GAXWUDYZ3WXS <—Please ignore the geek speak!
Photo by Duncan
Leaving the rat race to build your own business is a bit like jumping off a plane.
You know that there’s a chance of your parachute malfunctioning and your day ending with a resounding splat… but still you do it in the pursuit of liberty and happiness anyway.
Bully for you! You’re daring and adventurous.
I like it.
However, before you start your flirt with potential disaster or potential freedom (your decision as to which) do a pulse check to make sure you got a few vital components in place. Trust me when I say there are some investments that are simply non-negotiable!
Forewarned though… while some of them are relatively inexpensive, still others can cost a pretty penny.
My advice is to not dwell too much on the fiscal cost of these four things… the value they pay back to you in the long run is worth ten times what you’ll shell out of your wallet at the outset. And the bottom line is that every good business is built on good investments. So invest wisely.
Get a Good Computer
Seriously, making the mistake of assuming that dinosaur of a computer you use to surf the net is good enough to build a business on is sheer folly. Especially if 99.9% of your biz is built online. (As is mine!)
And if you really think that silly things like mechanical failure can’t do some serious damage to your bottom line, try asking Google. There are tons of stories all across the web of ninnies like you who thought they were safe from trivial things like computer viruses or hard-drive blow outs.
Really, I’m not trying to be melodramatic here. Sh#% happens. And it’s even more likely to happen on hardware that’s older than your dad’s great grandma Betty.
Just sayin’.
It’s ridiculously possible to lose both money and clients because your trusty dinosaur decided to fail right in the heart of that huge project you were working on for that mega huge client you just landed.
Eeek.
Really, stop and think about it.
Picture you, chasing a hugely important deadline. Then all of a sudden trusty great grandma Betsy crashes. Or the hard-drive fizzles. Or your Internet connection wipes out and you can’t seem to repair it.
That’d pretty much suck wouldn’t you say?
If that hasn’t happened to you yet, awesome!
Prevent it and future business failure by being proactive and making sure your hardware is up to date and running at its fullest potential. Computer experts say it usually take about two years for a computer to exhaust itself. Poor great grandma Betsy is likely even older!
So do yourself a favor and trade in your old model for a new one before the wheezing starts. Do a regularly scheduled preventative maintenance check every month or so. And if this is all a bit over your head… hire an expert tech to do it for you!
Put Your Money on Mobile Technology
As someone who’s now running their own little enterprise, it’s important for you to invest in technology that allows you to work from just about anywhere when need be.
You don’t really know when your business might take you away from the confines of your sweet little home office. (Or rented office, whatever floats your boat!)
Often when you work for a company, you are supplied by the big guys with different potential necessities like portable laptops, pocket PCs and phones with browsing capabilities.
However as a person who decided to leave that J.O.B. in favor of going it alone, you should buy these things for yourself because it’s important have the capability to keep abreast of your biz no matter where you might be digging your toes in the sand.
Arrange a Comfy Office Space
Admit it people. Trying to work in a space from whence you are easily distracted is a recipe for disaster. It will affect your performance and overall success.
No matter where you carve out your spot or how small that area may be… it has to be conducive to working. Adding a few elements like a well ordered desk, a comfy desk chair, and other things that give off an aura of “professionalism” are also very handy.
It’s a sort of Jedi mind trick that helps to fool your brain into work mode by helping it to recognize that “this” is a place of productivity.
Great for all you fellow procrastinators out there by the way!
Commit to Higher Learning
This could be in the form of e-classes, seminars, books, and other training materials. One of the best investments you can ever make in yourself is investing in your brains.
Helping that mushy gray matter that’s floating around in your skull grow to its fullest potential is one of the fastest roads to success any entrepreneur can ever hope to stumble upon. Of course the flip side to that is you actually need to implement all the things you learn… but that’s a another blog post in and of itself.
Just remember that no matter what field you decide to foray into, it will always be necessary for you to keep up with the latest technologies and breakthroughs.
Not only does this increase the perception of your authority to your clients and customers but it also gives you an edge when it comes to what the rest of your competition is doing.
And I could think of worse things about being self-employed than staying ahead of your competition.
Couldn’t you?
Please leave your comments in the comment section below if you’ve got something to add to this essentials investment list.
Warm regards,
AKA k0zm0zs0ul