The small office, home office idea is one that has been around for decades now. You might remember that there are very famous corporations now that once started out of a basement or a garage, those locations essentially SOHO's.

Two prominent corporations are Apple Inc. and Google. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak started building their computers out of a garage. Google was conceptualized in a bedroom at some suburban home. These are just examples of how great it can be to start a SOHO and how things can turn out with a little perseverance and time. So, do you want to give it a shot? Think first of the things that you will need. Here are a few suggestions.

• Space – Of course, just like any other office, the first thing you need is a small space where you can run all of your business operations. You will have to consider whether or not you will have a walk-in kind of set up where customers can actually come in and talk to you about your products.

For a case like this, it is best to use your garage or any other space that does not reveal other parts of your house while you are conducting business. However, if you are not expecting to have walk-in customers, then it can be a whole lot easier. Any space in your house can instantly become an office space. The most likely areas are your basement, part of your living room, or part of your bedroom if you are not sharing it with anyone else. Make sure that you have space for all the furniture that you are going to use for your office.

• Furniture – Of course, the next thing that comes to mind is what items you will need for your office space. You will most likely be using a computer or a laptop so the first thing you need is a big table where you can place the machine.

Make sure there is enough space for other items related to your business like books, pencils, lamps, etc. You will also need a filing cabinet for all the reports or papers that you will be compiling in your home business. Remember, just because you are working from your home office does not mean that there will be no paper work involved.

• A license – Most importantly, you will need some kind of license to operate your home business. Make sure that you attend to all the legal matters surrounding your SOHO and make sure you have all the right permits. Otherwise, you will end up having to close your business. There are many areas that may not allow the kind of activity that you are planning so do a little research before you jump into anything that you will end up losing in the end.

These are just the basic things that you need to prepare to start yourself off on your SOHO business. Who knows? With the right preparation and determination you just may find yourself being the next Steve Jobs or the next Google in a few years time.