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Software =
You should think about getting a good word processing or desktop publishing software on your computer. There are many available on the market, ranging from $90 to $900. If you don’t already have something similar, be sure the one you purchase has the ability to do labels and comes with free technical support. Another very helpful type of software to have is a mail list or address list program. You can keep a running customer list and keep track of product ship dates, amounts paid, E-mail addresses, and other pertinent information. It is also very helpful when offering new products to existing customers.
SPACE H
The only thing I failed to mention in the list of start-up items is something that you can’t purchase…space. Of course, you are going to need some space to set up a mini-office type of environment. A spare room, a basement, or even a card table like I used should suffice in the start-up period of your business.
Once your business starts to grow, you will begin to require more space, so try to plan accordingly in the beginning, if at all possible. It’s also a good idea to pick a place where you can get as much privacy as possible. I know from experience, however, that sometimes this is virtually impossible in some households. Anyway, try to pick a good place at the start, since it is very difficult to move everything, once you have settled in.
That just about does it for start-up materials. You will probably come across a few things here and there, but there won’t be many surprises, now that you’ve read this fairly extensive start-up list. As you can see, you shouldn’t need to purchase much to get started. Actually, most people won’t need to buy a single thing! However, if you do need to get a few of the items listed, don’t do it all at once! There’s no reason to put yourself in the poorhouse before you have a chance to sell a single thing. Take your time in acquiring everything you decide to get.
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