Over 5 million businesses started in the U.S. in 2022. According to one source, new business applications were up 44% last year versus 2019, due to a COVID-era boom in entrepreneurship. If you’re running a startup on a shoestring budget, you’ll want to find ways to cut costs. And one way to do that is to work from home rather than rent an office space. Many well-known entrepreneurs started in a home office or garage before making it big. In fact, none other than Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs started the now ubiquitous Apple in a suburban garage.
Consider these five things when the time comes to set up a home office for your startup business.
1. Choose an Ideal Location
The most important thing is to find the right location. While the living room or kitchen might come to mind, there might be too much foot traffic in those areas. And that may negatively impact your efficiency, productivity, and money-earnings ability.
A spare bedroom or the basement can be a great place to set up a home office. Do you have space in your garage? That can be a great location to get the privacy you need to work.
Want some home office variety? Work outside when the weather’s cooperative. You can enrich your outdoor living space with a solar pergola.
“Solar pergolas can generate some or all of the energy you and your family require,” says Jen Helms, co-owner and director of business operations at Shade Power, which builds solar shade structures for homes and businesses. “It also offers an aesthetically pleasing shaded area in your backyard.”
Using a solar pergola, you can set up a small desk and enjoy working in an office with no walls.
2. Get the Right Equipment
Once you’ve selected an appropriate space, you need the right equipment and furniture. While you don’t have to splurge, you should invest in quality. A good desk, chair, computer, and printer will get you started. You can figure out what else you need in your work area.
It’s also worth investing in a good uninterruptible power supply (UPS). While the power grid in your area might be reliable, that doesn’t mean it’ll be online 100% of the time. That’s why buying a quality UPS — to mitigate issues caused by blips to the power — is vital. The last thing you need is to lose important files or information simply because of a power outage.
3. Get Adequate Storage
Ensure you have sufficient storage. You don’t want documents strewn all over the place. A disorganized workspace will slow you down. Getting a few cabinets should do the trick. But don’t forget storage solutions for your digital files. You’ll want to keep them organized, too.
4. Explore LED Ring Lighting
Proper lighting shouldn’t be overlooked. If your workspace lacks adequate lighting, do something about it. According to one study, 78% of workers say access to natural light and views boosts their well-being. Meanwhile, seven in 10 say another benefit is better work performance.
While nothing beats a room with windows allowing natural light to flood into your office space, sometimes that’s not possible. One alternative to explore is an LED ring light. That’s especially the case if your line of work requires a lot of Zoom calls with colleagues, staff, or clients. Zoom is just one of many video conferencing tools, but it has over half a billion business customers. And the tally of annual meeting minutes on the Zoom platform is now north of 3.3 trillion.
You can use LED ring lights to augment the lighting in your workspace when participating in online conference calls. LED ring lighting can, by enhancing detail and hiding shadows, give you a more professional on-screen appearance. That’s one reason this type of lighting is widely used by influencers doing make-up tutorials or by people doing professional portraits.
5. Add Some Plants
It’s a good idea to have some plants in your home office. You’ll beautify the area with different types of plants, and plants can also improve air quality and reduce stress. So, they can be great for your health and make your home office a better place.
When setting up a home office, you’ll want to consider these five points. They’ll help you set up an area where you can be efficient and productive as you grow your startup. You’ll see you don’t need to be in an office building to nurture and grow a successful company.
Featured image provided by Ken Tomita; Pexels; Thanks!
The post 5 Things to Consider When Setting Up a Home Office for Your Startup appeared first on KillerStartups.
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