Being a Home-based business owner has its advantages and its disadvantages. There are less overheads and, for me especially, less stress from not having to play all of the office politics games that go on around the water cooler. Working from home does not mean that you have to scrimp and save on everything though.Mobile phones are an important tool for all business owners- whether you own a home based business or a multi-national corporation. The purpose of this article is to share with you three reasons that all home based business owners need a smartphone to help them run their business.I am not going to try and convince you which handset you should get. I don’t care whether you get a Blackberry, an iPhone, An Android phone or a Windows Mobile device. They all have similar features (although you do have more access to apps on an iPhone or Android device) and they would all benefit your businessA smartphone is more than just calls and text messages. Here is how a smartphone can benefit you as a home based business owner:It works as an office away from the office- A smartphone is an all in one communications tool. It gives you access to calls, text messages, emails, internet access as well as access to all of your social media and social networking profiles. You can also access instant messaging accounts. These days you can also create and edit work documents whilst you are away from the road. For me, I love to get out my blackberry whilst I am on the exercise bike. I write articles, blog posts and respond to emails.Life isn’t just about business; don’t forget pleasure- Life is supposed to be fun and a smartphone can help you both with business and with pleasure. You can read books, you can watch videos, you can listen to music and you can play games. You can do this whilst you are at home or whilst you are out and about on the road in between meetings.A smartphone will increase your business efficiency- Smartphones will increase your business efficiency. This is because you can make more effective use of your downtime if you have to leave the office for meetings. You can respond to emails, plan your day and update your calendar amongst other things. This means that you can spend more time with family and friends at night.As a home based business owner you need to do yourself a favour and get a smart phone next time you upgrade handsets.