* Build your business on three principles: mobility, stability and credibility
There are three basic tenets for any home-based business: mobility, stability and credibility. Here we’ll discuss fulfilling them via your network infrastructure.
As a home worker, it’s easy to get claustrophobic. You often need a change of surroundings. I have a book store nearby with hotspot wireless access, so I configured my network for portability.
Enabling mobility entailed equipping a laptop with not only wireless access, but also the software I use regularly, and access to my recent files. I created a shared folder on my desktop hard drive and once a week – or more frequently when I’m mobile – I connect to my home Ethernet LAN and sync with the laptop. I make sure my Quicken files, important documents, contacts, etc., are all up to date.
Then, after I return home, I re-sync with the desktop. I have Windows XP on both computers and identical versions of common applications, so this makes life much easier.
When I access e-mail from my laptop or any other device, I make sure the “leave a copy on the server” feature is checked off on my message settings. This ensures I won’t delete something critical or miss it when I next access messages from my desktop.
The second tenet is stability. You want to guarantee your clients you’re not a fly-by-night operation.
Make sure your data is backed up correctly. As a reporter, I conduct interviews all the time and put them in Word files on my desktop. If I lost those, I wouldn’t be able to fulfill my contracts with clients. Therefore, I must guarantee their safety.
I bought an Iomega back-up drive. At 160G bytes, this external hard drive is a dream. Left to my own devices, I would never remember to transfer over information, but the Iomega software takes care of it for me. Configuring the automatic backups is as easy as anything I’ve ever done network-wise. The bonus is the hard drive can be used to put files on other devices.
Copies of critical files should also be stored off-site. Some people say to keep a disk with a relative or neighbor. I’m a fan of the safe deposit box. Small business owners tend to make frequent trips to the bank and, therefore, can easily swap copies of disks in and out of a box. The trick is to remember to update the disk often.
Also key: Own your own software. If you’re thinking about borrowing your neighbor’s copy of Word or Quicken, think again. If something happens to your computer, you’ll want to be up and running with your own applications in rapid time. Trying to figure out who you borrowed what program from is not a strategy clients will appreciate.
Pick a handful of programs on which to base your business. I have an accounting program, a customer manager program, an office productivity suite, a publishing program and security tools as my base applications. I will add on others, but these are the ones that I own to support the business.
Finally, there’s credibility. You want to professionally handle all communications for your business. To do this, you need an e-mail account (ideally, with your business name in it), possibly a Web site and phone service (mobile and landline). You’ll also want either an online fax service like eFax or an actual fax machine.
As an aside, I’m looking forward to testing some of the new consumer VoIP services. I’ll let you know how it goes.
I’m a firm believer in scanners, too. These powerful machines let you sign forms, scan them in and then e-mail them back to your clients – much more quickly than snail mail. As a bonus, you have an electronic copy to store.
Credibility is also in your client interactions. An invoicing program lets you dispatch and track professional forms. Your accounting software should be integrated so you can automatically register any payments. Clients appreciate careful bookkeeping.
