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Last Updated on August 22, 2022 by Work In My Pajamas
Are you in the process of starting a new business? If so, you should think about running it out of your home when you’re first getting it off the ground.
In the past, studies have shown that about 70% of new business owners take this approach to kickstarting their companies. They’re able to save themselves a lot of money by operating their new businesses out of their homes as opposed to leasing office spaces to do it.
You will have to spend some money to start a home business, though. There is a long list of office equipment and supplies that you’ll need to invest in if you want your business to stand any chance of being successful.
Here is a detailed list of office equipment and supplies that you’ll want to have in place prior to running a home business.
In This Post:
Office Furniture
People who are planning to run a home business often make the mistake of trying to run it from their kitchen table.
If you don’t have any other choice but to do this, it’s not impossible to make the most of the situation. But ideally, you should set up a home office space separate from your main living area where you can focus on getting work done.
You should outfit your home office with all of the same furniture that you would find in your average office space. This includes everything from a desk and a chair to filing cabinets and maybe even something like a couch where your clients can sit.
Your goal should be to make your home office space as comfortable as you can. You’re going to be spending a ton of time cooped up inside of it, so you want it to be somewhere that you don’t mind being when it’s time to get to work.
Computer
In 2020, it’s pretty much impossible to run a home business without a computer. You’re going to put your business at a huge disadvantage if you decide that you’re not going to purchase a computer for business use.
Whether you choose to go with a desktop computer or a laptop computer, you should give yourself something equipped with everything you’ll need to turn your business into a success. Many people opt to go with a Mac to run their business.
Just make sure that you find the best browser for Mac computers if you go in this direction. You want to be able to find information quickly on your computer when you’re sitting down at your desk.
Phone
As long as you have a computer in your home office, you’ll be able to stay in touch with clients, vendors, customers, and anyone else who you want to speak with. E-mail has made it so simple for home business owners to maintain a connection with the outside world.
But with that being said, there will be times when people will want to speak with you by phone. It’s important for you to have a phone and maybe even an entire phone system set up so that you can talk to them and stage conference calls when necessary.
You might be able to get away with using a smartphone for these purposes. But generally speaking, you’ll be much better off having a reliable landline that will establish strong connections with those who call you.
Printer/Scanner/Fax Machine
When you work in an office, there will be a printer, a scanner, and a fax machine set up separately for people to use. But since space is limited in a home office, you’re better off getting one machine that can do it all.
Look for a printer that is also capable of scanning things and making copies of them. It should have a fax machine as well just in case you ever need to send or receive faxes while you’re in the process of doing business.
Paper
If you’re committed to running a home business that’s as eco-friendly as can be, you might not want to use any paper at all. There are ways to create a paperless office if you want to go that route.
But chances are, you’re going to need to use paper from time to time for something. From printing out an invoice or a packaging slip to making a copy of an important document or an agreement with a vendor, you’ll need to have blank sheets of paper lying around.
Snatch up one box that you can use when necessary. You should be able to steer clear of using too much paper while running your business, but there will be times when you’ll need to utilize it.
Pens, Pencils, and Other Writing Utensils
You might not think that you’ll need to worry about buying too many writing utensils for your home office. After all, you’ll be doing most of your “writing” on your new computer when you start your home business.
But there will be plenty of times when you’ll need to pull out a pen or grab a pencil for one reason or another. You might have to do it to:
- Sign a check
- Send a personalized note to someone
- Make changes to a legal document
Don’t get caught without a cup full of pens and pencils at any time. You should also equip your office with other standard office supplies like scissors, tape, white-out, Post-its, and more.
Shredder
Do you anticipate a lot of sensitive information coming across your desk while you’re running your home business? If you are, you should make sure that you have a shredder around so that you don’t allow important info to slip into the wrong hands.
You’re going to need to keep a lot of the documents that you receive filed away in your filing cabinets and locked for safekeeping. But rather than throwing out important documents once you don’t need them anymore with the regular trash, how about shredding them instead?
Packaging and Mailing Products
Is your company going to be in the business of sending products out to those who buy them? This will add a whole new dimension to your home office.
You’re going to need to find a place in or near your office to keep the products that you sell stored. You’re also going to need to set up an area where you can package your products up and ship them off to those who buy them.
This area should be filled with everything that you could possibly need to send your products to your customers. You’ll need to fill the space with:
- Boxes
- Regular business envelopes
- Bubble mailing envelopes
- Bubble wrap
- Packaging tape
- Mailing labels
- Scale
Thanks to the rise of Amazon, people these days expect fast shipping when they place an order for products. Therefore, you need to have everything that it takes to package up orders the same day you receive them so that you can send them right out.
Otherwise, your home business is going to struggle to achieve the kind of success that you have in mind. By keeping the right packaging and mailing supplies on hand, you’ll show that you’re 100% prepared to ship products off quickly.
Calculator
As a home business owner, your goal is to start generating a profit as soon as you can once you start your company. You want to make a lot of money so that you can grow and move out of your home and into a real office space.
With this in mind, no list of office equipment and supplies for a home business is complete without a calculator. You should keep a calculator front and center on your desk so that you can keep tabs on how much money your home business is bringing in.
You can also use it to make decisions when you’re placing orders with vendors or providing customers with quotes. You’ll find yourself crunching numbers early and often throughout a normal workday, and it’ll help to have a calculator by your side.
Buy Everything on This List of Office Equipment and Supplies Today
You might think that you’re ready to start a home business from scratch and turn into a successful enterprise. But if you don’t have everything on this list of office equipment and supplies in your home, are you really as prepared as you think you are?
Put together enough money to buy everything that you see listed here so that your home office is ready to go when your company starts doing business. All of these different items will help you put your best foot forward as you strive to take the business world by storm.
You can also add to this list over time and give yourself access to even more tools that will help you conduct business. You’ll feel so much more confident in your ability to do business when your home is filled with the right equipment and supplies.
Interested in learning about some of great home business ideas that you can try out? Read our blog to find ideas that you can put to good use.
