Business Opportunities Weblog

September 25, 2007 by Rich Whittle | 2 Comments

FSB Magazine:

Every morning I wake up at 4:30, brush my teeth, and head to the office wearing pajamas. I don’t travel far – my desk is in my bedroom’s walk-in closet.

My husband, Tom, and I started our 12-employee firm, Atlantic Infra-red, in 2002 out of our home in Point Pleasant Beach, N.J. We own five trucks equipped with infrared technology, which we use to restore asphalt surfaces, mostly on heavily traveled roads. Our revenues hit $1.2 million in 2006.

At first I kept my work papers piled on the bedroom floor and used a little computer desk on rollers. But last year, when we finally turned a profit, I decided to reward myself. I contacted California Closets (californiaclosets.com), whose workers came in, drafted a design, and renovated a 40-square-foot area in the front of my closet to fit a 36-inch desk and shelves. (My clothes still hang in the back.) It cost about $4,000.

The construction business starts early in the morning – by 6:30 I’m on the phone talking to clients and directing employees in the field.

I hold most meetings at the kitchen table, but if we need access to paperwork, we move upstairs to the closet. No one really likes being there. There’s no air conditioning, and only one visitor at a time can fit, sitting on a kitchen stool.

To limit clutter, I do almost everything on my laptop.

Photo by Amy Eckert.

In Self-employed, Women, Work at Home | 2 Comments