My Home Office
Great idea for a thread! It'll be fun to hear about everyone's office settings.
Do you work mostly with online products or do you have a fully stocked room complete with fax machine, copier, etc.
I work mostly with online products, but I do have an all-in-one copier/fax/printer/scanner. Nothing too heavy duty, but it's come in handy for small tasks.
If you work with hardware, what items do you have in your office? Which ones do you feel you just couldn't live without?
I love my PC. My husband surprised me bought it as a gift when I graduated last year to use for my business. We already had a two perfectly good PCs but he knew I wanted one just for myself. It's a great PC with a huge monitor, but I love it more because it represents his belief in me and my dreams of starting my own business.
Number one favorite piece of equipment?
Headphones, so I can get my groove on while I work and the baby sleeps.
If you work with software, what items do you have in your computer and which ones do you feel you just couldn't live without?
I use Express Scribe a lot for transcription (it was a free download). I use Time Stamp to track my hours. And I love the PDF995 that I found out about on this forum.
Number one favorite program?
I'm really into playing around with Publisher. I'd like to go in the direction of Graphic Design eventually, so let me know if anyone has reccommendations for software or training.
How is your home office set up for ease of use and comfort? What kind of furniture, setting, plants, decorations, etc. do you surround yourself with?
My home office is set up in the den on the first floor of the house. It's nice because there is a big bay window looking out into the front yard. The room used to be a guest room for my in-laws when they came in from India (we now have a finished basement that is set up for guests) and the room is decorated with knickknacks from our trips to India and has an Asian feel. I have a huge black wood desk that I love and that accomodates all of my clutter. In the corner is a "little office" that I set up for the kids. My one year old is home with me all day, so she hangs out with me and colors or talks on her phone.
Do you ever meet with clients at your home office? If so, how has this impacted your business for the better or worse?
No, never. Working virtually hasn't really been an obstacle. I have never tried to "convert" a client to going virtual though. I've focused on marketing to people that are already on board with the Virtual Assistant industry.
Do you have a sep. phone line for your home office? If so, why do you feel this is important?
I use GotVMail for my toll-free phone number. It's great because I can have calls directed to any phone (home, cell, anywhere) and I can also receive faxes with the same number and they are stored until I send them to my fax machine.
Do you have set office hours? If so, how did you decide what they would be and how do you ensure you and others maintain/respect them?
No, I really need to work on doing that. With kids, especially the one year old, I often end up doing my best uninterrupted work at night. And I've got dark circles to prove it. Luckily the baby still naps like a champ.
What do you most love about your home office?
I'm with everyone else on this one - it's home. I love being able to stay home with my kids. I don't want anyone else to be the recipient of that first sleepy smile after the baby's nap. And I love being able to pick the kids up from the busstop, walking home as slow as possible and hearing about their day.
What do you like least about it?
Sometimes it's hard to separate home life from work life. The line is definitely blurred. I need to give myself more credit for the fact that I usually put in full time hours at work and I'm always working overtime as a wife and mom. I need to get better at accepting help when it's offered.
If you could suggest to a new VA how he or she might best utilize space at home to create a home office, what would your top three suggested guidelines be?
Try to run through a potential job or project in your mind or on paper. From start to finish, how do you forsee the work getting done? How will you receive work and communicate with clients? What equipment will you need in order to accomplish getting the work done? Make a list of the things you think you'll use and use these forums to bounce your ideas off of established VAs.
When I was first getting started, I typed up a few standard replies to questions that I thought might come up with potential clients. It gave me a more professional sound when on the phone and it saved time when I was doing e-mail responses.
If you have kids, it's really important to make sure that you accomodate their needs as well as your own. I set up an area for them so that they know what things are off-limits and what things they can use. I found it better to not just say that my office was off-limits, but to incorporate an area so that they can come in and feel comfortable and occupy themselves. My older girls love to come in and do their homework while I work and they are always respectful of the fact that occasionally I need to work alone.
Feel free to share any other details about your own fabulous home office setup, strategy, or scenario here too!
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