Home Business Essentials

If you have decided that you would like to start your own online home business, the first things you will need are the Home Based Businesses essentials.

Obviously, you will need a computer with a good monitor, keyboard, mouse and printer. Your PC does not have to be brand new, but needs to be reliable. If you have an older slow PC that's running Windows 98, you might want to think about upgrading to a new or newer computer. A mid-range price for a desktop PC is around $ 800.00.

You may want to invest in a laptop computer as you can travel with it, and your business goes with you. A mid-range price for a decent laptop computer is around $ 1,000.00

Windows XP and XP Pro are recommended as good operating systems to use for an online business.

You will need anti-spyware, registry cleaner, and anti-virus programs to protect your computer. Many of these you can get as free downloads if you search online. These programs are a must as there is so much spyware on the internet just waiting to infect an unprotected computer.

You will also need a Winzip program to unzip files. Winzip is a free program you can download at Cnet.com or Downloads.com.

If you don't already have an e-mail account you will probably need one for your website. You can go to Google for a free e-mail account called g-mail. Go to: gmail.com which will take you to the Google site. Find the "sign up for gmail" link and create your free account.

If you plan on selling a product on your website you will need a Paypal account for your sales. You can go to paypal.com to sign up for a free Paypal account.

Your Internet access could be either DSL or broadband. Some online business owners prefer DSL, while others prefer broadband, as it's speed is faster.

Next you will need a desk or table, a comfortable chair, and a plastic floor runner to protect your carpet or hardwood floors. A good office type computer desk is recommended, as it has large drawers for your hard copy files and supplies.

A bedroom or extra room in your house can serve as your office. An important point to remember when working from home is you need to focus on your business in an area where you won't be distracted. If you don't have an entire bedroom to devote to an office, a screened off portion of a room will work - if it's quiet. You will need the privacy to concentrate on what you are doing.

One more thing to think about: money. You should have some start up capital to pay for advertising fees and supplies. Many online business owners have started a profitable business with very little capital, but for the very basic Work at Home online business you should start out with at least $ 200 - $ 500 to pay for expenses.

By:- Home Based Franchises