The word ‘stationery‘ is one of the things that brings two types of responses for potential home business start-ups.
If you’re like me, you love the thought of getting brand new office supplies and new pens, post-it notes and any little gadgets I can buy to give me some motivation to start working in my home business!
For others, stationery means spending lots of money – being used to printing big reports without a second thought at work, we now start thinking about how to afford ink, how to buy the basic office stationery and still run an efficient office.
The truth is, these days, with technology doing so much to cut or reduce our paper trail, stationery costs have been heavily reduced.
Fax machines, for example, no longer have to consume as much paper as they used to – we use email to manage most of those types of correspondence. Unless your business model requires you to use a fax machine, most online businesses do not need to have one.
The all-essential
Also, these days, you can get an all-in-one printer which will print, scan, photocopy and fax. If you buy one of these, you’ll be spending a lot less than buying a separate printer, scanner, fax and a photocopier (let’s face it, most start-ups wouldn’t factor in a photocopier when buying their first office equipment, so having this will save trips down to the library or the local copy shop).
Recycle paper
One of the best ways to keep paper costs down is to print double sided – this is a good feature to look out for when you are buying your printer. If you already have a printer that doesn’t have this functionality, you can reuse old documents you don’t need for everyday printing or use it as scrap paper for jotting down notes.
You can also refill you printer ink to keep the costs down, and to be environmentally friendly. You?ll probably want to test out a few ink refilling services and products to get the best one, as sometimes the print colour is not the same as buying the manufacturer?s ink.
Start small
As I described earlier, when I started my first business, in excitement, I went all out and bought every type of paper clip, post-it and other ‘must-have’ stationery my budget allowed. But months down the line, I realised that some of those purchases were a waste of money – especially for a home business.
It would have been better to buy a basic stationery kit for up to ?10, use it and stock up on the stationery that I required.
If you are new to business, you might not know what stationery you’ll need immediately. Make a list of the things that you use a lot at work, and just pick out the basic essentials to start off with.
Business cards
These are still necessary – and not just for going out to networking events. I can’t count how many times I have popped out on an errand, bumped into someone I wanted to tell about www.motherswhowork.co.uk an didn’t have a business card or flyer to give them.
When you run a business, you need to be prepared for every situation so make sure you always have a batch of business cards or other literature with you just in case – you don’t want to lose potential business because you were not prepared.
With business cards, the more you print the cheaper it gets. But, that doesn’t mean you have to print tens of thousands from day one – you may find that it’s not your best promotional tool…flyers might work better for you, for instance. So, test the water initially and then make a bigger investment later.
Shop like normal
Just like clothes and handbags, there are stationery sales, too. So, you could also get smart when shopping and stock up on your essential stationery supplies when they have sales. Make sure you shop online, too, so you get the best deals – some deals are only available online. Some online stationers give free gifts when you order a certain amount, too, which is an added bonus.
So, you see that running a home business doesn?t mean you have to spend big or break the bank to get the stationary your business needs. If you have any tips and advice, be sure to send them in!
