For the second day in a row, our hi-speed cable has gone out. Yesterday I took it as an opportunity to go enjoy the sunshine and take a nice long walk, but today won’t cut it - I have too much work to do!! Rather than freak out on the phone with Comcast again, I decided to find the nearest Wi-fi hot spot, pack up my stuff and take my mobile office on the road!

I live about 20 minutes from civilization in any direction so its not like there is a wi-fi hot spot on every corner. The local library was my first choice but they are on the same pipeline as our house and are also without connectivity today. Starbucks and Panera are always safe second choices. I prefer Panera’s food, work space and location so it won out today.

If you work from home, do you have a back up office location? You should! Whether it is the local library or a local cafe, you should identify a handful of back up office locations so you can keep your workflow going when you can not work from your home office.

Another option is to get a wireless air card through your wireless provider. While we do have one, it doesn’t do me much good when my husband has it with him while he travels. I could pick up a second one, but am have a hard time justifying the expense if I am not using it all the time.

Not sure if there is a wi-fi hotspot near by? Try looking one up at JiWire where they have listings for over 200,000 wi-fi locations in more than 135 countries.

Do you have a home office plan B?  

Many people think being your own boss is really cool - but how do you even think about taking the leap of faith from working for someone else to being a freelancer that actually makes money? What about finding clients, setting rates, getting paid and branding your new company? The hugely successful team of Cyan and Collis Ta’eed from Freelance Switch have just released their e-book and ultimate guide to starting a successful freelancing career called, How to be a Rockstar Freelancer.

I have been working as a freelancer for 11 years and while I would not trade it for the world, there are plenty of challenges you face when you are both the boss and the worker bee. How to be a Rockstar Freelancer outlines the steps to take, things to keep in mind, and pitfalls to avoid as you build your brand and your business.

As a freelancer or small business owner, you often find yourself wearing many hats - often out of necessity! While I am working on taking my business to the next level this fall and outsourcing some of the tasks that I do not love or do well, I am still basically a one person shop.

Here are five of my favorite sites to visit when I am looking for advice, forms, and facts:

Freelance Switch

Apart from the fact that Freelance Switch is one of the best-looking sites out there, it is also jam-packed with essential information that freelancers need. There is a job board, freelance rate calculator, and a forum for working through ideas, getting advice and sharing information. The Freelance Switch blog also features some of the most useful tips for freelancers, such as:

• 101 Ideas to Get More Freelance Work and Generate New Client Leads
• Top 10 Signs That You May Be Charging Too Little
• 10 Biggest Mistakes That Freelancers Make and How to Avoid Them

AllBusiness

AllBusiness is a magazine style site with a combination of industry specific advice, journals, business blogs, forms, business directory, and loads of information. The site can be a little overwhelming because there is so much there, but if you have an idea of what you are looking for, a quick search will most likely get you going in the right direction.

StartupNation

StartupNation is another magazine style site that is primarily for entrepreneurs by entrepreneurs. In addition to resources, articles, blogs and plenty of how-tos, StartupNation has a forum for discussing issues that entrepreneurs deal with daily. I particularly like the list of 10 Steps to Open for Business.

Entrepreneur.com

Entrepreneur magazine did a really nice job combining the strength of their traditional print magazine with the new media of blogs, video, and two way conversation in their online site. If you are looking for business ideas Entrepreneur 0ffers small business guides such as 25 Businesses You Can Start and Run From Home and 10 Free Starting a Business Books.

Inside Small Business

Inside Small Business is the blog and resource site for Logoworks. Between the blog and the newsletter there are some really helpful articles, but the most useful part of the site is by far the 20+ free business forms that you can download.