Frequently, as a part-time entrepreneur and full-time engineer, I find my lunch hour completely eaten up by tasks associated with my small business. The most demanding tasks falling into this short window are the ones requiring me to speak with someone on the phone during that person's regular business hours, like a banker or property manager. Wouldn't it be great to have access to these key contacts around say, dinner time?
This is possible for those of us in the Eastern, Central and Mountain time zones. By setting up your business accounts (bank accounts, insurance, etc.) in time zones that lag behind yours, you can save your calls to those accounts for after your day job. I discovered this trick on accident when I bought my business' insurance policy from a company in Portland, Oregon (even though my business is located in the Eastern time zone). This may not seem like a clever trick as much as an obvious observation but for me, the tendancy was to seek business services from the locals nearby.
Watch out for differences in state laws related to banking, insurance and taxes. The California office is less likely to know that your eastern state requires an extra piece of paperwork here and there. You have to find the right match to make it work for you, but its worth checking out firms to the west when shopping for services, just in case.
My Oregon-based insurance agent and I only speak during my evening hours (her afternoon) and its one less thing on my lunch hour to-do list.
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