Category Archives: Setting up Your Small Business Office

Tips for setting up a small business office for productivity and efficiency.

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Home Office Ideas, Office Basics, Office Solutions, Setting up Your Small Business Office, Virtual Business, Work from Home

800 Business Numbers Give Small Business Owners Relief

800 business numbers can help make a small business owner happier and more efficient — find out why.

1438236_63812032800 business numbers, also called toll free numbers, are ideal for busy small business people who work from home or an office. You can get an 800 number (includes 888, 877, and 866 numbers as well) online literally in a matter of minutes. Using 800 business numbers in the course of business is more efficient than passing out your cell phone or landline number for many reasons:

Business Voicemail

With 800 business numbers you can route your customers to a voicemail system that specifically mentions your business name. For instance, instead of a casual “Hey leave a message” you can say “Thank you for calling Smith & Co. We’re available from 9-5pm Monday through Friday” or a similar professional message.

Free for Customers

If you deal with customers who live in other states, having 800 business numbers is a convenience for them. They don’t have to worry about the cost of making a long distance call. The number is also easier for the customer to remember (7 digits instead of 10).

800 Business Numbers Are Surprisingly Inexpensive

If you think having an 800 number is expensive, think again. Some toll free services charge as little as $2 per month ($2 to reserve the number) plus a low per minute charge when someone calls your business. You can create a number for each division of your business if you want and still pay just a couple bucks a month.

Track Who Calls You on Your 800 Business Numbers

Toll-free providers allow you to keep a call log of everyone who calls your 800 business numbers. Just log onto your account management screen and click the call history option. You can use this information to determine how many people are calling you from a specific state or area and make pertinent business decisions. For example, if you placed a radio ad in a small town in Missouri and suddenly you start to get a slew of calls from your 800 business numbers from that specific town’s area code, then you know that ad is working. So you can funnel more money into that market.

Call Blocking

Have you ever had a client or customer who just doesn’t want to leave you alone, even after you’ve ended your relationship with him? What about when you contact another company to inquire about services, decide on another option, but a salesman from that first company decides to call you every week to try to see if you’ve changed your mind. With 800 business numbers you can block all of those annoying types from calling your company.

Just click the calling block feature in your online 800 business number account, type in the person’s phone number, and save it. Everytime they try to call you they’ll hear a busy signal and you’ll hear… nothing. What a relief. This allows you to focus on the important calls-everytime your business line rings you know it is someone you want to hear from.

These are only a few benefits of 800 business numbers for small companies-there are plenty more. It’s a cheap and effective way to route business-related calls to your landline or cell phone.



Starting up a small business, even if it's just on the side, is no longer an option -- it's a necessity. Why? Because everyone needs an additional source of income in our new economy. Click here to sign up for educational and motivational posts to keep you on track.

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Office Solutions, Setting up Your Small Business Office, Sharpen Your Business Communication Skills, Virtual Business

Want Your Business Phone Number to Remain Unlisted?

If you want your business phone number to remain unlisted, get a toll free 800 phone number.

It’s hard running a small business. Even the smallest details, like how to establish your business telephone number, can be a complicated decision.

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For instance, have you ever thought about whether your number should be listed or unlisted?

There may be a few reasons why you’d want your business phone number to stay unlisted.

For one, some businesses only work with an established set of clients. For instance, if you own a small graphics design company that only works with a few large clients, there is little need to list your phone number in a phone book.

Not to mention that when you do, anyone can mine your phone number and call you for various matters that you just don’t want to be bothered with. You might hear from people who waste your time and are not really serious about hiring your business. You could get a random call from someone who is only trying to find out about your business for research and competitive reasons. And you may also just get a slew of sales calls from other businesses who purchase your name from a list and want to sell you something. Who has time for that?

Basically, your business telephone number is up for grabs when you list it in the phonebook through your telephone company.

The best way to keep your business number off the phone book rolls is to get an inexpensive toll free 800 phone number instead. When you sign up for a toll free number the number does not automatically go into the next edition of the yellow pages-it is a fairly private number that you can distribute to your targeted group of customers and business contacts.

Not only is the number kept private, there are also a number of benefits of using a toll free business phone number instead of adding a standard business number from your local telephone company to your line.

For one, you can block unwanted callers. So even if a pesky salesman somehow gets your 800 number and calls, you can set your 800 number to block him. Whenever he calls he’ll hear a busy tone or a message stating that “this number is no longer in service” or similar (even though it is).

You can also manage your callers with a toll free business phone number. Let’s say your service only applies to residents of Ohio. You can make it so that only Ohio callers, in a certain area code or from the entire state, can reach you through your business line.

So if you want your business phone number to remain unlisted and also want to better manage your business calls, get a toll free phone number (800, 888, 877, or 866). They are very inexpensive-only $2 per month for some services-and convenient for medium and small business owners.



Starting up a small business, even if it's just on the side, is no longer an option -- it's a necessity. Why? Because everyone needs an additional source of income in our new economy. Click here to sign up for educational and motivational posts to keep you on track.

Home Office Ideas, Setting up Your Small Business Office

Cool Stuff for Your Small Business Office

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Your home office should be a place where you’re about your business, but it should also be a place where you feel relaxed, comfortable and maybe even have a little fun from time to time. Check out this cool stuff that you’ll probably want to pick up for your small business office.

Coffee Warmer

There’s nothing that sucks quite as much as a cold cup of coffee – especially when you’re down to your last cup. In the course of handling your business in the morning, you don’t always have time to leisurely sip your coffee while it’s hot, and it’s never quite the same when you try to heat it up in the microwave. That’s probably why coffee cup warmers are so popular in small business offices. This one is only 10 bucks. Just place your mug on the warmer plate and switch it on. Keep the coffee warmer plugged in on your desk to ensure that your cup of joe stays warm until you’ve had every drop.

Massage Chair


There are going to be moments while running your small business when you desperately need a break. You might be having a tough time dealing with a customer or struggling with a supplier over terms. Hang up that phone and turn on your office massage chair. The newer models are ergonomically designed for comfort – some have heating elements and others can massage your back.

Exercise Bike Desk


418cFeVoQuL._SL250_Sitting on your backside doing nothing for hours can take its toll after a while. Spice things up in your office and get your body in motion with an exercise bike desk. Sit down, set your laptop securely on the desk right in front of you and get your workout on while you’re responding to emails, updating your website or participating in an online meeting. It’s fairly compact so that you can put it in a corner of even a small office comfortably.

Keep these cool ideas in mind when you’re decorating your small business office. Your office doesn’t have to be boring and plain. Make it a little oasis — a place you look forward to going when you wake up in the morning.



Starting up a small business, even if it's just on the side, is no longer an option -- it's a necessity. Why? Because everyone needs an additional source of income in our new economy. Click here to sign up for educational and motivational posts to keep you on track.

Office Furniture

Office Furniture

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Starting up a small business, even if it's just on the side, is no longer an option -- it's a necessity. Why? Because everyone needs an additional source of income in our new economy. Click here to sign up for educational and motivational posts to keep you on track.

Small Business Office Design

Small Business Office Design

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Office Solutions

Office Solutions

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Home Office Ideas

Home Office Ideas

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Setting up Your Small Business Office

Your Office Oasis

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How you set up your business office could have a very significant effect on your motivation and that of your employees.



Starting up a small business, even if it's just on the side, is no longer an option -- it's a necessity. Why? Because everyone needs an additional source of income in our new economy. Click here to sign up for educational and motivational posts to keep you on track.

Small Business Office Design

How to Design Your Small Office

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Some people think that a small office space is stifling and will negatively affect your productivity. But if you decorate and organize it a certain way, it can actually be a comforting and cozy yet professional place to get stuff done. Here are a few tips for how to decorate your small business office.

Keep Feng Shui in Mind

By definition, Feng Shui is the Chinese art or practice of creating harmonious surroundings that enhance the balance of yin and yang. Yin is negative and dark while Yang is positive and bright. The interaction between both sides is thought to maintain the harmony of the universe and to influence everything within it. Your small office space should emit that feeling of balance. Start by choosing a bright and vibrant color to paint the walls. Blues are more peaceful and productive, greens stand for growth, red is energetic and inspiring and yellow represents happiness.

Your office furniture can be the “dark” contrasting element, with a formal metal file cabinet and a professional black chair. Position your desk so that you have a view of sunlight illuminating the room every morning. If there are no windows in the room, place an inspirational picture on the wall that is in front of the computer desk to get a similar effect.

Carpeting and Lighting

Attempt to choose carpets or area rugs that have neutral colors that will not over power the room. For instance, charcoal gray carpeting compliments a wide variety of different color schemes. However, if you have wood floors that are in good condition, you may just want to invest in a patterned area rug.

For an office, choose bright, day light bulbs. Day light bulbs soften the room and add to its ambiance. If possible, choose a low, soothing wattage, because your computer monitor will emit enough light. Overhead track lighting with a dimmer is a preferred choice, because you can adjust the lights depending on the task you’re completing.

Choosing and Positioning Your Office Furniture

Being that you’re working with a small space, be very conservative about the size of the furniture in your office. If all you’ll be working from is a laptop, then just get a small square desk with a few shelves below it for your printer. If you’ll be using a full computer and need to accommodate a lot of equipment, dedicate one wall to a rectangular desk where you can keep everything in one place. This way you have plenty of room to move around and to place a file cabinet in another corner of the room if need be.

It helps to draw out a quick floor plan when you’re decorating a small office so that you get a good idea of the space you’re working with. Your office should be a comfortable and relaxing place for you to work. If the design is done properly it will also exude positive energy and inspire productivity.