Finding the gift for the person who seems to have everything can be a challenge. So can selecting the ideal present for important people in your life beyond family members and friends – such as your children’s teacher, the mail carrier and your fitness instructor at the gym. For a unique gift, you can give them an item they need with an appearance that fits their respective personality. That present is a personalized doormat.

The Personalized Doormats Company (www.personalizeddoormats.com) is an online company that offers a wide variety of customized doormats for homes and businesses. There are mats with basic designs that you can include your family’s last name (such as The Smith’s). The company features aluminum doormats, wooden doormats, rubber mats, digital photo doormats and even “Grand Entrance” doormats, which are larger than standard mats and are suitable for lavish homes with wide and elegant front doors.

“Every home needs doormats,” said Jill Mecca, who operates The Personalized Doormats Company with her husband, Alan Mecca. “Some people might think that doormats are not very exciting, but we think that they can serve as a conversation piece while keeping a house clean at the same time. By offering customers the chance to personalize their doormats, these mats become a more interesting part of their home.”

The Personalized Doormats Company does sell non-personalized mats with standard designs, but most of their customers prefer creating a doormat that is just their style, Jill Mecca says. Thus the reason it is no surprise that the company’s Write Your Own Mat series is generated substantial business. The selection of designs for this series is plentiful and includes dog breeds, college sports, animals, camo mats (for hunting and outdoors enthusiasts), leisure, sports, military, baby/child, religion and wedding categories. The industry doormats for commercial purposes are also popular.

The Write Your Own Mat series starts at $59. Sizes include 2′-by-3,’ 3′-by-4,’ 3′-by-5′ and 4′-by-6.’

Earlier in 2009, the Meccas received a product sample that was intended for a logo commercial mat. The high quality mat made of synthetic coco-like fabric is manufactured in Europe and had not been widely used in the United States. The Meccas thought the mat would be ideal for residential purposes because of its durability, so they trademarked the name DuraCoir™ and added the DuraCoir™ Signature Series and the DuraCoir™ Inlay Elite Series to their product offerings.

“Commercial mats are typically a higher quality because they are built for heavy foot traffic,” Alan Mecca said. “Many residential mats that are sold are made of coco, but coco mats shed, fade and ultimately deteriorate because they are a natural material. DuraCoir™ mats don’t shed or stain, and they can be used outdoors. Once we introduced them, they immediately became top sellers.”

The Meccas call the Inlay Elite Series the workhorse of residential mats. The personalization and border are inlayed so the mat will not fade and the personalized message will not wear out.

The Signature Series mat offers the same polypropelene finish and solution dyed fabric as the Inlay, but features an added elegant touch. These mats are flocked instead of inlayed, which gives the artists more flexibilty with the finer lines, resulting in a more elegant appearance.

The Signature Series (with sizes 2′-by-3′, 3′-by-5′ and 3′-by-6′) starts at $79 while the Inlay Elite Series (with sizes 2′-by-3′, 3′-by-4′ and 3′-by-6′) starts at $94.

Customers can not only create a phrase for the mat – such as the one written for a violin instructor that said, “If noone is home, come right Bach” and featured graphics of musical notes – but they can also personalize the mat further by including the recipient’s name. For example, “Welcome to The Moores, where growing old is compulsory, and growing up is optional.”

The Meccas, who purchased The Personalized Doormats Company in 2007 and added their own niches – including the Write Your Own Mat series and the Design Your Own DuraCoir series – expect this to be their busiest holiday season. Their sales were up 15 percent this July compared to July 2008, and revenues are increasing each month.

“We are giving our customers more options, and most people find that personalized doormats are more appealing than stock doormats because they show more care and thought,” Alan Mecca said. “And it’s convenient because you can do your shopping online and have the gift shipped directly to the person.”

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It’s tax time and everyone is feeling the pain. There is a widely unknown source of write-offs for any every day person. Having a home business allows anyone to take the write-offs that the Corporate Giants get. Yes, you can get great business deductions with a home business! The best thing about a home business is that you probably will not have nearly as much overhead as a traditional brick and mortar business. You do not have to pay for office or business space; just pay your rent along with your other bills. And you can get all of the tax write-offs those corporate giants get with your home business. Plus, you are working as an independent, which means you get to manage your own hours, work where you want, take time off when you need it, do the work you love to do, and more.

Tax Advantages for the Home Business Office

Home businesses have many tax advantages and benefits. Here is an example of some various home business deductions you can take advantage of:

Home Office Deductions -

If you use a room in your home or apartment for your business office, you can take the home office deduction. You simply need to use one space in your home for work for your business solely, and nothing else. This will have you qualified to take the deduction. To make sure that you will qualify for the home office deduction utilize one room in your home as your work office, and use it for nothing else.

Home Office Renovation Deductions -

If you make any upgrades to your home office you can deduct those expenses in your taxes. For example, if you paint your home office, fix something, have an addition created, or any other renovations you can write-off those expenses in your taxes.

Property Cost Deductions -

You can also write-off a portion of your rent or mortgage payments for the year due to your use of your home office. You will need to figure out how much square footage your home office is in relation to your entire home. Then you can calculate how much you can deduct depending on how much you pay in rent or in your mortgage.

Tax Deductions for a Home Business -

There are so many deductions to take advantage of. You should make yourself fully aware of all of the tax write-offs you can take advantage of. Here is an outline of those many possible home business tax write-offs.

Home Office Security -

If you keep your home office under security, such as by using a security alarm system, using camera monitoring, or other similar ways to keep your home office safe, you can probably write-off those expenses in your taxes.

Utility Expenses -

The cost of your electric payments can be deducted for as much electricity you use in your home office. You will have to calculate how much you spend on this in order to deduct those expenses. If you pay for a business telephone line, you can write-off that expense.

Transportation Expenses -

You can deduct your expenses for traveling to destinations to conduct business, such as going to the bank, visiting a client, dropping off paperwork – anything you do when you run errands for your business – you can deduct those expenses. If you move into a new home during the year you can deduct the expenses of moving the business part of your home.

Miscellaneous Home Business Deductions -

When you entertain clients or meet them for dinner, you can deduct the travel costs, as well as the cost of the meal or entertainment. Usually you can deduct up to 50% of these expenses.

When you buy something such as software, office supplies, and etc. you can deduct those expenses because they are a direct expense of your home business. Do you want a new computer? You can deduct a new computer, printer, scanner, or any other office equipment you use. Do you contact clients via internet or have a business web site? Deduct your Internet Provider, hosting costs, and your Domain name costs.

Have you taken any classes, seminars, or other training that is directly related to your home business? You can deduct those expenses.

How to Manage Home Business Taxes -

The one main key to getting all of the home business tax write-offs is managing your home business taxes well. You will need them well maintained and well organized. You need to keep records of all of your expenses in order to be able to take advantage of those home business deductions.

Receipts: Keep receipts from every expense you have throughout the year. You will need these so you can show that you did pay for these business costs.

Travel Logs: In order to take advantage of the travel deductions you will need to keep a log (best kept in your vehicle) of where you travel, why you are traveling there, the time and date, the starting mileage, and finishing mileage.

Maintaining Your Home Business Taxes Throughout the Year -

As mentioned above, it is advised that you keep your receipts and logs well maintained throughout the year by keeping them well organized. You can do this by starting some files for each month or quarter and track your expenses for each amount of time. Keep them all calculated for the period of time you choose so that when tax time comes around you won’t have to do as many calculations all at once.

Having your own home business has numerous benefits from all ends, and the best one may just be the tax write-offs you can take advantage of!

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