Easy home office setup

Get your home office up and running in no time with some help from your personal computer.

Many managers and executives dream of being their own boss. With a small office, home office (SoHo) setup, they can save rental, travelling expenses and, most importantly, time. They have the necessary expertise and a good business idea.

However, many think that setting up a home office is an expensive affair. This is not the case. The equipment that you and your family already own can be part of your home office. Some of the software you will need even comes free.

Table and chair

You need a good sturdy table and a comfortable chair. Your desk should be big enough for a computer's central processing unit, monitor, printer and telephone, and still leave some working space for you. A 1.5mm by 0.6mm table would be an ideal size. A lockable mobile pedestal on wheels can store your stationery and extend your working area when necessary. Check the pedestal height and ensure that it can be fit under the table. The chair should be adjustable and comfortable for you to work long hours in.

Computer

Attending a hands-on course on building your own personal computer will help you when you need to upgrade or have problems with your PC. A good office PC with cathode ray tube (CRT) monitor can be built for around $600. If you like a liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor, prepare to pay another $300.

Printer

A colour all-in-one printer-scanner-copier is available from $160. Some models even include a PC fax. Entry-level laser printers which cost around $300 are good buys if you need sharp printouts. For big volume copying, you can just go to copy centres which charge about three cents or less per copy.

Network

If you wish to network more than one computer so that you can share data and resources easily, wired networking is cheap to set up. You can buy the necessary cables from $5 and a router with built-in switch and print server from about $100.

Usually these routers will have a minimum four-port switch, which means you can connect up to four computers to form a network. The print server allows you to share a single printer with direct printing capabilities from all computers in the network.

Internet connection

You can share a single Internet connection among all computers in the house using the router. The Internet is a valuable tool that can improve your business, if used correctly.

Software

Update your software regularly with patches and fixes. Some free software worth considering are the Linux operating system, Open Office, AVG Anti-Virus, and Zone Alarm firewall.

The voice recognition feature lets writers and reporters dictate their script and see the information come up on their computer screens, saving a lot of typing time.

Stationery

Using the appropriate software, you can design your own stationery such as name cards, letterhead, envelopes and brochures in a few minutes. The main advantage of designing your own stationery is that you can get the exact look you have in mind.

If you have the final design, printing companies are likely to charge cheaper rates to print them for you because they do not have to spend their time designing the artwork.

Document design

Create templates for invoices, quotations, payment vouchers, purchase orders and so on, using word processing or spreadsheet software and print them with the same letterhead.

Website

Having a good website will raise your company's image among your customers. If you organise all contents neatly, you can create and upload a good website within a day. Web design software comes with a lot of design templates, so all that is needed from you is the content for your site.

Remember that you have limited working hours every day. Instead of answering common queries yourself, have them listed in your website's Frequently Asked Questions page. Most tech savvy customers use websites rather than telephones to find information immediately and you can save some time yourself.

Organise

Organise each customer's details such as his name, company name, address, and phone numbers in a table. This format is handy when you need to print the mailing address for letters, envelopes or even greeting cards.

If you are using a personal digital assistant (PDA), have the data synchronised regularly with your PC. Do not lose any contact information. Have back-ups done regularly.

You can store appointments schedule in your mobile phone. You can also program it to alert you when the appointment is due.

You are fully responsible for your business success. Allocate time to attend networking events or free seminars. Eat healthy food. Keep fit and exercise regularly.

Article contributed by Amanullah P.M.A., manager at Infocom Consultants