I worked from home for over a year before I got an office. Here’s my take on your questions:

–If you’re going to work from home, what are some things to keep in mind?

Invest in a really good desk and chair, and a fantastic set of headphones Ideally, setup in a separate room that you only use for work (requirement for home office tax deduction, btw). Decide what your working hours will be. When possible, be in that room during those hours, and out of the room outside of those hours.

Realize that the above is a pipe dream

–How do you keep your focus from the many distractions found when working from home?

Eventually, I couldn’t, and I got an office. My wife also works from home, and we have two rambunctious dogs. It was fun being around them, but I just couldn’t get much done. I spent about 1/2 my time in coffee shops because I could be semi-productive there.

–How do you deal with IT needs if and when you need assistance?

I’m technical, so I do it myself, but this is an interesting idea for a business.

–How do you find work/life balance when working from home since you never leave the office?

Have a plan for each day, and try to stick to it. Work in a separate area. Have specific working hours. Don’t answer your phone or check your email outside of those hours. Etc. Etc.

All the tips are the same, and they help, but not that much. At the end of the day, what helps me is realizing that life is short and while a client might be miffed that they couldn’t reach me with their “emergency” at 9pm on a Saturday evening, my time with my wife is more important in both the short run and the loud run. I have yet to lose a client when I explained this (in a nice way).