15 Home Office Essentials for Work-From-Home Business Startups

Everyone nowadays may easily warm up to the idea of work-from-home business startup. After all given the wonders of internet, who wouldn’t find the prospect of doing work at home or anywhere outside the office away from horrendous traffic, wearisome public commuting, or even looming health hazards extremely attractive? In fact, working from anywhere and having enough time to pursue one’s passion were the foremost reasons why Filipinos go freelancing.  If you’re one entrepreneur wannabe who desires flexible time schedule, you’ll definitely agree. 

Indeed, exploring this option seems much exciting. It may even be overwhelming when you finally get your way to this new career venture. But wait before you begin shopping for what you think are home office must-haves as later on you may end up stressed out and cash-stripped. Below is a streamlined list of home office essentials to set you off to an efficient startup of your work-from-home business startup space in less time.  

Focus on home office essentials for a Work-from-Home Start-Up
Photo courtesy of Nicolas Huk via Flickr

1.  Your Work Spot

Get a home office location that you can claim for your work alone. It’s impossible to have focus and get productive when you’re a nomadic worker around the house. Ideally, your work area should physically set you apart from communal elements at home -- family members, entertainment living room, and dining counter, etc. just so you may imbibe a full sense and real feeling of working.        

2.  Lighting

Ensure adequate lighting even when you work from home.  Aside from good natural lighting outside, you may consider complementing the room’s main light with a desk lamp or adjustable overhead light. Surely, you wouldn’t want an eye strain or headache from struggling in the dark.  

3. Desk

Of course, you also need a table for you to lay on your paper works and other stuff.  The traditional rectangular wooden desk may suffice, but you may choose from others such as a study with desk overlay and a desk space with overhead shelves in a tower cabinet.

4. Comfy Chair

Getting a chair you’ll feel most comfortable with is worth the time, effort, and money.  You’ll be spending the most of your time finishing up work with your chair so better make sure it’s something you’ll love even up to its minute details. An ergonomic swivel design, head and arm rests, adjustable height, and reasonable cushion may sound like the considerable features for a perfect chair.  Putting your favorite pillow at back of the chair could also save you from annoying back pains due to a full day’s work.

5. Office Supplies

Shop for office supplies the same way as you did when you were a child.  Being a business startup doesn't mean you can't be fun and adventurous.  Go for fancy colors and designs to make each day pleasant and cheerful at work.  Apart from basic pens and stationery, don’t forget the little handy ones—paper and binder clips, fasteners, glue, thumbtacks, ruler, scissors, tape, post-it notes, folders, envelopes, staples, stapler, and calculator. A particular must-have is a personal notebook that comes most useful whenever you think up of something worth jotting down.  

Keep office supplies 
in desk organizer or pen holder at the least.
Photo courtesy via Pixabay

6. Desk Organizer

Keep your desk off from clutter with a desk organizer, or with a pen holder at the very least.  Knowing where to pick up your things will allow you to become efficient and prevent you from scrambling at the last minute during a sudden need. 

7. Calendar Planner

There may be digital calendars out there but nothing can psyche you up to plan ahead better than the wall or desk calendar glaring at you.  Calendars that have large boxed- dates with generous space for marking down appointments, deadlines, or special events can be really helpful.      

8. File Storage

Definitely, you wouldn’t want your stuff to grow into a heap of files.  File folders, boxes, and shelf cabinets can help organize and store your documents, supplies, and other work paraphernalia.  Don’t forget to make proper labels to save you time when searching.

9. Computer

Unless you plan to evade the modern world, your home office can’t run operational without a computer.  Choosing between a laptop and desktop will depend on your work style or needs. But whichever you opt for, a computer at your work space completely fits the bill for a home office.  

10. Internet Broadband Connection

Partnering with your computer work station is a fast broadband connection for you to be able to link with the internet and work online at great speed.  This is the way to go if you want to come out reliable and competitive in the online world. 

11. Landline Phone

Landline for a more legit business image
Photo courtesy via Pixabay

Nothing beats the traditional landline phone for taking customer calls as it creates a more professional and legit impression especially for home-based business owners.  For remote personnel working online, the smart alternative may be the internet-based VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol, which usually comes free or has minimal rates.

12. Mobile Smart Phone

Having a landline is good enough, but getting a smart phone will make you even better.  Of course, there will be times when you need to move around the house or go outside for an errand or weekend day-out.  During these moments, you’ll surely love your smart phone for affording you to make instant email checks, social media updates, or internet browsing while at your favorite cafe or shopping mall.  

13. Multi-functional Printer

Aside from usual printing tasks, you may also require making duplicate copies, scanning images, and faxing documents sometimes.  Thanks to multi-functional printers available today which combine all these jobs in just one machine so you won’t have a plethora of devices anymore.  

14. Wide-bowl, Hardworking Coffee Mug

One of the perks of a home office is not missing your breakfast before you kick off the day.  Be sure to grab on to an ideal hardworking coffee mug with a wide bowl that makes it versatile to hold your favorite breakfast cereal, porridge, or beverage, and even any of your quick snacks anytime of the day.   

15. Dash of Inspiration
Lastly, you're just human to be down sometimes too! When that happens, an inspirational source can become a home office business startup essential for you.  A family picture, your life motto, or dream house brochure will keep you driven and help you not miss a work day at home. 

Liked this article so far?  Read more of business startup and entrepreneurial blogs from Go Entrepinay now and explore how you could join the world of entrepreneurship. 

Celebrity Entrepinay Feature: Patio Victoria Wedding Venue by Cristina Gonzales

The wedding month of June couldn't pass without its “weddingness” being included as a blog post.  Admit it, Philippine weddings are such soulful celebrations that are not to be taken lightly. If you’re a Pinoy, you yourself may readily agree that Filipinos’ love for family obviously translates to this country’s passion for creating beautiful Philippine wedding events.  Apparently, this could be the very reason that’s also turning the Philippines into one strong contender for destination weddings. From the soon-to-wed couple to family and friends, everyone’s seemingly ready to share a piece of themselves to bridal preparations for crafting the most memorable occasion deemed to be cherished in a lifetime.  It’s not surprising then to find this love for weddings even present in showbiz actress Cristina Gonzales-Romualdez. Cristina’s entrepreneurial trace found its way in putting up a lovely wedding venue, the Patio Victoria. 

Old World Charm from Patio Victoria
Photo courtesy by Judgefloro via Wikimedia Commons

The now Mayor-elect of Tacloban, after her landslide victory in the May 2016 elections, hasn’t ran out of zest for work. Before the call of marriage in 1998, Cristina Gonzales was a popular actress of the 80s and 90s. Alongside marriage and family, she has also gotten her hands into business with the start of Patio Victoria in 2001. With her untiring energy, it isn’t hard to see why Patio Victoria has been in business for more than a decade now. But apart from that, below are several reasons which could be behind Patio Victoria’s enduring appeal to the weddings-events industry that you may also find agreeable, too.

1.  Seamless Offering

Patio Victoria definitely knows how to stand for its “old world charm” offering.  From its location to amenities, you’ll be taken back to a different setting from a time past. The venue is located within the heart of the historic Spanish walled city of Intramuros, near Manila Cathedral, and just across San Agustin Church.  Inside it are cobblestone paths, old wooden gateways, fountains, flowering foliage, and tall trees to complete the old world ambience.  Even the food menu, which includes callos, lengua, and paella, is reminiscent of old Spanish cuisine.

2.  Venue Choices

Customers are also treated to several venue options in Patio Victoria.  There are the two elegant garden venues named after Cristina’s daughters – Sofia and Diana Gardens.  For more private events, the Sofia Banquet Hall presents an indoor venue with air-condition facility that comes ideal for corporate events and more intimate personal occasions.

3.  Full Service

A hassle-free event is what every party host prays for. Patio Victoria realizes this client need such that from merely just being an events venue, it has expanded itself to offer a full-serviced venue with catering and styling amenities. For those with thematic weddings and events, venue theme styling at Patio Victoria ranges from Black and White, Iridescent, Victorian, Bordeaux, to Town and Country.  

4.  Reasonable Pricing

For all its offerings, Patio Victoria’s venue rental rates and special packages for its clients may be considered reasonable. After all, the experience of an old world vibe for one-day could be even worth more. 

12 Back-to-School Business Ideas to Get into Philippine Youth Market

Scouring for back-to-school business ideas this month of June?  Well, your hunches could be on pretty right tracks. Perhaps with prudent management practices plus a huge Philippine youth market to cater to, it’s not hard to see why several Pinoy companies which began from entrepreneurial business start-ups have churned out phenomenal success through the years.  There are the likes of a shoe store turned shopping mall giant, a burger fast food chain catapulted industry leader, and a book store school supplies retailer with national bragging rights, just to name a few. Just imagine 54% of the country’s 100M population in 2011 being comprised by people aged below 25 years old and you definitely have a strong market demand to back you up with. Smart would-be entrepreneurs wouldn’t miss spotting this obvious market opportunity.

Get into youth market with back-to-school business ideas.
Photo courtesy of Pixabay

Truly, Philippines’ predominantly young population has ushered in abundant business possibilities for various industries from food, fashion, leisure, and of course, to learning, among others.  Below are some business ideas in time with school opening season to bring you a steady demand for almost the whole year round.   

1.    Day care or Pre-school

If you love kids, setting up a day care or pre-school may just be the thing for you.  Although a pre-school has stricter regulations than day care, both ventures require you to spend time with children from toddlers to pre-school age.  When setting up location, you need to look out for communities of start-up families or friendly neighbourhood sites near business centers for the convenient drop-off and pick-up of kids usually done by working moms.     

2.    School Supplies Retailing

Sales of paper pads, pens, pencils, crayons, notebooks, and all other school supplies peak especially during school opening but enjoys a steady demand for the rest of the school year from students, school faculty and admin staff.  Putting up your school supplies store near the school would be best. Meanwhile selling additional products or locating beside complementary shops like food snacks, personal care, and gift accessories could help boost your sales further.   

3.    Uniform Sewing and Repair

Do you know how to sew?  Make a business out of your sewing skills by supplying student and teacher uniforms, physical education sports apparel, varsity team jackets, and other items of school clothing ensemble. Aside from custom-fit tailoring, you can also do sewing repair services. You can start by accepting single job orders as your village “modista” but if you’re able to prove your quality services, word-of-mouth advertising from happy customers can lead you to more client referrals or even allow you to bag orders from school and company clients later.

4.    Mobile Food Business

Selling food snacks is a sure-fire back-to-school business formula as kids undoubtedly love eating the most!  Why not get into the latest food craze via the mobile food cart or food truck?  Whether you’re a cooking enthusiast or seasoned chef, the mobile food business could serve well as launch pad and showcase vehicle of your well-loved home recipe or new specialty gourmet recipe.  While business and location permits could be tedious to secure, this let-down is offset by the flexibility that goes with mobile food business. You can easily move around parking locations depending on how well business is doing at allowed sites.    

5.    Academic Tutorial Services

Are you an expert in a particular subject?  Share your knowledge and earn from it at the same time by doing tutorial services.  You may start doing tutorials at homes of your student clients at first. But you can have this turned to a full-blown business with an office of your own once you have a bunch of customers already. What’s good about doing tutorials is you can do this at your spare time outside your regular job. Best of all, it only requires your brain power to start it up.   

6.    Musical Instrument Teacher

While some parents hire tutors to help their kids with the academe, some also pay for teaching lessons in music. If you’re gifted with a bard’s ear when playing the piano, guitar, violin, or other musical instruments, you could also turn this talent into a business. Like academic tutoring, you could teach home lessons to your clients if you don’t have your own instruments at first. Once you’ve saved enough capital, you can start building up your own music school with complete instruments and facilities.  

7.    Sports Mentoring

Even when summer ended, you can still continue with teaching and coaching kids in sports.  Try out as team coach of the varsity team or post at the internet your outstanding sports credentials so student athletes may notice and hire your services as personal trainer. Like academic and music tutoring, this one requires almost nil capital investment except your fitness and sports expertise.   

8.    Internet Shop

Internet shops are most helpful to students for their research needs. To keep up with competition from alternative yet affordable gadgets like smartphones and tablets, you can provide add-on benefits like lay-outing, scanning, typing, printing, and even photo I.D. services. You may even add selling candies to your list for a more enjoyable research work by your student clients.

9.    Books and Magazines Store

Books and magazines covering a wide variety of topics ranging from academic subjects, general reference, specialty fields, niche topics, arts and crafts, and hobbies can attract a large student market. You have the option of running your store the traditional brick and mortar way or online via e-commerce with provision on shipping costs though.  

10. Research Writing Firm

The education industry involves much research work and some definitely seek assistance in this area.  Hence, there’s the great need not only for individuals but also for big companies to contract research services to external parties.  If you’re one who enjoys reading up, learning new things, and has great writing skills for conveying meaningful information, then putting up a research writing firm may be a worthwhile venture for you to earn money while doing that which interests you at the same time.   

11. Bookbinding Shop

Book reports, term papers, research projects, and other work submissions will never run out in the academe. As there’s always the need to collate paper works and so that’s why bookbinding stands as an old but prolific business found at university belts and shopping centers.  Couple with bookbinding the need for making several copies and adding a photocopying service will strengthen your business even more.

12. School Bus Service

If you’re someone who’s always on the go and enjoys your time on the road, driving your way to a school bus company may be your route to entrepreneurship.  With this business, you have to get used though to early morning work hours to get kids on time, vigilant following of weather advisories for typhoon class suspensions, and regulatory compliances under government transport agencies.  While business may be out during summer, you’ve gotten however an assured clientele which brings you cash liquidity for the entire school year.