Dr. Jean Murray, whose “swipe” file tips I published recently, has written a post, Keep Your Small Business Going After Surgery,  at Small Business Boomers that may be of interest.  Jean’s small business actually is a home business, so her suggestions on keeping her business going should prove helpful.
Many of us will encounter illnesses, disabilities, whether short term or long.  Jean’s was knee replacement surgery, and she’s looking at having the second knee done in November.  She should find her own tips helpful in preparing for this next surgery.
If you’ve encountered illness or surgery, how did you manage your business?

Dr. Jean Murray, a home business owner, business consultant and former blogger here at Home Biz Notes, gives us an idea for developing promotional materials.  Here is Dr. Jean’s tip as a guest post. 
As you start thinking about how you will market your business, consider a “swipe” file.  A swipe file is a collection of marketing materials that you collect and save, because you like the look or think they might be a good way to market your practice.
In other words, you “swipe” these ideas from others. I ‘m not saying you will steal someone’s idea, but you can use the “swipe” …read more

In Jean Murray’s guest post, Working at Home with Your Spouse, she discusses sharing an office with her husband, both of whom work at different businesses. 
What if you and your spouse work at the same home business, as my husband and I do?  As my dad and mom did on their farm?  As my classmate’s parents did operating a country general store?
What problems do you encounter and how do you solve them?

Both of you are different personalities and may tackle the jobs in your business differently.  It may be a challenge at first to work together, especially if this is something …read more

We have a guest post today from Jean Murray, a former blogger at Home Biz Notes and currently the Small Business blogger at Bizzia.  Jean also has a home business and shares an office with her husband. 
Working with Your Spouse
How would you like to work with your spouse, in the same room?  Every day?  Could you do it? Could you do it at home?
 My husband retired from his job of 27 years last June and he immediately started to work for a small company where he is now able to work much of the time from home.  I semi-retired …read more

Jean Murray, who has blogged here at Home Biz Notes, both as a guest blogger and regular blogger, now writes about Small Business at Bizzia.  She recently published an excellent post about the pros and cons of starting a home business.
Very often, when someone thinks of expanding their hobby into an income producing venture or starting a home business entirely new, they consider only the thrill of working for themselves.  They fail to look at the downside of a home business.  Yes, there are downsides, as well as the advantages of working from home and setting a somewhat flexible schedule.
What …read more

Introducing Jean Murray 
I’m pleased to announce that Yvonne Russell and I leave you in good hands here at Home Biz Notes with Jean Murray starting on November 1.  As we pursue other ventures, Jean will provide you with helpful home business tips and news.
Jean is a business consultant, as well as blogger at b5media’s Small Business Boomers.  Stay tuned, and tomorrow you’ll learn more about Jean as she introduces herself and lets you know what she has planned for Home Biz Notes.

HomeBizNotes.com
Jean Murray, at Small Business Boomers, has a great post with information about what the IRS (Internal Revenue Service in the US) considers a true business. You might like to check out her, Boomers Retiring to “Fun” Businesses: Is birdwatching a business?
She mentions some of the criteria the IRS uses to determine whether you’re en titled to deduct your losses from the business you’re operating or starting up. Jean does mention that writing is one business that’s easier to justify some of your expenses under the “hobby loss” rules than others.
(Amazon image)
(c)2008 Mary Emma Allen

By Jean Murray
Jeffrey Landers has written a book titled The Home Office from Hell Cure (Entrepreneur Press). He writes about two kinds of entrepreneurs – the Growth Maven and the Lifestyle Guru. This book was a huge revelation to me.
When I first envisioned my home business, I imagined myself a Growth Maven. I had big ideas about “passive income” and making lots of money sitting around waiting for the checks to come in. I planned out a huge empire which would eventually grow from my home office to a 20,000 square foot facility with …read more

HomeBizNotes.com

By Jean Murray
If you want your home business to succeed, there are only two things you need to do:
1. Find customers/clients
2. Get them to pay you.
There are lots of reasons why people don’t pay:

They don’t have the money
They don’t have the money today
They don’t think you’re worth it
They don’t think the price is fair
They think if they don’t pay, you’ll forget about them (LOL!)

I’ve developed some tips for getting paid and wanted …read more