Work from Home – Office Setup and buying list

Many people want to work from home because they want to be their own boss or want to do things at their own pace. They don’t want to sit in a stuffy cubicle all day or beat the traffic jam each day. When you work from home you decide when you start working and when the office opens.

People who want to work from home tend to see only the advantages but forget to see potential problems. One problem could be where to set up the office in your home.

In this article we look at setting up office space at home for your work at home business.

Choosing the office place

Selecting the spot to put the office in is very important. Some people convert there garage into an office space or buy a two a two-storey building to put the office down floor and life upstairs. But this cost a lot of money, so this is not a choice for everyone. Most people convert a bed-room into their office space.

If the nature of the business requires clients to come to the office then it is advisable that the office has its own entrance and its own bathroom facilities.

Whatever you choose, make sure you have ample space for the furniture and that the space is well lit. Good ventilation and sufficient outlets for electric appliances are a must. Of course telephone/fax lines and an internet connection are a must.

Essential buying list for furniture, equipment and office supplies:

• Desk
• Desk lamp
• Table
• Chairs
• Filing cabinet or filing drawer
• Sofa (if clients come to your office)
• Computer (buy a laptop, handy when you need a computer elsewhere)
• Printer
• Telephone
• Fax machine
• A4 scanner
• Copy machine
• Ballpoints and pencils
• Paper (if possible with and without company logo)
• Stapler
• Card punch
• Record maps
• Bookshelves

Note: there are machines that combine printer, fax, scanner and copy machine in one machine.

Make sure that the telephone, computer and fax machine are near the desk. Make sure your office is presentable if clients come by. Don’t clutter papers on the desk. An organized and tidy work from home office will leave good impressions for potential clients.