If there is one common experience that all new home-based business owners have, it's the perception that their new business cannot be a serious venture, if it's based at home.

Let's face it, it's really just a hobby isn't it? Or you just like walking around with only half your clothes on. Or, (my favourite) you're really only doing it to supplement your real job.

Mind you, some new business operators don't make matters easy for themselves when they don't run their business on a professional basis.

So here are some tips to get the message across that you are running a business and not sitting on your backside all day, watching Jerry Springer.

1. Act Professional

Just because you work at home doesn't mean you should relax your standards.

When the phone rings, answer it promptly ( no more than three rings!) and courteously.

'Good morning, Jenny's gift boutique. Jenny speaking and how may I help you'? will win you more business than 'Ahhh, yeah, hi. Can I help you'?

Remember, customers and clients form their first impressions, in most cases, from their first interaction with your business (i.e. their first phone call).

If they are impressed with your phone style, they will certainly want to do business with you.

2. Flexibility

Remember the ad on television where the guy goes into a phone company to change his phone plan and the girl on the desk simply says 'Sorry, someone else does that sort of thing'.

Actually, that wasn't an ad, it was real life!

Congratulations to that company, another successful loss of a customer.

As a home-based business owner, you are in the perfect position to meet your customer's needs.

You are not hamstrung with regulations like big business so you can move easily to be flexible and accommodate your customers.

Capitalise on that!!

3. Pro-Activeness

Your livelihood depends on this.

The job is not finished when you receive the order and get paid.

The job is never finished!!

You should always be looking for ways to cross-sell, obtain customer feedback and improve your products and service.

Big business is always slow to act on this matter and therefore leaves the opportunity for a niche-focused businessperson, such as yourself, to sneak in and show the customer what you can do.

Always challenge yourself and ask 'How could I have serviced that customer better'?.

4. Get Rid of Friends and Family

Boy, does that sound harsh!!

Unfortunately, there are times when friends and family feel they have the right to access you whenever they feel like it.

Lay down the rules and take no prisoners!!

Tell them when you are working, what rooms are off limits during what hours and that you are not to be disturbed unless they wish to have certain anatomical operations performed on them without anesthetic (husbands, take note!).

Pretty soon, they start to understand and they may be sooky at the start, but hey, you're the one trying to earn a livelihood!

So there you have it, a few tips to adopt when you first start out to ensure that your home based business is perceived to be exactly what you want it to be.