When you are considering starting a home based business, it’s important to consider all that is involved in doing so. It can be a very complicated task indeed. The following checklist gives you twelve important things to do prior to beginning your adventure into a home based business.First, create a home based business plan. Even if you don’t plan on having any partners, it’s important to plan out each step that you are going to take and the accomplishments you plan to make. A document will give you something to refer to when you lose track as well. Second, establish your home based business entity by deciding whether you will be a sole proprietorship, partnership or a corporation. Be sure that step number three involves getting a business license, reseller certificate or whatever documentation is necessary to make your business legal in your state.Make sure to check with the zoning commission where you will be operating. You don’t want to risk having your home based business shut down because you’re operating illegally from your own home. Make you that you have insurance. If you need liability insurance, make sure you have it in place before you open your business to customers. Whatever type of insurance is required, make sure that you have it and have proof of it to show.Make your office an organized place. It’s thought that a well organized office leads to a successful home based business. Therefore you want to be sure that yours is very organized. Also, since you’re setting up the office in your home, make sure it’s in a location where you can concentrate on just running your business.Buy the equipment that you will need. Make sure it’s ready to go well ahead of time. It would be a great embarrassment to you and your home based business if your customer wants to fax you an order and you don’t have a fax machine or it is not working currently.If you plan to set up a website, you’ll want to have that finished prior to opening your doors as well. When you’re ready to go live at your home based business site, you’ll want to go live online as well. Create a schedule for yourself. Although you probably will not want to work 9 to 5, you will want to have a somewhat normal schedule so that your customers are able to reach you.Make sure you have your inventory organized as well. You want to be able to quickly get orders out to your customers and organizing your inventory will ensure this. If you or someone working with you smokes, make sure it’s not done around your inventory. Also make sure shipping supplies are on hand and easily located. Since a quick turnaround time for orders is something customers expect, having to search of shipping supplies will delay this and cost you future business.The final step is to open your doors. You’ve done as much as you can in prep work, now it’s time to get out there and see what happens.