What Equipment Do You Need?
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What Equipment Do You Need?
The amount of equipment you need to operate your small or home business
office will depend on what kind of business you operate. For instance, if you
have made a career out of repairing leaded glass windows in your clients' homes,
chances are, your technological needs are minimal and you may not even need a
computer. But if you operate a research business, conducting on-line database
searches for corporate clients, you will need at least a computer, modem,
telephone, fax machine, printer, file cabinet, answering machine or voice mail,
and comfortable office furniture. If you spend a lot of time on the telephone,
you'll want to add a telephone headset.
No one can tell you exactly what you need, although many books offer solid
advice about small offices and how to equip them. You can find many of these
resources on the shelves of your library. Lisa Kanarek, author of Everything's
Organized, Organizing Your Home Office for Success and 101 Home Office Success
Secrets, suggests you begin with the steps shown below. (Note that although the
titles suggest the target audience is the home-based business, these tips also
apply to the small business just getting started.)
- Determine ahead of time what you need your office equipment to do. Try and
visualize yourself in the office and the variety of tasks that you have to
perform.
- Determine how much equipment you need - and buy more than you need (or at
least, buy all you can afford), especially when choosing a computer. You'll
appreciate this strategy when your business starts to grow.
- Shop around. Prices for computers and related equipment are still falling.
- Buy only from reputable dealers who offer reliable support services.
- Ask questions as you shop. Tell your sales consultant that you're starting
a business and what you need your equipment to do. You'll be presented with
lots of alternatives, so its important that you have a clear picture of your
needs. Shy away from stores where the sales associates don't seem to know
what they're talking about or are unwilling to take the time to explain the
tradeoffs.
Almost any business in this day and age, Kanarek believes, needs
faxing capabilities and voice mail ("Business is not a place for call
waiting," she says). She also advocates having a separate business line
("I think twice about doing business with anyone whose family members
answer the phone or have children screaming in the background," she
says).
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