Here is a brief list of some of the things that we changed. I’m sure that I’ve forgotten a few things, however the list is pretty big for 3 weeks while working a full time job!

• 3 new exterior doors
• Painted every wall on the main floor, with exception to my home office
• Replaced all baseboards on the main floor
• Full renovation of the main bathroom (kept only the bathtub and tub surround, even removed the sub floor)
• Removed 3 walls from basement
• Replaced 700 square feet of flooring (still another 400 to do)
• Removal of stained false ceiling

During the move and renovations, I did not have access to my computer. It was during this time that I was especially glad that I had a smart phone and was able to access my email and respond to the questions that I had. There were a few things that I couldn’t do on my phone but for the most part I was able to keep everyone happy.

Moving when running a home business can be a challenge. I hope to write a list detailing some of the types of companies that you will need to send a change of address to incase you plan on moving as well.

Software

1. Quickbooks Easystart: Using QuickBooks EasyStart is as its name suggests; easy. It takes just a few minutes to get started and soon you will be creating invoices, tracking payments and managing expenses. There is a free edition if you have less than 20 customers, making it affordable for consultants just starting off.
2. Microsoft Office 2007: A popular office productivity suite among businesses. You can write letters, generate financial spreadsheets and create presentations.
3. Contact Management: In business you will have many contacts and organization will be key. Microsoft Office’s Outlook has contact management that integrates well with Quickbook Easystart. If you are going to be in a fairly heavy sales type role you might want to look into tools with additional features.

Office Equipment

1. All In One Printer: As much as we prefer not to print things, it is still necessary for presentations and providing written documents that need to be shared. There are a variety of good products made by Hewlett-Packard and Brother. Features often include: scanner/photocopier, fax, network connection and automatic document feeder (ADF) for photocopying multi-page documents.
2. Shredder: Documents no longer needed often contain sensitive information and should not be viewed again. A cross cutting shredder is perfect for protecting the privacy of your business and your clients.

Mobility

1. Mobile phone: Every business owner should at least have a mobile phone, but as a business tool I recommend a smart phone. Research in Motion’s BlackBerry is the most popular smart phone in business, though I prefer the Apple iPhone myself. Many smart phones offer the ability to synchronize to Outlook.
2. Laptop: Many professionals work away from the office as much as or more than being in the office. A laptop gives you the freedom to work out of the office and the portability you need when making a presentation to an audience of any size.

Marketing

1. Business Cards: One of the most important tools for word of mouth advertising, business cards allow your clients to recommend you to their friends.
2. Web site: Provides your clients and potential clients with 24/7 access to the information they need about you and your business. Include reference to previous work done, contact information and be sure to tell them how you can help them.
3. Social Media: There are many social media sites out there, but many business people find LinkedIn very important in making contacts. Other social media sites include Facebook and Twitter. YouTube is another popular site where you could demonstrate some of your knowledge for free. You can upload short 1-3 minute videos of yourself providing advice in your area of expertise.

Smart phones can function as personal organizers letting you make written and voice notes, keep track of appointments with a calendar, manage contact lists and create automatic reminders wherever you may be. You can synchronize your smart phone with your computer so that information is never lost and stays consistent.

With smart phones you are almost always connected to the internet. You can access maps and directions to destinations, weather and traffic reports, watch videos, view your email including attachments and search or browse the internet.

Smart phones offer built-in digital cameras with immediate snap and send functionality. You can instantly photograph and send images of anything from products, site inspections or damaged machinery and send them as email attachments to anybody.

One challenge in making a decision on acquiring a smart phone is that you need a voice and a data plan. The voice plan covers all the phone calls that you would make and are often measured in day time and evening minutes. Data plans cover all the information that your phone sends and receives, is measured in the number of Mega Bytes that you download, and is not quite as straight forward. A mega byte is the equivalent of approx 500 text only emails, 7 or 8 web pages, or 1 or 2 photos. A video is often a couple mega bytes.  Using these numbers as rough guidelines, you should be able to estimate what you will need in a data plan.

When deciding to bring your presence to the online world there are a few ways that you can do it. Start off by listing in online business directories, building one or more websites, purchasing online advertisements and engaging in social media.

Listing your business with an online business directory is easy, convenient and often free. You can think of these directories as online versions of the Yellow Pages book. Unlike the traditional printed book, changes to phone numbers or other contact information can happen immediately.  There are several online directories and many are industry specific. Searching the Internet can often result in dozens of directories that you can list your business. If you have a hard time finding directories try searching for a competitor’s name and find out where they are listed.

Any business, small or large, can have a website. Websites can be built for prices between $100 to thousands of dollars, though personally I would stay away from inexpensive sites. You want your website to portray the level of professionalism that you provide your clients. If your website looks like a rush job with little attention to detail, visiting potential clients may think the same of your work. There are many benefits to having a website, some of which include:

• Increased Market Size: Any website will broaden the market reach for your business. You can market and sell your products across the country or the world.
• Low Cost for Distributing Information: Your web site’s purpose is usually to either sell your company (or brand) or to sell a product. You can have information about your company and product/services online (catalogues, technical specs, order forms, etc). If something becomes out of date, it can be updated within minutes and everyone accessing the information from then on will have access to the latest info.
• 24/7 Availability: Customers will have immediate access to the information when they want it.
• Multiple Websites: If you offer products / services that are quite different from each other, you can group them and display them on separate sites. There are many tactics in doing this, but consulting with a web professional might be your best approach if you feel this can apply to you.

Online advertisements are a way of increasing awareness of what you offer to your clients and driving traffic to your site. Depending on your market, online advertising can be very tricky and competitive. Companies like Google and Yahoo offer advertising programs that are quite powerful. If you are about to get started in online advertising you may want the help of professionals.

Social media is increasingly popular among the general public. Many people are addicted to popular sites such as twitter and facebook. If having a presence in social media fits with your general online strategy you can setup a profile for your business. If you decide to engage in social media be sure to set a fixed amount of time per day or week that you are willing to spend keeping in touch with people. It is easy to get distracted and waste a large amount of time.