Peppermint-flavoured money savers

Running a business from home has many challenges and 2009 looks set to offer added financial pressures, writes Rachael Ross of purelypeppermint.com.

 Smart working

Today I walked past one of my favourite shops. It has been in business for over 100 years and there hanging in the window was a ‘closing down’ sign. If companies that survived world wars and previous financial troubles are going out of business, what does that mean for the rest of us?

So what can you do to make sure your home office allows you to work effectively? My top money-saving tip is:

Know what you have

Time and time again I see new clients struggling to work in an office overrun with clutter, paperwork, boxes and junk. They lose important paperwork, they appear unprofessional to their clients and they waste time trying to work around the mess.

Knowing what you have in your office can help you financially you in two ways.

Firstly, it cuts the time you waste looking for what you need. You can put that time to much better use focusing on what will increase your earnings or grow your business. Imagine being able to fit additional clients into your day or taking on more projects.

Secondly, it will mean less money wasted on impulse or panic buying items you have but have also lost in the chaos. With my clients I often find multiple items during a good clear-out session. With one client we found 20 rulers, three staplers, countless scissors, boxes and boxes of blank DVDs and printer paper. The costs all add up.

streamline

Getting to the point where you know what you have needs a good de-clutter and clear out. Focus on creating an efficient, professional office space by removing anything that does not belong, especially those items that have wandered in from another area of the house and made your office their home. 

Remove anything that is out of date, old broken computer kit or items you’ve kept ‘just in case’. If your filing system is too complex (colour-coded or involving hundreds of different categories) the chances are you let the paperwork pile up. So clear out the paperwork and simplify your filing system.

Another definite benefit from knowing what you have is reduced stress and annoyance from working in a cluttered space. And I am sure right now we could all do with a little more calm.

If you need a consultation to successfully work from home email us at office@purelypeppermint.com  For further information please visit our website here for our working-from-home success secrets and to sign up for Purely Peppermint’s regular Working from Home newsletter.