Internet Business
Home Office

Ideally, since this is supposed to be a business you run from your home, you should create a home office. This doesn't have to be anything fancy or expensive, and it doesn't have to be in a room all by itself, although if you have children and/or a "honey do" inclined significant other, it would be advisable. Besides that, there are certain tax advantages to having a legitimate "home office". If you don't have a spare bedroom, den, or study then you can certainly find a secluded corner of your home in which you can spread out a bit and have some privacy and room to work. Wherever you're going to create your home office, you'll need to plan space for, at a minimum, the following items:

• Telephone
• Computer
• Comfortable Chair
• Fax Machine
• PSC
• Fast, Reliable Internet Connection

Computer
As far as the computer goes, you don't need anything turbo-charged unless you'll be using it on the side for some serious 3D gaming. As long as you have a working mouse and keyboard, a crisp view screen, and enough horsepower and memory to run multiple applications at the same time, you're all set. While on the subject, I have to warn against using the "family" computer as your business computer. You really must have a computer that only you use or at the very least, one that you closely monitor. I could give you a list reasons why using the family computer is a bad idea, but I'm sure you can come up with dozens of your own.

If you're in the market for a new desktop or laptop computer, my first recommendation would be to get it from Dell Home Systems. What's nice about Dell is that you can have them build a computer to your specifications, either online or over the phone. They're not necessarily cheaper than other vendors, but you don't have to pay for all the extra "fluff" software and features that get piled into those systems you see at your local retail outlet. All of my systems are, and have been, custom-built by Dell and I've never been dissapointed with their performance or service.

If a custom made computer is not your style, then you'll want to check out these technology superstores for the best service, selection and prices;

- Tech Depot
- PCMall.com
- Buy.com

Now, if you're really strapped for cash or have bad credit or some other type of, ummm... financial distress, then here is something that may interest you. At PCs For All, they will let you make weekly, bi-weekly or monthly payments for a year, regardless of credit, until you own a brand new - brand name desktop computer package or laptop. This is not a rent-to-own plan or a lease since you actually own the computer system when all is said and done, And they ship the computer to you after just a few layaway payments. I have never used the service, but it seems very reasonable.

Take a look at PCsForAll.com here.

Comfortable Chair
To me, this one seems like a 'given', but some of you may prefer to sit on a folding chair or stacked milk crates.;-)   I'm not going to spend much time on this topic and I refuse to get into a discussion of ergonomics, but if you have need for some new office furniture - an adjustable chair, a computer desk, an anti-static mat, or "whatever", then you'll find the best deals and widest selection at the Office Depot.
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Fax Machine
You may be asking yourself "why do I need a fax machine for an internet business?" or "what the heck is a PSC and why do I need it?". First off, I want to tell you that both these items are on the borderline of "need to have" and "nice to have", however, the absence of either one can put a definite strain on your productivity. Because of that, I've listed them as necessary items.

You'll have need of a fax machine for information transfer that could otherwise occur only by good old-fashioned USPS "snail mail" or by an expensive overnight company such as Fed Ex, UPS, DHL, etc. You WILL run into situations where information cannot be sent via email or by other online means. For example, at some point you will need to provide tax id information on a W-9 form to someone. As another example, if you get into resale, some companies still have not transfered their wholesale price lists to spreadsheet format. In both these scenarios, a fax machine can save you days of wasted productivity.
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PSC
Okay, 'nuff said about the fax machine. What about this PSC thing? Well, PSC stands for Print/Scan/Copy, also referred to as an all-in-one printer or a multi-function printer. Actually, I believe that "PSC", although not a trademark, is an acronym that only HP uses for it's inkjet multi-function printers. This is perfectly ok with me though because HP is the only brand of all-in-one I will ever use again. I'm not going to get into any gory details of my experiences with other brands and I'm definitely not naming them, but suffice it to say, if you're going to get a multi-function printer, save yourself the agony and stick with Hewlett Packard.

As you get more involved in your internet business, there are too many instances to list in which you will kick yourself for not having access to a printer, scanner and copier. With that in mind, there are three immediately apparent perks that come with owning an HP PSC inkjet printer. The first is that they are very affordable. If you had to purchase each of these components separately, it would cost you, literally, upwards of eight times the amount you'll pay for a single PSC. The second perk is that the PSC's have amazingly good print quality, scan quality and speed for the price. The third perk is probably the most obvious and that is the space savings you will enjoy by having a single unit providing the fuction of three.

I'll answer your next question before you can ask it. "Yes", HP sells an all-in-one printer that includes a fax capability, and "No" I don't recommend them. HP refers to their models as "all-in-one" rather than PSCFs for some reason. Of course other companies sell this type of four function printer as well. It is just a personal preference of mine NOT to use these printers because I believe that you give up overall quality with the addition of the extra function. On top of that, if my printer ever did crap out on me so that I had to get it fixed or replaced, I'd want to make sure I still had fax capability.

One more thing about PSC's, or for that matter any color inkjet printer. The price of replacing the ink cartridges in these things can kill you if you purchase the manufacturer's cartridges. Let me save you the headache and the wallet depletion right now by recommending the following ink suppliers:

- 123inkjets.com
- Clickinks.com

Fast, Reliable Internet Connection
I've left the most important item in this section for last just so it will hopefully leave a lasting impression. It is absolutely paramount that you work with the fastest, most reliable internet connection you can afford. If you're going to skimp anywhere, this is definitely not the area in which to do it. You probably already realize that there are many different flavors of internet connection, ranging from dial-up over a phone line to a "light-speed" T3 line which is usually not available for residential use and which the average Joe could not afford anyway. We'll go into more detail about internet connections and ISPs (Internet Service Providers) in a later section.

For now, I'll reword it simply - "Fast, reliable, don't skimp". Now, I know that in some areas you won't have access to DSL or cable internet and that the best you can do may be simple dial-up or "accelerated" dial-up. If that's the case, then that's what you have to go with. Believe me, you don't want to sit there late into your evening uploading files to one of your web sites at the speed of frozen molasses unless you absolutely have no other choice.

The reliability of your internet connection lies mostly in the hands of your ISP. Just as in every other business sector, you have some ISP companies that offer very good service and support, while you have other half-baked companies that aren't worth a spit in the bucket. The type of internet connections available in your area may force you to go with one ISP or another, but if you're in an area with many options, don't give up quality for price. Hopefully, you have high speed capabilities of one form or another in your area.

Here's an important tip - Any high speed service worth it's salt, whether DSL, cable, or wireless, will provide dial-up access free of charge in the event of high speed failures. Your cable internet access may be disrupted by construction incidents, your wireless tower may lose power or be going through maintenance of some type. Regardless of the reason that your high speed internet access is not available, you need a dial-up backup. Although slow, phone lines are typically the most reliable.
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Now let's take a look at software you're going to need to keep your business running smoothly.

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