On the up side of "expenses," keep in mind that you can take some of those expenses of a home business off of your taxes. Your supplies, electricity, phone/internet feess. Not sure if the rules have changed; when I had a business from home, you had to be able to show a profit w/in 3 years.
If you have your taxes done professionally, you might want to check with them; if not, check with an accountant.
I left the following on another LA thread. I find it annoying when I look at a website that is for business and there are links that do not work, errors, missing info, etc.
If you do have a website or blog that provides information, please be sure that it is correct and complete. If I'm looking at posts/websites/blogs that have errors (typos, mis-spellings, etc.), links that do not work, or do not have basic information (quilting options, estimated pricing), I'm not likely to send a quilt that I've invested in to be quilted by that individual.
Not having pictures linked somewhere is definitely a deal-breaker for me. One other thing that I dislike is having to pay upfront, even if it is "only" 50%. None of the quilters that are local charge prior to the work being done, and honestly, I don't know why this would be required anyhow. If you are trying to establish/build a business, I think you have to be willing to put yourself out there, and risk receiving a quilt that you don't get paid for. But you'd have the protection of having the quilt - so no payment, no completed quilt returned. On the other hand, if a top is sent out at the sewer's expense, plus payment made up front, what assurance does the sewer have that the quilt would be returned? I say, send or post pictures at completion and expect payment prior to shipping the quilt home.
The recent addition of feedback should also help folks who are in business.
My comments are not intended to upset anyone; rather, I hope that they will be helpful for anyone who is wanting to offer a product or service. They are meant to help those who are in business, and not to be taken personally.