I just opened a new file to begin an article, turned my back for a moment and...well, you can see for yourself - Maya decided to join the process.

Just one of the challenges of working from home.

For those of you home-based business owners, you can relate, I'm sure. A few of the most common challenges:

- Talking to yourself - please tell me I'm not alone. The scary thing is I crack myself up on occasion. That's when I know it's time to call a customer and schedule a coffee meeting.

- Dress code - there isn't one. This can be a problem. I was on my never ended failure of a diet and hadn't wore my classic black suit in several months. I put it on for a big meeting in Cleveland and the skirt slipped right off. The safety pins I used to adjust the waist size sadly decided to come undone while I was sitting in said meeting so when I rose to leave...just not a pretty picture, that's all I have to say.

- Office migration - I work on a laptop and usually work in my basement office. However, on sunny, warm days, I'll work on the porch or outside, on sick days like Wednesday, I'll work from bed, and when my daughter is doing her never ending math I'll work next to her on the kitchen table. So where are my files? Here, there and everywhere.

However, the benefits out weigh the challenges. I'm here for my family. I set my own hours, which means my customers benefit from the fact that they are never far from my mind, no matter what room of the house I'm in.

It's Friday. This message is for other home-based owners like me - what are your challenges and how do you over come them? Is the weekend really a weekend for you or do you work seven days? Do you set regular hours or work on and off continually? Do you dress for work as if you were going to a more traditional job or are you still in your pjs at 10:43am?

Here are some important tips for home based business owners.