinforces your brand — as does asking how you may help the caller. Taking care to answer professionally also helps to instill your caller’s confidence – and the more confidence they have in you, the more likely they are to do business with you again and again.
4. Don’t communicate your personal goings-on just because you are in a personal setting. If you just hopped out of bed, or out of the shower, or are actually still in your pajamas, your clients don’t need to know. Focus on projecting a professional atmosphere.
5. Know that sound carries. Don’t let a noisy household carry over the phone…washer and dryer running, TV, children playing, dogs barking… Be sure to communicate your office hours to those sharing your home so that they can respect that time and give you the peace and quiet you need to manage your company effectively.

Projecting a professional image when you’re working from home will help make your “home, sweet home” a “business, sweet business!”

Recently a good friend said to me “It’s the journey that’s important.” As a young woman attending a liberal arts university in Seattle I was immersed in this concept. Each moment was “the point,” whether I was attending a lecture or drinking wine and solving the world’s problems with my peers. As an English major I read the Odyssey and though I was not fond of almost any of the characters (I found almost all of them to be cranky or whiny), I came away with a profound conviction to live my life, not with my eyes fixed on some future prize but with my attention on the now, on the journey. As I get older I find that it is easy to lose that immediacy. As adults, with bills to pay and retirement to plan for and perhaps children to worry about, it is so easy to allow ourselves to stress about the future and have little time for today.

You may be wondering why I’m blathering at you like you’re one of my old friends drinking three dollar Merlot and posturing toward world peace. “What does this have to do with building a strong business?” But think about it a second. As business men and women, if we are constantly looking at the bottom line instead of focusing on the current project or fretting over what’s coming next our business will never flourish as much as it can. The journey is what is important. Each project deserves full attention. Each moment is an opportunity to put your best foot forward with a client. Each interaction or communication is the chance to build relationship and solidify a strong foundation within your network. So to pay it forward, hopefully this blog post will bring you back into the moment and set you back on your journey a little more awake to the now than you were before, like my friend did for me. Allow your attention to be drawn to what is in front of you with a glance here and there to what’s ahead instead of the reverse and you will find that your work comes out higher quality, your collaborations go more smoothly, your clients feel more taken care of, and you feel more fulfilled.

It’s the new year, and many of us have made resolutions. “This year I will be more organized.”  “This year I will be more efficient with my resources.”  “This year I will be healthier.” This article addresses health during the workday. It gives eight excellent tips on how to make it through the day and come out the other end healthier and happier. These are all tips that you know–I guarantee it–but sometimes it’s good to be reminded of the fundamentals. Here’s to a happy and healthier new year to us all.

Click image to download as your desktop wallpaper. Enjoy!

WARNING: Very sappy, but very heartfelt post ahead.

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it at least hundreds of times: we, here at Visage, are privileged to know and work with the best people out there. It’s true. Not a day goes by that I don’t thank my lucky stars for you. Yes, YOU — clients, friends, vendors and Visage team members. As we close out this year and embark on a new one, I can’t help but be grateful for these relationships and excited for the year ahead. With that, I introduce our newest desktop wallpaper. It was inspired by you and I dedicate it to you. I hope you’ll take its message to heart and put it on your desktop as a daily reminder of your amazing-ness. Thank you, from me and the entire Visage team, for a wonderful 2011 and wishing you a new year that totally shines!

Warmly,
Lori

Visage Creative is kicking off December with some great deals as we Countdown to the Holidays! These are special offers designed to help you find just the right something for your clients, staff, family, or even just to spoil yourself a little. With the holidays right around the corner, these offers will end soon so place your order today.

To kick things off, warm up this winter with a hint of chili and the loving comfort of chocolate with these Chris In The Kitchen Decadent Chocolate Chili Bites. These bites come eight to a container decorated with a festive personalized label designed by Visage Creative and topped with a bow. This holiday pack of 8-ish ounces of rich, gooey chocolate love is available exclusively through Visage Creative through December 12th.

Chris’s Chocolate Chili Bites are decadent homemade morsels of pure indulgence.

These deliciously-moist brownie bites are made with rich dark chocolate and a sneaky hint of Ancho and Cayenne chili – just to spice things up a teeny-tiny bit. Says Jerri K. of Mesa, AZ, “These chili bites are the best! The company my husband works for ordered eight dozen to give as employee appreciation gifts, and they were a big hit. They’re now a ‘must have’ for my holiday treat list.”

Made with eggs, sugar, dark chocolate, butter, flour, Cayenne and Ancho chili powder.

• $9 per pack+ $6 shipping (USPS Priority Mail) and handling
• Free delivery for orders of two or more holiday packs to the same delivery location within the Phoenix area.
• Orders must be placed by 7p (MST), December 12th.
• Local deliveries and shipments (via USPS Priority Mail) will be made on December 15th.
• Contact us at 480.471.6393 for special ordering and/or shipping requests.

Buy Now

1 Holiday Pack of Chili Bites with USPS Priority Mail Shipping • $15.00  

2 Holiday Packs of Chili Bites with Free Local Delivery • $18.00  

NOTE: Want more than one or two packs? Quantities may be adjusted upon checkout.

Click image to download as your desktop wallpaper. Enjoy!

It’s been a busy holiday season already for those of us here at Visage Creative, and I imagine it has been for all of you as well. There are projects to get done, events to plan,  parties to attend, presents to buy, family and friends to send greetings to. The holidays can really give you a headache if you let them, not to mention put a damper on any creative juices that may have been stirring before you looked at the calendar one day in October and realized how few shopping days there were left. This year, though,  our creative team has constructed a beautiful new desktop for our daily viewing pleasure to remind us of the most wonderful part of the holiday season–the child-like joy. It is that joy that turns us into little kids this time of year, on the edge of our seats to see how Crazy Uncle B. will like the funky pair of socks we got him, or if the card we wrote our mom will make her cry as much as we did when we wrote it. This time of year, during Christmas, Hanukkah, New Years, or whatever special holiday you look forward to, may those visions of sugar plums that kept you awake at night as a little one, desperate for the day to be here, inspire you again. May your creative juices flow with the delight of a holiday season unmatched in its sweet, yummy, dreamy goodness!

It’s been a crazy-busy year for Visage – in a wonderful way. But, so crazy-busy that I’m just finally getting a chance to formally introduce our newest Visage team member. Please meet Christine Smith. Christine joined us in August to help facilitate processes for our growing company. As with all small businesses, we worker bees tend to wear many hats and, therefore, conventional titles seem, well, insufficient. If we were to give Christine a suitable title, it would look something like this: Creative Contributor, Client Services Rep, Marketing Assistant, and Office Manager — Extraordinaire!

Christine has a BA from Seattle Pacific University in Literature and Creative Non-Fiction Writing, is a former Editor-in-Chief of Lingua Arts Journal, former PR and Business Manager of Second Essence Arts Journal, and worked for two years in the non-profit sector in Seattle after college. She moved to Phoenix in 2009 where she resides with her husband Ian, their brand new baby girl Charlotte, and their felines Townes and Nori.

Christine’s experience, talents, enthusiasm and can-do, let’s-get-’er-done attitude make her a perfect fit for our company. “I’m excited and proud to be a part of Visage Creative and its beloved network of clients and friends,” Christine says. I say, “We’re excited and proud to have you on our team, Christine! Welcome aboard!”