| |
Starting a Business: Designing Your Home Office
Regardless of the type of business that you are starting, you will
most likely need a place to work while you are at home. It's great
if you already have a space designated as an office, but for most of
us we will have to start from scratch with business equipment and
supplies. This space is the epicenter of your new venture, so make
sure you create a space that allows you to be productive.
There are many essentials that are basic to every home office. The
computer is perhaps the most important. As the heart of your
business, the computer must be up to date and reasonably powerful.
It is not necessary to purchase the most expensive, however you
should make sure that you can meet or exceed the system requirements
for the software you will purchase. No less than 512 MB of RAM, a
Pentium or similar processor with a clock speed of no lower than 2
GHz, and a 3D enabled graphics card should be considered minimum
requirements.
Another essential for the home office is a fax machine. Though
e-mail is becoming more and more common, many business situations
still require the use of a fax. A very practical and cost effective
solution is the all-in-one. Combining a fax machine, copier,
scanner, and printer in one machine, these devices save both space
and money over purchasing components separately.
You will need a way for your electronic devices to communicate with
each other. Many devices are now able to communicate wirelessly,
from printers to keyboards and mice, allowing you maximum
convenience in office layout. Connecting wirelessly also allows you
to place devices in more than one room. The disadvantage of wireless
networking is that it tends to be somewhat more expensive than wired
connectivity.
You will also need a variety of office furnishings. A comfortable
desk chair will save your back. Rolling chairs are convenient but
certainly not required. Your desk will need to accommodate your
monitor and other devices, and storage space would be a convenience.
General office supplies such as pens and paper clips should be
within easy reach when seated at your desk.
A filing cabinet is highly recommended, to organize both your
business information and your client files. The filing cabinet
should have a locking capability. For maximum security a heavy metal
fireproof filing cabinet is the ideal, however these are expensive.
A mid-range filing cabinet will usually suffice at the beginning.
A shredder is an often-overlooked but highly necessary component to
a home office. Identity theft is rampant, and simply shredding
sensitive documents is an easy first line of defense. Remember to
shred both company documents and client files.
Your new office is going to be where you spend the bulk of your time
now. You need to make sure that it is a place where you are
comfortable and where you can work without distraction. It is worth
it to spend the money up front to design a workstation where you can
be as productive as possible.
|
|
