美丽英文47

The Joy of SOHO: Making a Life While Making a Living

　　A Better Choice

　　The next time you overhear a friend or coworker chattering¹ excitedly about SOHO, don't assume that they are talking about New York. In today's business world SOHO refers to "Small Office/Home Office," one of today's biggest explosions in the economy. The home-based business has been born out of necessity. In an era when large corporations always think of downsizing, what are your other choices?

　　Your choices are usually limited: find a lucrative² niche³ in the small business world, stand in line at Unemployment, or accept a cut in pay and benefits. We were all raised to give 9 hours work for 8 hours pay, and we are not backing away from that. Bosses don't understand that you just put braces⁴ on your child's teeth and now have to pay for them. In this economic climate, where cost-cutting measures are the group of the day, setting up a home office on your own may just be the ticket to beat the odds⁵. So now, to configure your own small office, home office set-up can be a breeze.

　　How to Start

　　Let's congratulate on your decision to start your own business. But where do you go from here? Paper clips, memo⁶ pad, phone and table ?almost but not quite. One of the faults committed by home-based business owners otherwise known as a small office home office is that they fail to consider the possibilities of expansion.

　　It is fine to start working from the kitchen table but what happens when things start to take off and you still do not want to have an office space? where do you place the home office? If you have the space, I highly suggest a room unto itself. This permits you to close the door and separate your personal life from business. You are able to leave everything you are working on right where it is instead of shaving to clean-up for dinner or to go to bed. These clean-up steps can lead to problems down the road. where you anchor the home office is important for your future success. A corner in the living room, bedroom or attic⁷ is preferable if you do not have a room solely⁸ for your business. Reasons for the separation include fewer distractions⁹ and the ability to think and focus more clearly.

　　And you may have to have one or two clients come to your "office" in the lifetime of your business. Even though it is your home, you want to present the best professional atmosphere possible, which is very important if you have people working with you. Their productivity is important to your bottom line. Invest in the appropriate chairs, tables, lighting¹⁰ and ventilation before you invest in the paper clips and the stapler¹¹. If you are not comfortable, neither you nor your employees will stay there and finish the job. Bottom line: Your employees don't want to interact or become a part of your family issues. It is fine to have employees in your home but just make sure you supply them with the best working atmosphere possible.

　　The Popularity of Being SOHO

　　Today, researchers and marketers have identified a segment that is now labeled SOHO, small offices, home offices, whether they are high-tech¹² start-ups or women selling Mary Kay .But they drive America's economic growth and have created most of the new jobs in the last 20 years. 3% of companies accounted for 6 million of the 7.7 million jobs that were added to the economy between 1991-1995. Small businesses represent over 90% of all businesses in the U.S. with an economic output greater than Germany or France or the UK.

　　Reportedly, home-based workers earn more money. The 46 million home-based workers in the United States, including a large number of women, working at home in an attempt to better balance work and family, earn 28% more than the average office worker, and spend less time making their pay. Of course this could be due, in part, to the fact that more experienced and aggressive workers tend to start their own businesses.

　　Remember, going into business on your own, or from a home office may mean making do with less. But it can also mean achieving more: more independence, more challenges, more results. In the long run it may well mean more money for you and your family. In a word, doing it on your own means freedom, to grow, experiment and learn. If you are successful, you won't have to go ask for a raise or accept what you're given or worry about being turned out to pasture when a younger version of yourself comes along. You will have the freedom to enjoy the profits of your own work, and the continuing growth and profit which comes from owning your own business. Good luck and enjoy the journey.

1 chattering   

n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The teacher told the children to stop chattering in class. 老师叫孩子们在课堂上不要叽叽喳喳讲话。
• I was so cold that my teeth were chattering. 我冷得牙齿直打战。

2 lucrative   

adj.赚钱的，可获利的

参考例句：

• He decided to turn his hobby into a lucrative sideline.他决定把自己的爱好变成赚钱的副业。
• It was not a lucrative profession.那是一个没有多少油水的职业。

3 niche   

n.壁龛；合适的职务(环境、位置等)

参考例句：

• Madeleine placed it carefully in the rocky niche. 玛德琳小心翼翼地把它放在岩石壁龛里。
• The really talented among women would always make their own niche.妇女中真正有才能的人总是各得其所。

4 braces   

n.吊带，背带；托架( brace的名词复数 )；箍子；括弧；（儿童）牙箍v.支住( brace的第三人称单数 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来

参考例句：

• The table is shaky because the braces are loose. 这张桌子摇摇晃晃，因为支架全松了。
• You don't need braces if you're wearing a belt! 要系腰带，就用不着吊带了。

5 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

6 memo   

n.照会，备忘录；便笺；通知书；规章

参考例句：

• Do you want me to send the memo out?您要我把这份备忘录分发出去吗？
• Can you type a memo for me?您能帮我打一份备忘录吗？

7 attic   

n.顶楼，屋顶室

参考例句：

• Leakiness in the roof caused a damp attic.屋漏使顶楼潮湿。
• What's to be done with all this stuff in the attic?顶楼上的材料怎么处理？

8 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。

9 distractions   

n.使人分心的事[人]( distraction的名词复数 )；娱乐，消遣；心烦意乱；精神错乱

参考例句：

• I find it hard to work at home because there are too many distractions. 我发觉在家里工作很难，因为使人分心的事太多。
• There are too many distractions here to work properly. 这里叫人分心的事太多，使人无法好好工作。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

11 stapler   

n.订书机

参考例句：

• The stapler belongs to her.这订书机是她的。
• Can you hand me that stapler?请你把订书机拿给我，好吗？

12 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。