Home Office Tips

Home office, it sounded so good when we first thought about it. Working in our bunny slippers, never having to dress up, showering at our whim, and sipping coffee from our own mugs.

Now we order our own paper, find our own printers, and try to get supplies at the best prices. Like everything else loyalty matters, pick a club and stay with them except for exceptional bargains.  I am a proud member of the Staples Club. They give me points for purchases and every three months send me a check.  Recycle used ink cartridges for a $2 rebate per cartridge.

My personal paper goods favorite is Envelope Mall for that all important first impression. What variety, what fabulous colors, what a deal. For business I want the best quality to tell my clients they are worth it. For a few pennies more you can have something that makes a terrific impression.  Do your own invitations. Euroflap envelopes bring a touch of elegance and no one will know whether you bought them at that expensive stationary store or ordered them off the Internet.

My pick for an online printer is uprinting.com- the site where you can talk to a real person and they actually care about your order. You can send up files for a technical review at no charge and receive an on line PDF to verify your order. If you live in Los Angeles you can pick up your printing and skip the delivery charge. They deliver a high quality of customer service along with great printing.

If you are also your own publicist, go to PRWeb.com – they will teach you how to write a press release and then deliver to multiple markets. Not bad for getting your name out there in a hurry.

Start receiving emails from HARO, Help A Reporter Out. This might be the day that CNN or any of a number of outlets needs your expertise.

You are receiving this newsletter from Mailchimp.com. They will let you have 12,000 sends per month for up to 2000 subscribers for free. This is a great way start out your mailer and see what works before making an investment. The dashboard is user friendly and they have many templates to choose from.

If you have a straightforward legal issue, Legal Zoom is reliable with top notch customer service. I used them for a DBA after a friend recommended them.  They were so good at explaining every step that it was a very relaxed process for a legalphobe such as myself.

Use that travel time that you are saving for walking, meditating, or reading a good book to transition from office mentality back into your home environment.