When CNN.com reported that travel agents are dying, Stephanie Lee worried that agents would respond with their usual outrage. She wants to mobilize a more productive “guerrilla-style” response.

Home-based entrepreneur Stephanie Lee dreads summer. The lure of a beautiful day taunts her, challenging her self-discipline – far more than the usual work-at-home distractions (like the laundry). It’s a challenge familiar to travel agents who work at home. Here’s her advice.

For travel agents who work from home, video calls with clients can deepen relationships and foster customer loyalty. Offering this service also help agents differentiate themselves, says contributor Stephanie Lee.

Creativity is vital in business today, especially if you’re an independent travel agent. Brazen thievery has helped entrepreneur Stephanie Lee jazz up her creative output. She shows agents how to follow suit.

Don’t limit your networking to people within the travel industry – there’s a lot to be learned from people in other industries. That’s the advice from Stephanie Lee who says conversations with a scientist friend have helped her in the travel business. Plus, networking outside the industry can result in new clients.

When traveling is part of your job, day-to-day business tasks still need your attention. Even in today’s connected world, there are challenges. Stephanie Lee of Host Agency Reviews shares her tactics for staying charged up so you can work on the road and for what to do when you simply can’t get online.

Everyone is worried about the flu this year. But not Stephanie Lee. Working from home is like a self-imposed quarantine, she writes. After little more than a year of working from home, Lee says the honeymoon is over. The isolation is getting to her. Here’s her tale – and her solution.

For the newly self-employed, there are rude financial awakenings in store. Having to pay for your own benefits. Feast or famine cycles. Paychecks that tempt you with 20% to 35% more money than you actually get to keep. Columnist Stephanie Lee, newly self-employed herself, offers sound financial advice.

For home-based agents, local stores are part of their small business family, so it makes sense to support them, writes Stephanie Lee. It’s not just a feel-good exercise. It’s marketing. She tells how one agent landed her first group cruise booking by buying a pizza every week at the local pizza shop.

There are distractions aplenty for travel agents who work from home. While many recommend strict boundaries and a fixed work schedule, columnist Stephanie Lee suggests you craft a work style you can love. Also, don’t deny yourself the pleasures of working from home, such as a mid-day walk.