Want to escape home office?
A contest sponsor is looking for the funniest top 10 list about home offices.

Sara Isaac | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted January 15, 2007

Do you have the home office from hell?

Half of the nation's businesses are home-based, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, which means that about 8.25 million entrepreneurs work from home. And working out of the house can have its advantages -- the lack of a commute and low overhead costs chief among them.

But there are also disadvantages. It can be difficult to keep your nose to the grindstone when laundry and other housekeeping duties are staring you in the face. It also can be hard to maintain a professional image -- particularly if your dog is a barker, or your kids decide it's time for a knock-down-drag-out fight just when you get an important phone call.

If you're dying to get out of the house and into your own office, Office2Share.com is sponsoring a contest for you.

The Home Office from Hell winner will receive a free office for a year, a trip to New York City to have lunch with George Ross of The Apprentice, and Dell office equipment.

Office2Share is looking for the funniest top 10 list of reasons you want to escape your home office. Entries are due by March 31. Submissions can be made at www.offices2share.com/contest.

Last year's winner was Jason Welshonse of Ancient Geek in the San Francisco Bay area. His winning top 10 entry:

1. I have to yell "Phone!" really loud when the phone rings to make sure all TVs and radios get muted so I can answer it.

2. I have started to refer to my pets as employees.

3. My customers are starting to think there are a lot of dogs around my office because my dog always barks when I pick up the phone.

4. I have started answering my home phone with my company name.

5. I had a crazy subcontractor threatening to come to my home to pick up his last check instead of waiting for the mail.

6. It's WAY too easy to go to work on my day off. It's Saturday at 11 p.m. and I'm entering a contest to win office space.

7. I'd rather watch Oprah at 4 p.m. than do my billing.

8. It's hard to cram 10 computers into a spare bedroom. Although I don't need to turn on the heat in the winter.

9. When potential clients hear that I work out of my home, they respond with: "Oh, so you're not a REAL business."

10. When FedEx wants to deliver a package, they want to know if it's a home or office. I always answer "Yes."

Speaking of contests

With cameos by folks from The Apprentice -- Ace Hardware is giving away a store location as part of its Dream Ace contest.

Apprentice winner Bill Rancic will be touring the country to promote the Ace contest, which will give a location worth about $1 million to the winning contestant.

Applications can be submitted until the end of this month at www.dreamacehardware.com.

With 4,600 hardware, home center and building materials stores that generate annual retail sales of more than $13 billion, Ace Hardware of Oak Brook, Ill., is the largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative in the industry.

Briefly . . .

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer will give a talk on "The Outlook for 2007" at a breakfast 8:30-9:30 a.m. Jan. 23 at the Disney/SBA National Entrepreneur Center, 315 E. Robinson St. in downtown Orlando. The breakfast, sponsored by the Orlando chapter of SCORE, is free and open to the public. For reservations, call 407-420-4843. . . .

Waste Pro of Florida Inc. has been awarded the Small Business Subcontractor of the Year award by Kennedy Space Center. The Longwood-based solid-waste collection and disposal company has been hauling trash at KSC for three years.