Or perhaps it's a picture of a man who's lounged by the pool laughing and talking on his cordless phone while his children are floating around in the pool.



Let's pause for a reality check.

As I type this, I'm holding an 18-month old who has barged into my office and demanded his favorite past-time: to sit on my lap while listening to iTunes. (Right now, we're listening to "How Long" by The Eagles and he's desperately trying to climb onto the keyboard to get my iPhone.)

In fact, less than an hour ago, I had a phone call from a potential business partner who had to hold for a moment as I made sure that my oldest son had his phone charged and knew to be careful crossing the street to go to his friend's house.

Of course, I could close the door. I could ask my wife to watch him for a bit while I take care of some business.

And sometimes I do that. But, usually, I'm doing business or taking calls throughout the day while I'm enjoying being with my family.

Welcome to the Home Office of the 21st Century Family: Where family is the top priority and we don't feel the need to pretend that our home office is a picture from a magazine.

It wasn't always like that, though. I remember not too long ago, if the phone rang, I was shrieking at everyone to be quiet because I was "working". Or I spent huge swaths of time with the door to my office closed because I was "working".

What a drag. What's the point in working at home if you have to pretend you're in a corporate environment? Or where everyone is walking around on emotional eggshells because they're so stressed out.

I suspect that most home-business entrepreneurs are living the same way and doing it for the same reason: fear.

They're afraid that if someone hears a child in the background, it means they're not "professional". But the truth is that most of the people you talk to would love to be able to work from home and be with their loved ones every day. And this is especially true if you're in a business where showing people how to get out of the corporate environment is what you do.

The truth is that working at home and being connected with your family is cool today. Today's best "power lunch" is when you're making money while slicing a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich for your kids. And the best suits to wear when doing business is a swimsuit.

Just this week, I was on the phone with a potential business partner and my son, Pate, came in to get a hug and a kiss before going to bed. I asked my prospect to hang on, laid the phone on the desk and spent the next 45 seconds tickling my son, telling him how much I love him and that I'd see him in the morning.

When I picked up the phone, I said, "There was a time I would have apologized for that but that's actually the whole reason why I do what I do."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone and my prospect said, "That's the kind of life I want. How do I get started?"

And of course, when the situation requires, you can always close your door. There's nothing wrong with that, either. It's all about choice.

So, the message is simple: don't be too quick to assume that working at home requires you to be "slick" or "professional".

I earn a multiple six-figure income from home and I've been able to do that while enjoying my family; not hiding them. Don't expect that I'll always answer the phone if you call my office.

And if I do, you might just hear the sounds of The Eagles or a Nintendo Wii in the background.