| No home office is complete without an Internet connection, because more and more business is being conducted on the Internet, and if you are not connected you are missing out on a great opportunity to connect with your clients, potential clients and of course your suppliers. Internet access will provide you with many opportunities to increase your productivity, although you will want to be careful that you do not use the Internet as a distraction or that it doesn't become one by accident. The first thing that you will need to do is to contact your local Internet provider. There may be a few in your area, so shop around for the best deal before you sign up. Often there are Internet providers competing for your business so you should get a good deal. There will be a few different levels of service and speed that you can choose from. If you are going to be sending a lot of files, or large files through the Internet, you will want high speed service. However, if you do not plan on using the Internet much, you may want to opt for a dial up connection if you are on a budget. Do bear in mind that dialup is being offered by fewer Internet providers each and every day. Once you have the Internet access you will need to set up an email account for your business for clients to contact you. More and more people are using email to contact friends and family so you will not want to miss out of this invaluable connection tool. When you set up an email address you should keep it simple and easy to remember. However, it is important to keep it professional aswell. Keep it as close to the name of your business as possible. If you really want to maximize your growth and productivity, you should consider starting a webpage for your business. A webpage is a great way to tell people about you and what you do. On your webpage you can easily show off your skills, or pictures of your products. Include information on pricing or rates to make it simple for potential clients. And be sure that you make it easy for potential clients to contact you if they have more questions. With more and more people surfing the Internet these days, you can take advantage of this inexpensive marketing tool. While having Internet access is a great boost to your business, you must be careful to avoid the trap of the Internet as well. It is easy to get lost surfing the Internet or sending emails and lose productivity. Be sure that you monitor yourself to stay productive while you are working from home. It is a good idea to turn your email off and only check it at designated times every day instead of every time you get a new message. At least this way you can stay focused on the tasks you need to complete - those that are a priority. |
