In the interest of helping home based business owners survive the tough economic times, Entrepreneur.com lists 25 Common Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs . It is a comprehensive list with a lot of the old standby bits of advice, like #4: "Manage your money wisely"; and #9:"Get to know your customers." But there are a few characteristics that might surprise, or even seem counterintuitive, like #23: "Take time off": The temptation to work around the clock is very real for some home business owners. After all, you don't have a manager telling you it's time to go home because they can't afford the overtime pay. Every person working from home must take time to establish a regular work schedule that includes time to stretch your legs and take lunch breaks, plus some days off and scheduled vacations. Create the schedule as soon as you have made the commitment to start a home business. Of course, your schedule will have to be flexible. You should, therefore, not fill every possible hour in the day. Give yourself a backup hour or two. All work and no play makes you burn out very fast and grumpy customer service is not what people want. Read the full list here .