5 Must Haves For A Home Office
5 Must Haves For A Home Office
Upgraded Computer
Your number one tool is going to be your home computer. Computers are great tools built with all kinds of capabilities called software. As day dawns there is a new program, piece of hardware or must have gadget. Along with all of these come bugs, security issues and new viruses. For this reason, it is important to keep your equipment up to date including anti-virus software and security fixes.
As well as keeping your information and your clients' information safe, you will also want to have the latest equipment so that you stay competitive. If your work is constantly produced with outdated equipment, your presentations and reports may fall below current standards. Or, worse yet, you'll send a file to a client who can't read it because the new software is not compatible with the old software.
Fast Internet Connection
The home office of today simply must be connected to the internet and the faster the better. Many companies are using software that allows for video conferencing; if you try this on dial up the meeting will be over before you are 50% buffered. Not to mention the fact that high-speed internet is just more reliable.
No more waiting an hour for a page to load and then getting booted offline, which means you have another wait while you redial your connection. To stay competitive in the marketplace you will have to have high-speed internet access.
Comfortable Chair
This piece of equipment may seem mundane when compared to internet capabilities and computers. However, you are going to spend several hours at a time in your chair working. It needs to be the most comfortable chair you can afford. Besides comfort while you work, an inappropriate chair could lead to back pain in the future. The best choice is to spend the extra money now and save the doctors bills later.
While you are looking for comfort, investigate ergonomically correct furniture and accessories. Carpal tunnel syndrome is most common among those who work at a computer for lengthy periods of time. Once carpal tunnel symptoms set in, you will suffer discomfort which will make working much more difficult.
Printer
No home office is complete without a printer and or fax machine. Though many things will be going out from your computer over the internet there will still be times when you must print and mail things such as invoices, reports, or simple thank you notes.
The best deal is to find an all-in-one machine that is your printer, fax, scanner, and copier all wrapped together. These are fairly commonplace now and quite affordable. Adding one machine to your office will also save much space rather than adding four separate machines.
Unlimited Long Distance Calling Plan
As reliable as email can be, there are many times when you will need to talk to a client on the phone. Check your local phone company for the best deals or investigate an internet service such as Skype. The only equipment you need for Skype to work is a microphone and speakers (or a headset) and you can chat with your client through your internet connection.
There you have it, the five most important pieces of equipment that all home offices need. There are, of course, other things that your particular business could require like networking capabilities if you plan to have an assistant or research tools. Consider all aspects of your business when outfitting your home office and make the investment before the need for such equipment or software arises.
5 Must Haves For A Home Office - To learn more about this author, visit Chris Simpson's Website.
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When you decide to work from home it is an exciting time; you are finally going to be your own boss. While setting up schedules and your workload, you may want to check your office for some important items.
Upgraded Computer
Your number one tool is going to be your home computer. Computers are great tools built with all kinds of capabilities called software. As day dawns there is a new program, piece of hardware or must have gadget. Along with all of these come bugs, security issues and new viruses. For this reason, it is important to keep your equipment up to date including anti-virus software and security fixes.
As well as keeping your information and your clients' information safe, you will also want to have the latest equipment so that you stay competitive. If your work is constantly produced with outdated equipment, your presentations and reports may fall below current standards. Or, worse yet, you'll send a file to a client who can't read it because the new software is not compatible with the old software.
Fast Internet Connection
The home office of today simply must be connected to the internet and the faster the better. Many companies are using software that allows for video conferencing; if you try this on dial up the meeting will be over before you are 50% buffered. Not to mention the fact that high-speed internet is just more reliable.
No more waiting an hour for a page to load and then getting booted offline, which means you have another wait while you redial your connection. To stay competitive in the marketplace you will have to have high-speed internet access.
Comfortable Chair
This piece of equipment may seem mundane when compared to internet capabilities and computers. However, you are going to spend several hours at a time in your chair working. It needs to be the most comfortable chair you can afford. Besides comfort while you work, an inappropriate chair could lead to back pain in the future. The best choice is to spend the extra money now and save the doctors bills later.
While you are looking for comfort, investigate ergonomically correct furniture and accessories. Carpal tunnel syndrome is most common among those who work at a computer for lengthy periods of time. Once carpal tunnel symptoms set in, you will suffer discomfort which will make working much more difficult.
Printer
No home office is complete without a printer and or fax machine. Though many things will be going out from your computer over the internet there will still be times when you must print and mail things such as invoices, reports, or simple thank you notes.
The best deal is to find an all-in-one machine that is your printer, fax, scanner, and copier all wrapped together. These are fairly commonplace now and quite affordable. Adding one machine to your office will also save much space rather than adding four separate machines.
Unlimited Long Distance Calling Plan
As reliable as email can be, there are many times when you will need to talk to a client on the phone. Check your local phone company for the best deals or investigate an internet service such as Skype. The only equipment you need for Skype to work is a microphone and speakers (or a headset) and you can chat with your client through your internet connection.
There you have it, the five most important pieces of equipment that all home offices need. There are, of course, other things that your particular business could require like networking capabilities if you plan to have an assistant or research tools. Consider all aspects of your business when outfitting your home office and make the investment before the need for such equipment or software arises.
5 Must Haves For A Home Office - To learn more about this author, visit Chris Simpson's Website.
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Staging DivaDebra Gould, aka The Staging Diva®, is President of Six Elements Inc., an internationally recognized home staging company. Inspired by many requests from aspiring home stagers wanting to start similar businesses, Gould created the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. Gould has trained over 1000 Staging Diva Graduates worldwide to start staging businesses. Buying decorating and selling six of her own homes in four years lead to an interest in real estate staging which she turned into a career with the launch of sixelements.com in 2002. Since then she has staged hundreds of homes in addition to teaching home staging training. Gould is the author of several home staging resources including a series of popular ebooks made up of a Design Guide, Color Guide and Portfolio Guide. For more information about Debra Gould visit stagingdiva.com. - Visit Staging Diva's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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