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| · | The Truth About Believing |
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| Wednesday, July 12 | | · | Pay-per-Click (PPC) Bid Budget Management |
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| Thursday, April 20 | | · | Vision and Goals: What to Believe? |
| · | Think bigger and act bigger: What Happens When You Think and Act Big |
| · | Life Planning: A Lesson In Proactive Life Planning |
| · | Utah Women Run Businesses From Home |
| · | Overwhelmed: Ways to Deal with Overwhelm |
| · | Today Is Yesterday's Tomorrow |
| · | Successful People |
| · | Successful business: Think & Be Successful |
| · | Work smarter not harder: The "YOU" Factor |
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Home Business Software/Hardware: Outfitting Your Home Office
Posted on Thursday, October 27 @ 07:32:15 MSD
Topic: Home Appliance | A computer is a homebased entrepreneur's best friend, but be sure to choose your friend wisely. The most obvious initial question is, laptop or desktop? This may seem cut and dried. Travel a lot? Then buy a laptop.
You don't have to be a dyed-in-the-wool road warrior to take the laptop plunge, however. Install an inexpensive and easy-to-set-up Wi-Fi wireless network in your home and add a Wi-Fi card to your laptop's PC Card slot. Then take your work out on the patio or into the living room without missing a beat. A slight change of scenery can really perk up a long working day.
Trainer often travels in her line of work, and a Toshiba Tecra laptop is her main machine. It has three qualities she can't do business without: "Durability, durability, durability," she says. "I've got to be able to drop it. I've got to be able to fling it in the back of my trunk." All Trainer Public Relations employees use laptops and work from home as well. The entire business is on a roughly two-year upgrade cycle for keeping their notebook computers up to snuff. Buy a well-stocked machine right off the bat, and you won't have to deal with difficult memory, processor or hard drive upgrades for a while.
If mobility isn't a factor, you can't beat a desktop computer for pure power and affordability. The mantra here is spend, but don't overspend. "If you go out and say 'I've got to have the latest and greatest of everything,' you could spend three grand easily and not be able to keep up with the power of your computer. Know what you need, and don't try to outpace it," says Zbar. Some specs are worth a bit of investment. For instance, 128MB RAM may get you by, but moving up to 256MB or more will make your computer work faster and with better stability. Tailor your technology to your tasks. Using multiple applications simultaneously, database crunching or heavy graphics work will require a more robust system than would just word processing and Web surfing.
Software is highly subjective, but there are some basics that nearly every office needs. Microsoft Office is an obvious choice. The latest version, Office XP, retails for $479 for the standard edition and $579 for the professional edition. If that's too hefty a price tag, check into Sun's low-cost StarOffice productivity suite, which includes word processing, database, presentation and drawing applications.
A computer isn't going to do you much good without some way to see all that data. With vastly lowered prices and improved viewing technology, it's hard to resist going with an LCD flat-panel display. Fifteen-inch LCDs are shaving in under the $400 dollar mark, with 17-inchers priced around $600. Home offices are often tight on space, and a slim profile display can open a lot of valuable desk real estate. Entrepreneurs operating within very tight budgets might still consider a sub-$150 CRT monitor. But overall, even basic, no-frills LCDs offer a good value and are easy on the
eyes.
Accessories
You can add accessories like a digital camera, Zip drive, business card reader, speakers or scanner, depending on your business needs. Two items on nearly every entrepreneur's list are a printer and a PDA. With a rainbow of possible suspects to fill these roles, you'll want to invest a little research time into your choices.
In the spirit of the laptop or desktop question, you have to ask: laser or inkjet? If you can live without color, personal laser printers can be purchased for less than $200. The biggest advantages over inkjets are crispness, speed and lower consumables costs. Replacing inkjet cartridges every month can really add up over time. Still, the low initial hardware cost and color capability of inkjets are big draws. Both Trainer and Zbar use multifunction fax/scanner/copier/printers. All-in-one machines are convenient and space saving. If you go that route or are considering a stand-alone fax, Zbar recommends choosing a model with a separate phone handset.
Broadband
Dial-ups and DSLs and cables, oh my! You're now entering the dark forest of Internet connections. With several high-profile broadband company fallouts over the past year, you'll be looking for a stable option. Check DSL Reports to see what's available in your area. It's a hodgepodge of a site, but it covers a variety of connection options and is well-stocked with service reviews.
DSL and cable are popular choices for home offices. Expect to pay around $40 per month for low-end 256K DSL. Modem and installation prices can vary widely, so don't hesitate to shop around among large providers like Earthlink, local phone companies like Qwest and independent dealers found in the Yellow Pages. Of course, nothing says you have to go with broadband. If it's not integral to your business, you might do like Zbar does and stick with a sub-$20 dial-up account. |
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