Anne Wayman is a freelance writer, but she also knows the value of taking yourself seriously as a business person. Freelance writing is a 
business, as much as making widgets is a business, so starting a freelance business means doing the same things you would do if you were opening a store or selling a product on Etsy.
When she started her business, Anne says she decided to take herself seriously by doing several things:
1. She got a separate business checking account. Excellent idea. I advocate business owners, even sole proprietors, getting a separate business checking account. For businesses that could run into problems with the IRS as “hobby” businesses (like craft businesses), having a separate business checking account helps maintain that separation. It may not convince the IRS your business isn’t a hobby, but it might help.
2. She set up a separate home office space. Make sure the space is used regularly and (this is the tough part) exclusively for business, if you want to take a tax deduction for the space. Even if you decide not to take the tax deduction, having a specific space for your business helps make you feel…and act…more professional.
3. And she got business cards. I’m not sure about this one, only because so many solo business owners operate almost exclusively on the Internet. Who are you going to give your business card to? If you have a local business, sure, that’s great. Otherwise, save the money.
Track expenses. I would replace Anne’s third item with the requirement that you track all your expenses. If you plan to file a tax return for your income, you must have some expenses to offset that income. If you don’t track those expenses, you can’t deduct them. Find some ways to make tracking expenses easy (read Anne’s suggestions for keeping track of expenses).
You get the idea. Starting a business rests as much in your mind as it does on paper. If you want customers, suppliers, even friends and family, to take your business seriously, you must take yourself seriously and act like a real business. Do all the things a big business does. Who knows, maybe you will become a big business some day?
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