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The right tools for the job: equipment
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The old laptop, with its rewired cord. May it rest in peace. Photo by Danica Favorite
People who work from home need to answer an important question. Do you have the right equipment for the job?
Back in the corporate world, if I needed a new computer, or if anything on my computer stopped working, I just needed to pick up the phone and the tech fairy would arrive to take care of it. At home, I don't have that option. Sure, I can call a tech support company, but I'll be footing the bill.
I started using my old laptop about five years ago. We bought it used off of eBay, which was about all we could afford. Still, for the time, it had a lot of features I thought I'd never need. A 5GB hard drive? No way would I ever be able to fill it.
But here I am, five years later, and I've just about gotten it filled. For a couple of years now, I've had problems with my power supply overheating and melting. My husband, electrical whiz that he is, has taken apart my laptop, re-soldered everything, and put it back together more times than I can count. Different parts of the old laptop would break or mess up, and I'd learn to work around them. Every few months, we'd have the conversation, “Do I get a new laptop?”
Each time, I end up looking at the budget and think there is no way I can afford it. So I fix the problem and pray it'll last just a little bit longer. Finally, for Mother's Day, hubby surprised me with a new laptop. He was tired of waiting for my old one to completely break, and he wanted me to have the tools I needed to get my work done. He pointed out that if I'd started setting aside money back when we first started having problems with my computer, even if it was only $5 or $10 at a time, I wouldn't have had to wait so long.
I realized, as I've been enjoying my new computer, that my biggest issue with buying myself a new laptop is that I hate spending so much money on myself. Which was a pretty dumb argument, considering my laptop is what I use to make money. It's not just a toy, but a tool I need to run my business. Most traditional businesses have a budget for equipment. Why should my business be any different? If my computer fails, I lose income.
Working from home, we need to put value on making sure we have the right tools to do the job. We spent about $500 on my new computer. My old one lasted five years. That's only $100 per year. And because I like easy math, that means if I'd only set aside $10 per month for my computer equipment fund, I'd have more than enough money to cover a new computer when this one dies. That seems like a lot easier of an expenditure than having to come up with $500 all at once.
So start today. Figure out what the next major expenditure for your business is going to be, and calculate out what you need to save each month so that when the time comes, you have the money waiting. Not only will it keep you from having to worry about finances, it also show that you're taking your business seriously.
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