Running a small business is hard. There’s no getting around that. Usually, you’re doing the job of multiple different people – business owner, marketer, content creator, accountant… The list goes on. Whether you’re a new entrepreneur or you’ve been operating a small business for years, your aim is to expand your business. One of the best ways to do this is by embracing technology. To help you do so, here is a roundup of essential equipment for small business.
Choosing what is ‘essential’ equipment for small business
You can use a variety of amazing technologies within your small business to boost efficiency, productivity, and success. But with a seemingly endless array of technology products available nowadays, it can be difficult to decide which pieces of equipment to get for your office.
You probably don’t want to spend money on unnecessary things when you’re running your small business on a limited budget. Instead, invest in the right technology that is going to provide a great return on investment.
It’s also important to get technology that is easy to use and reliable. You probably have a packed schedule as it is, so you won’t want to spend hours on the phone with an IT customer support team because your equipment broke.
To help you decide which equipment to buy, here is a list of items worth investing in as a small business owner.
Mobile scanners
Printers are necessary for most small businesses, but when you run a business from home, you usually have limited working space. Thus, you have to be careful not to clutter the home office up with bulky items, including large printers.
That is where mobile scanners can be extremely helpful. They are small, portable devices that enable you to scan documents and images into digital files. You can then organize files into folders for storage, editing, or sharing via your computer or laptop.
External hard drive
So many activities are digital nowadays in business. As a small business owner, you likely have a large volume of digital files to maintain and backup. They include invoices, Word documents, spreadsheets, and images.
Most computers and laptops have limited storage, so you will need an external hard drive to store most of the files. It is also smart to keep a second copy of your important digital files on your hard drive, just in case anything goes wrong with your desktop computer or laptop.
Hard drives come in a range of storage sizes. Many small business owners look for one that holds at least one terabyte.
More equipment for small business: Work phone
You could use your personal mobile phone for business calls, but it’s probably a better idea to separate the two. It’s not ideal having customers calling your personal phone at all times of the day.
If you have a company website, display your contact details so your customers can contact you and make inquiries. You probably won’t want to put your personal number online for everybody to see.
Instead, it’s usually easier and safer for your small business to have a dedicated phone line. That way, customers can get the support they need without you having to compromise on personal space or security.