subject: Start-up tips: Cutting costs on your home office setup [print this page] Looking after the pennies is vital in the early days of your business, so when you're setting up your home office you'll naturally want to seek out the best deals without cutting corners. Building a business in the current economic climate can be particularly challenging, but if you are determined and take advantages of the discounts available to new businesses, you stand a much better chance of succeeding.
Your home office can be as simple as a single computer desk, or even less if you're looking to benefit from remote access from laptops. Indeed, there are many devices commonly associated with office environments that have largely been made redundant with the rise of new technologies - fax machines being a case in point. Your printer may still be essential for providing hard copies of documents, but you should also consider investing in a model capable of performing multiple functions, such as scanning and photocopying, allowing you to save both space and money.
Gone are the days when your office needed to be entirely physical, and if you can accomplish the same thing with a virtual office that you and other workers can access without having to rent out office space, that's already a significant saving. If you do require a physical space to meet or hold negotiations or interviews, there are increasing opportunities available to rent conference rooms for a set time in very desirable areas.
Even if the majority of your business is hosted on the web, there are still some physical components you'll need close at hand - most importantly your computer or other network device and also a phone. While your mobile may be convenient for taking quick calls, you could make big savings with a business broadband and phone package, taking care of your core telecommunication needs in one fell swoop.
Not only can you enjoy reduced call rates with a dedicated business phone line, but you could also obtain a business phone number more easily, including choosing a freephone 0800 number that will be more appealing to potential callers. Business broadband is an even more useful asset, offering priority network access over home broadband services, faster speeds and often unlimited downloads.
As well as ensuring a more reliable network connection with less risk of server downtime, switching to business broadband can also provide access to customer service and technical support resources, which you could find invaluable in the event that something does go wrong as well as saving you even more money compared to the cost of hiring your own IT staff.
Start-up tips: Cutting costs on your home office setup
