A lot of people think the set up costs for an online freelancing business are virtually none. After all, you already have a computer, internet access, and a phone – and that is enough to do your job, right? Well, if you have to you can get by with these things alone, but you will find yourself dealing with some significant inconveniences on a fairly regular basis if your home office literally consists of one laptop. As soon as you find yourself in a position to do so, you can make your life a whole lot easier as an online freelancer by buying some additional kit. Here we look at what you should consider buying, and why.
Multi Function Printer
Whether you need to print out things like notes or research is really down to your personal style of working. Many people hardly ever print anything for themselves, and read everything on screen. However, even if this is you, you will still have occasions when having a scanner, copier or printer may be useful. You may have to send a copy of your ID for certain employers, or signed copies of contracts or non disclosure agreements to clients. Depending on what you do, you may also want to keep paper records of invoices or even print and send them by mail. A good home multi-function printer can do all of this, and won’t cost the Earth. Buy a decent printer and the right printer maintenance kits and your MFP will be on hand for years to come whenever you need one of its services.
Two (Or More) Monitors
Working from your laptop screen may be what you are used to, but if you generally work from the same desk in your home why not set up a dual monitor set up there that you can dock your laptop to? Having two monitors allows you to have any reference materials or other stuff you need on one screen and the thing you are working on on the other. If you do something like web design, it lets you see both the source code for your pages and the rendered site at once without messing around with windows and split screens. Monitors are exceptionally cheap to buy, especially second hand, so you can get a set up like this that will make your work much more pleasant and easy for very little cost.
Mobile Modem
While not strictly hardware for your home office, a 3G or 4G modem is a great thing to have. One of the beauties of being freelance is that you can work anywhere, but you do need internet access. With a mobile modem you can work in your garden, at the park, at the beach, or while travelling, without the expense of tethering to your smartphone. Monthly paid data plans are affordable, and this little device will open up a world of potential new places where you can be fully operational!