Setting up Your Home Based Business
A Home Business Article Contributed by Sarah White
Setting up Your Home Based Business
When you decide to start a home based business, one of the most important things you need to do is decide how you are going to set up your office. It's a step that's easy to overlook but vital to staying organized and sane as you work to get your home based business off the ground.
Space for Your Home Based Business
The first consideration when setting up an office for your home based business should be the space that you can dedicate to an office. Do you have a room in your house that can be completely taken over by your home based business? If you do, then you will be able to deduct a portion of your rent or mortgage and utility bills from your taxes as a business expense.
But even if you only have a corner for a desk in a room used for another purpose, you should spend some time thinking about how best to organize that space for all of your needs. Consider space-saving furniture like a corner desk or a large bookshelf for storing paperwork or materials. What you need will depend on your space and your business, but give it a lot of thought before you purchase new office furniture.
Equipment for Your Home Based Business
While you are considering office furniture, think about the equipment you might need to get your home based business off the ground. In this day and age that almost always means a computer with a printer, a scanner and fax machine. It might also include a second phone line with an answering machine. Depending on the type of business you may need specialized equipment, a digital camera, special lighting or other items.
If you know anyone with a similar home based business you might want to check out their office before you start equipping your own. At least spend some time brainstorming the equipment you might need and if you don't have money to buy everything you need, set priorities and a timeline for getting the rest of the equipment. You don't want to start a business without all the tools needed to do the best job, so don't skimp on this step.
Supplies for Your Home Based Business
Lastly you need to consider supplies such as paper, business cards, letterhead, stamps (both ink stamps and postage stamps), envelopes, etc. Also consider basics you will need for your day-to-day needs including notepads, Post-It notes, pens, and sticky flags. Think about the things you use on a daily basis in your nine-to-five job; these are probably things you will need for your own home based business as well.
You can't plan for every possible supply or piece of equipment you may need or have every office supply stocked, but if you give some thought to the basic set up of your office before you get your business off the ground, you will be in much better shape when you are to busy to run to the store for a new ream of paper.
