Appearances CountWhat does your office's outer condition say about your business?

The inside of your office may look great, but don't stopthere. What about the outside? If the first impression a potentialcustomer has of your business is a shabby door or an unkemptparking lot, you're not sending the right message...and allyour hard work in designing an attractive, efficient office couldbe going to waste.

Step outside your place of business and take a long, hard lookat the parking lot, sidewalks, windows, outside lighting,landscaping and the outside of the building itself. Awell-maintained building projects an industrious, professionalimage. Weeds, trash, broken sidewalks, tattered awnings, dirtywindows, dead plants and overflowing trash containers send themessage: "We don't care."

Excerpted fromStart Your Own Business: The Only Start-Up BookYou'll Ever Need