The Home Office From Hell is a dysfunctional, client-repelling place in your home that results in lost business opportunities and profits.

If you have a business in your home, you might be ready to tell me something like, “Now, hold on there, buddymy home office isn’t so bad. Sure it’s not ideal and there was that time my newborn wailed like a banshee while I was on the phone with Tokyo, but my clients know I’m a professional.”

To that I say, “Oh, really?” Make no mistake-your clients only know what they see and hear from you.

Your competitors are serious and will be more than happy to steal your clients.

CAUTION! If any of this sounds familiar, you probably have a Home Office From Hell. (All of these stories came from real-life entrepreneurs who wrote to me during our annual Home Office From Hell Contest-so take heart, you aren’t alone.)

Sign 7: “Starbucks is starting to encroach on my profits.” If you are conducting all your big meetings in the Science Fiction section of Barnes and Noble or you are working on your sixth Grande Frappuccino, then you have a Home Office From Hell.

Sign 6: “I realized today at 4 p.m. that I was still wearing pajamas.” If your only business conversation is with your cat, and you’ve been locked away in your house un-showered and unshaven for more than a week, then you’ have a Home Office From Hell.

Sign 5: “I could die here and no one would ever know.” If you are concerned that the smell might be the only thing that inspires curiosity about your business, then you have a Home Office From Hell.

Sign 4: “Why did God invent Oprah? How are we supposed to work when Oprah is on?” If you are consumed with the need to play a video game, clean your house, or climb back into bed in the middle of the business day, then you have a Home Office From Hell.

Sign 3: “No, the baby doesn’t go in the playpen. Important papers go in there so the baby can’t get at them.” If you find yourself picking Cheerios out of your laptop, chasing the kids around the kitchen while conference-calling Stuttgart, and wiping peanut butter off your client’s work, then you have a Home Office From Hell.

Sign 2: “I feel like I live at the Officewait! I do!” If your workday ends two minutes before you drop into bed, or you are taking 4 A.M. phone calls from sleepless clients, then you have a Home Office From Hell. And last but not least

Sign 1: “Since you’re home all day anyway, I need a favor” If you are picking up your wife’s laundry, chauffeuring your friends to the mall, or watering your neighbor’s plants in the middle of your workday, then you have a Home Office From Hell.

Since you’re reading this, chances are you might have personally faced the challenges of a home office. At the very least, you suspect there might be room for improvement.

Excellent! Because you can’t have the business of your dreams unless you first admit that what you’re doing isn’t working perfectly.