It’s another Expert Briefs, where I ask really smart business owners to answer your burning questions.

If you've missed past Expert Briefs, you can click on the undies to see them all –>

This week we're getting a little personal and taking a closer look at how the experts on our panel work day-to-day.

People oftentimes ask about my home office and how I've set it up. I thought it would be fun to share pics or videos of our offices this week.

Give us a tour and show us where you work.

Back in 2010, I asked my Expert Briefs panel this very question. If you'd like to go back into the archives, you can read that one here: Internet Marketers Home Offices

Let's have a peek into the office life of a successful internet entrepreneur ….

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Terry Dean of My Marketing Coach gave us a video tour:

Note from Nik: Hoooooly crud is he organized! 🙂 And, cute dog, Terry! I love German Shepherds.

Be sure to learn more from Terry here:  My Marketing Coach

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Jeanette S. Cates, PhD of Organize Your Online Business says:

No way I'm letting you see it! (grinning) But I will tell you how I work. I have two offices – one for my assistant who now only comes in once a week to handle filing, bills, and bookkeeping. She used to work here full-time, so that office has all the file cabinets and her computer. That's also where the annual calendar is.

In my office I have a wrap-around desk that covers three walls, with a raised shelf above each. My computer sits on a corner unit so I can watch my squirrels out the window to my left – and watch TV late at night to my right. Naturally there are stuffed bookshelves and lots of DVDs. I have drawers for project files I'm currently working on – and a few rolling file carts that I move around, depending on the project. On my door is my four month working calendar with a white board next to it for notes & reminders.

I tend to be a visual filer, so I file by stacks. I can pull something out of the stack, based on when I worked on it last. But I am in the process of trying to break that habit, so don't follow my lead. So even though it may look messy to others, I can find most anything in a short time.

The most important thing is to create an environment that works for you. If you love beautiful things, put them into your office. If you have images that inspire you, put them in your office. I keep a description (and some pictures) of my clients above my computer – so that I can look up at any time and remember who I'm talking to. It's your office and you're not out to impress anyone but you!

Jeanette shares all of her organization systems here: Organize Your Online Business <- It's updated each time she creates a new system and continues to get rave reviews.

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Connie Ragen Green of Huge Profits Tiny List says:

I never did well working in a traditional office, so when I came online I decided to make my workspace more fun. I go back and forth between my main home in Santa Clarita, California, which is about 50 miles north of Los Angeles, and Santa Barbara, my getaway place where I will live full-time at some point. This means that I must be able to quickly gather what I need to move to my next location each week.

In Santa Barbara I enjoy sitting on a bench at the beach to do my writing and other activities. The only time I work indoors there is when I'm hosting a webinar or a teleseminar.

In Santa Clarita I tend to work in my family room so I can look outside and watch my dogs playing in the yard. In both locations I keep it simple, using only a laptop and an iPad to run my entire business.

Connie is a wonderful entrepreneur with a huge heart. Learn more from Connie Here.

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Rachel Rofe of Kinstant Formatter (Fast Kindle Ebook Formatting Software) says:

I actually normally work at cafes! I love to go to different cafes a lot. Every time I go to a new cafe, the new setting and the new feel each place gets me a new and creative zone.

Also, working from home can be lonely, so just being near people – even if I don't talk to them… gets me into a much more positive mindset.

I like to switch up the cafes regularly so I'm constantly in new environments and using my brain in different ways! 🙂

 Learn More about how Rachel is able to outsource so effectively here: Happy Outsourcing

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Kelly McCausey of Solo Smarts says:

The workspace I spend so much of my time at hasn't changed much in the last four years – thank goodness! I love my desk and love my three screens (two screens for the PC and one for the Mac) – well there's four shown here cuz my little laptop was open too. I affectionately call this ‘my cockpit'.

I thought about cleaning up for this pic but decided that would be a misrepresentation of my reality. As usual I've got all kinds of coffee cups, nail polish and assorted kibble tucked everywhere.

My work location has changed quite a bit over the years. I started out with this desk in my kitchen in Portland, then it moved to an office space while I was living in the lake house up north. After that it graced the entry way of the big house on Main Street in Gaylord, then the spare room in the duplex in Dewitt and now it fills up one corner of my huge room here on the pond in Haslett.

Do you think it might fit into an RV someday?

Are you a woman in business? Check out Kelly’s awesome mastermind group.

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David Perdew of NAMS says:

My office life has been very different from most folks.

In newspaper newsrooms, back when I was actively involved in that business, the “office” was one big floor with tons of desks, phones and stacks of paper. It was loud with people talking constantly either to one another or on the phone interviewing sources.

That environment taught me how to execute in controlled chaos.

As a corporate consultant, I found myself stuffed in a little box called “cubicle” so that it gave the illusion of an office and a little privacy, but it was only an illusion.

Working from home gives me choices.

I can work on the deck, in the office, upstairs in front of the fireplace in the winter, or on the screen porch when the bugs abound or rain crimps my outdoor plans.

Living in the woods is too good to live in self-imposed exile to an enclosed office.

That’s why in my office video, I only spend a few minutes there.

Be sure to sign up here for David's Weekly FREE Webinars. (They're good stuff.)

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Nicole Dean of .. here! .. says:

Not much has changed here in the last two years. I've still got the same computer and the same office. Even the same whiteboard. 🙂

Here's my video again – the one that I posted 2 years ago….

A few things have changed.

On a sad note…

•  I've got my Luke puppy snoring next to me, instead of my Eddy puppy. Eddy's collar is on my shelf and his ashes are by my feet where he used to lay all day long and where he would go to feel safe.

On a happier note…

• I've added photos of my soon-to-be daughter who we are adopting from Latvia. And, I have an “It's a Girl” balloon up in my room, which is funny since our new daughter is a teenager. lol.
• I've also got some new artwork from my very artistic younger daughter on display.
• I also have a Red Rider Leg Lamp on my shelf from A Christmas Story.

I'm more mobile….

• I'm also utilizing my iPad and iPhone (both of which I won through affiliate contests – yay me!) much more now that I have had them a bit, so I feel freed up to wander the earth more. Which is a good thing, considering I'll be spending lots of time traveling to and from Latvia in the coming months. I still like and use my laptop for writing longer pieces, but love my iPad for reading email and learning. I much prefer to read and study the latest marketing stuff on the go, rather than being stuck to my computer all of the time – which is not fun.

What about you? What's your work space like? Do you work in an office or on the go, like Rachel does?

I'd love it if you'd share pictures or video, too! Looking forward to learning from you.

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

PS. I'm thinking of changing the format of Expert Briefs to be daily short posts instead of one long one. What do you think about that idea? Yay or nay? Thanks!!!