Minimize,Your,Office,And,Equip DIY Minimize Your Office And Equipment Start-Up Costs
When starting a new work at home business it is very easy to become consumed by it. We spend so much time trying to get the business up and running that we may end up becoming burned out and lose our motivation. There is so much to learn and Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;mso-style-noshow:yes;mso-style-parent:"";mso-padding-alt:0in
When you set up your office area you have to consider clients, suppliers, family, neighbors and yourself. The balance is easy toachieve when you keep in mind the double function your home has from now on: a home and an office. Below I outline the baby-stepsthat will help you to achieve this balance. Define your work areaThis is the first step on your path to success. If you don't havea defined work area, a place that says to you "While You Are Here, You Are At Work!", then you will probably stumble in a lot of distractions and by the end of the day you will be surprised with how little you have done. You should not limit your idea ofwork area to space only. Consider time dimensions, too. Your coach could be your office, if your family knows that you are working and not sleeping, petting the cat or watching TV.You should always keep in mind your cost. If defining your area means drywall, purchasing that awesome coach and a new carpet,then you'd better reconsider. Your business will be pretty slowfor the first few months, so you'd better save that money for promotion and to secure your basic expenses.Equip itEquipment is always a two-sided issueyou have to keep your costsat a minimum and at the same time you have to be professional andnot to look "cheap". The first place to start cutting your costs is furniture. Think classic, think second-hand, and think professional use! Don't fall for that brand-new filling cabinet for "home use"it is likely to become outdated very soon and fall apart just when youneed it. You will be better off with a comfortable second-hand chair, table and filling cabinet that were actually used and proved to be sturdy enough.Now, let's look at the "tools". In most of the cases they constitute of your computer, keyboard, mouse, printer and yourwebsite. It is my personal observation that the most sensitivepieces of equipment are the mouse and the keyboard, so I wouldrecommend that you consider the best quality for these two. Yourmonitor is also very important, but I've found that you don't need Sony in order to feel comfortable and keep your eyes healthy. A good alternative is CTX.Finally, let's look at your website. Your website is your store-front and here, you'll have to go an extra mile in order to create a good first impression. If you can afford it, I wouldrecommend that you hire a professional web designer. However, ifmoney is tight, there are various alternatives that will help youto create a professional image. One of my favorites is BigStep ( http://www.bigstep.com ) that will help you to create your sitein several easy steps. Another good source is Working Solo( http://www.workingsolo.com ) and the SCORE program ( http://www.score.org ) that offers free consulting for over 500categories. Once you have your website ready to be published, youshould think about finding a host for it and securing your own domain name. InterNIC lists the major ISP providers here (http://www.internic.net/alpha.html ). There are some very good solutions: http://service.bfast.com/bfast/click?bfmid=12768212&siteid=37618938&bfpage=homeoffers 200 MB of web space for $200 upfront without Any Monthly Fees. This is a good deal, especially if you plan to keep in business for at least a year. Here: http://www.namezero.com you can secure your business namefor free (the free service comes with a navigation bar) or upgrade to the deluxe version.Think about safetyThis section includes anything that may jeopardize your businessfrom word of mouth that a customer tripped in a toy and broke herneck to a costly lawsuit for damages. Don't dismiss any of thesepossibilities and research carefully how to insure and protect your business.Finally, I wish you success with your newborn business!
Minimize,Your,Office,And,Equip