Be sure that you have a market for your product or services. Be sure to do your research and see if there are people out there that are willing to pay for what it is that you have to offer. Even verbal research would do the trick. Ask around the people that you know, say 40 or 50 of them, to see if your product is something that they would want or need and be willing to pay for.

Having a separate space for your office is not an absolutely needed thing, but it sure would be beneficial. You need an area that is put aside just for your work space and can be closed off from the rest of the house, even if only by a partition or divider.

A comfortable workspace to go to with your PC or laptop is helpful as well. If you spend hours at a time sitting at your computer, you may want to invest in a comfortable chair and a mouse that won't stress out your wrist.

A separate phone line, maybe even two, and a good modem are musts for your home business. Customers are apt to respond better to the phone being answered professionally by you or a businesslike voicemail than to the kids answering the phone while yelling at each other and the dog going crazy in the background. The reason for the second extra phone line is simple; so that you have a separate line for online access. If at all possible, be sure that you have a high speed DSL or cable modem.

A separate bank account is not required by law for tax purposes but it would be a lot easier to deal with if you did not mix your personal money with your business money.

You need to be sure to contact your local government to find out if you need a business license and as this will vary by jurisdiction. You must contact the IRS to get a tax ID number as this is a must.

You will want business cards, stationary with your business name and logo (if you have one) and even a fax machine. Although fax machines seem to be becoming obsolete, you still need some sort of fax capability. There is also software available that will enable you to send faxes via your computer.

Obviously there are some things I may have left out that you need, just be sure that if you plan to or think you will need something in particular, that you take care of getting what you need in advance. This will save you time and possibly the loss of a potential customer or two for not being prepared.