VOIP (Voice over IP) phone service

Here is a tip I picked up at a COSE “Technology for Home-based business” workshop led by Joel H Rathbone yesterday.

If you’re a solo business person a great primary business telephone option is neither a cell phone or a land line – but rather VOIP (voice over IP) Internet phone service. It’s inexpensive, generally provides free calling all over North America, often offers free or inexpensive calling to popular overseas locations, and has quality of sound comparable to land lines and much better than cell phones. Get a good head set to plug into your computer and you can recieve and initiate phone calls no matter where you are.

For true mobility, and for redundancy in case your Internet connection gets interrupted, Joel suggests getting a mobile broadband card for your laptop. You’ll not only have continuing VOIP phone service whereever there is a good signal, but you will also have continual access to the Internet on your computer without having to find a Starbucks with Wi-Fi.

Will Limkemann
www.siqualtd.com

Home business is a lifestyle

Starting and running a home-based business is all about life-style choices. It is an option that is appealing yet does not work for everyone. Some of the many benefits of having a home business are:

1. No commute
2.Minimum costs / low overhead
3. Don’t have to get dressed up to go to work
4. Easy to start a business
5. Might be able to take tax deductions on home office space
6. Can work your own hours
7. More time with family
8. Control your own destiny
9. Get all the rewards for your hard work
10. Can do laundry when taking a break

But some of the downsides of the home-business lifestyle are:

1. It takes self-discipline to keep yourself motivated
2. Family interruptions
3. Difficult to separate home from business
4. It can be lonely with no colleagues to chat with
5. Friends may not take your business seriously
6. You can’t blame anyone else if you don’t have the success you want

Will Limkemann
www.doublewarepub.com