Raising The Bottom Line: How To Save Money When Setting Up An Office

Starting a Business Shouldn't Mean Breaking the Bank

So you've finally realized you need an office… a place designed to help you work faster and more efficiently. A place to help your little business grow. Key phrase: little business. You need an office but being the smart businessperson you are, you realize that your resources need to go back into your business leaving little extra to put together the elaborate office of your dreams. Don't worry. Here are five key tips on how to save money when setting up an office:

Invest in a scanner instead of lots of filing cabinets. Filing cabinets are inferior in a few ways. They take up a lot of space, they don't properly secure documents, and you are often enticed to either throw out documents once the cabinets are full—or buy more cabinets. You can buy a high-quality scanner for much less and store your documents, invoices, receipts, even business cards more securely. A scanner is worth it.

Choose an ultra-efficient desk. Avoid an oversized desk that will invite clutter. An efficient computer desk—like the affordable and easily customized Versa Center at Versatables—will make a difference in your productivity. The beauty of the Versa Center is that you add to it only the pieces you need, so all of your equipment is at your fingertips and each has a place. Forget a printer on a printer table half way across the room. Add a printer platform to your Versa Center and avoid getting up and down every time you need to print a document or load paper.

Stop wasting paper. Add a platform or stacking bin to your desk for paper that you intend to recycle. You know… all those pages that come out with only the header or the url printed on the top? Flip them over and use them again. Wasting paper and ink, as well as the general wear and tear on your printer, will make a difference over time.

Cut down on office products. Walking into an office supply store and becoming mesmerized by aisles of blue highlighters happens to everyone. Don't let it happen to you. Think of your workspace as if you were a college student trying to fit only the necessities into your backpack. You don't need 24 colors of highlighters. You need one. You don't hundreds of pens. You can always buy more later. Buy only the items you absolutely need and then replenish your stock when they go on sale.

Go basic. For everything you buy, someone will be offering an upgrade. Say no. As wonderful as it would be to have the script lettering on your checks instead of the basic print, you don't need it. You don't need the dual espresso machine just in case you'll want nine back-to-back espressos on a night you end up working late. Buy for the here and now, not the possible exception. You can always upgrade later, and the less you spend, the better you'll feel about replacing your older items with nicer ones when you're in a better position to afford them.