1 00:00:02,11 --> 00:00:05,30 Because you know that there are over twenty five hundred home based businesses in 2 00:00:05,31 --> 00:00:09,15 your county alone today we're catching up with one of them Melissa James from 3 00:00:09,16 --> 00:00:13,38 creative copy and design Hi I'm Chris Stevens and this is coffee at home so let's 4 00:00:13,39 --> 00:00:19,15 see if she's got my coffee ready OK well I'm going to say OK for having me share on 5 00:00:19,16 --> 00:00:19,48 that. 6 00:00:37,70 --> 00:00:38,59 First I want to start with 7 00:00:38,60 --> 00:00:41,76 a little bit about your background profession you personally come and tell me the 8 00:00:41,77 --> 00:00:45,90 story go with you to coming home to operate your business I never thought I'd be 9 00:00:45,91 --> 00:00:48,35 here I you know I was 10 00:00:48,36 --> 00:00:52,83 a very happy office worker and love dressing up going to work every day and could 11 00:00:52,84 --> 00:00:57,87 not imagine being alone at home every day back as it happens I just started 12 00:00:57,88 --> 00:01:00,57 a little side area and said Well let me let me do 13 00:01:00,58 --> 00:01:04,39 a little bit of freelancing people would say you know could you write something for 14 00:01:04,40 --> 00:01:08,03 me I've got this website can you write some software could you help me with this 15 00:01:08,04 --> 00:01:13,36 letter counts for sure and I just kind of blew up from there and that was back in 16 00:01:13,37 --> 00:01:17,91 two thousand and eight and so I as time progressed and I did more and more work on 17 00:01:17,92 --> 00:01:22,99 my business and less and less as an office worker So what do you like most about it 18 00:01:23,00 --> 00:01:27,40 but what if you thought it was challenging I think what I like most is being able 19 00:01:27,41 --> 00:01:31,16 to be comfortable I you know desks chairs you hire how many cushions 20 00:01:31,17 --> 00:01:36,06 a foot on moon are really just not that comfortable I mean come on I like to sit 21 00:01:36,07 --> 00:01:41,60 crisscross apple sauce I like to just curl up on the couch I work from then I work 22 00:01:41,61 --> 00:01:46,24 from the spring porch I just I find where I can just kind of curl up and get 23 00:01:46,25 --> 00:01:47,77 creative I'm going to create 24 00:01:47,78 --> 00:01:53,59 a job I've got to come up with ideas from nowhere and I can borrow a line from and 25 00:01:53,60 --> 00:01:58,58 a Green Gables my house give me more scope for imagination so I can go out to my 26 00:01:58,59 --> 00:02:01,14 garden and picks and strawberries and just think of 27 00:02:01,15 --> 00:02:05,29 a good headline come back and sit down and pop it out if I was sitting in 28 00:02:05,30 --> 00:02:11,10 a cubicle or at an office that doesn't necessarily happen as easily do household 29 00:02:11,11 --> 00:02:16,59 destructions ever take your focus away from work or working on Paul is saying here 30 00:02:16,88 --> 00:02:18,05 is a you know it's 31 00:02:18,06 --> 00:02:23,51 a balancing act that you learned I. Actually cast their my coworkers and I you know 32 00:02:23,57 --> 00:02:26,80 they're great coerced because they don't steal your life they don't gossip behind 33 00:02:26,81 --> 00:02:31,46 your back but I assume as I get on the call I want to start from the outing to the 34 00:02:31,47 --> 00:02:36,54 faggot and say I never fails I do not you know worked out that system quite yet so 35 00:02:36,55 --> 00:02:39,86 can you give an example of me of you one of your clients and what type of things 36 00:02:39,87 --> 00:02:44,83 that might do for them well my longest time client is smart beginnings and your 37 00:02:44,84 --> 00:02:48,42 finance a lot and they advocate for early childhood and that's 38 00:02:48,43 --> 00:02:52,03 a cost that not only am I getting paid to do work but I feel like I'm making 39 00:02:52,04 --> 00:02:55,12 a difference in our community which I love and I do 40 00:02:55,13 --> 00:02:59,51 a lot of different marketing materials for them i do their website brochures 41 00:02:59,55 --> 00:03:04,13 business cards I fund raising letters for them and really that 42 00:03:04,43 --> 00:03:07,52 a lot of what I do for them rather than the average of what I offer for any of my 43 00:03:07,53 --> 00:03:08,56 clients I have 44 00:03:08,57 --> 00:03:12,56 a big variety and what I do with my pets and that's why I just want to congratulate 45 00:03:12,57 --> 00:03:15,97 you on all your success something you've got some major clients and you've done the 46 00:03:16,01 --> 00:03:20,32 really great things for them you have an awesome business you will balance work and 47 00:03:20,33 --> 00:03:25,32 life together literally in the same place yeah so I know it can't be easy but I 48 00:03:25,33 --> 00:03:29,78 know it can be done so what advice would you give to someone who may be thinking 49 00:03:29,79 --> 00:03:30,61 about starting 50 00:03:30,62 --> 00:03:35,69 a business and working from home questioned Wow I wish that I had come to the 51 00:03:36,00 --> 00:03:39,87 economic development office first when I started out rather than finding things out 52 00:03:39,88 --> 00:03:43,83 through trial and error now that I will in work over at the county and attending 53 00:03:43,84 --> 00:03:47,41 these events I would my eyes are open to all these different opportunities that are 54 00:03:47,42 --> 00:03:52,35 there so I would tell somebody come up first find out ways that they can help you 55 00:03:52,39 --> 00:03:55,20 people they can connect us you might not have the you know maybe 56 00:03:55,21 --> 00:03:59,54 a good accountant to make sure you know how to file all the different paperwork you 57 00:03:59,55 --> 00:04:04,13 know becoming I'll see it with its own process for me and it really helps 58 00:04:04,14 --> 00:04:08,18 a lot you know want to make any missteps start your business well listen if you so 59 00:04:08,19 --> 00:04:14,02 much for having me here today because via your home. I wish you much success you've 60 00:04:14,03 --> 00:04:14,19 done 61 00:04:14,20 --> 00:04:18,19 a great job so far and I hope that you can sort of the people today this is been 62 00:04:18,20 --> 00:04:19,96 coffee among them will see you next time.