Complete Guide to Outfitting Your Home Office

Dorothy didn't go it alone. Starting up a home office shouldn't be an entirely solitary pursuit, either. Some of the best resources for technology advice are your peers. This is one of Trainer's first lines of research. "Always talk to people in the industry. Talk to your friends. Talk to your neighbors who might have similar technologies, and ask them their opinions." Spec sheets will only tell you part of the story. Ease of use and reliability of information comes from people who know.

Surf sites like MySimon.comto hunt for bargains on the Web. It's time-consuming but can save you money. On the other hand, dealing with local sellers may give you an opportunity to test-drive products before you buy. Trainer found a way to save both money and time by going through major retailer Computer Discount Warehouse. "When you're not 10,000 people, there aren't such things as volume discounts," she says. "Find a retailer that can sell you all your stuff and give you a bit of a price break." Look for a situation where you're dealing with one salesperson as your business grows.

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