The 5 Must-Have Items That Help You Mix Business and Pleasure Like a Pro From cozy slip-on shoes you can do anything in, to a portable projector for entertainment on the go.
By Mario Armstong Edited by Frances Dodds
This story appears in the January 2023 issue of Entrepreneur. Subscribe »
1. Start off on the right foot.
If your home office is chilly, it's tempting to spend the day in slippers. But that can keep your brain on sleep mode. Teva ReEmber Terrains [$90; teva.com] are slip-ons that give you the cozy factor in an actual shoe. They're plenty comfortable with a quilted upper and foam footbed, and have a woollike lining for warmth. A water-resistant coating and a grippy, 50% recycled rubber sole keep your feet dry for running out to warm the car up on snowy mornings, while they're stylish enough for dog walks, grabbing a coffee, or errands.
2. Keep the frozen phone fingers warm.
Using your phone outside in winter is a pain, even with touch-sensitive fingertip gloves. Chubby Buttons 2 [$74.99; chubbybuttons.io] is a wearable remote designed to fix that. It's held on by a band that stretches around your wrist or arm, and it has five tactile buttons, large enough to control through heavy gloves, that will advance your playlist, summon Siri or Google Assistant, or answer a call. You can even take a photo without fumbling for the shutter button. When the weather warms up, use it on runs or bike rides.
Related: 5 New Products That Help You Avoid Distractions at Work
3. Reimagine your iPad.
Using your iPad on the go? Wrap it in the Moft Snap Float Folio [$69.99; moft.us], to protect your tablet in transit. But this case does more. Made of scratch-resistant vegan leather, it's designed with built-in magnets and a series of origamilike folding flaps to snap together into various standing positions. Raise it 3.6 inches off a table to use with a keyboard, or 2.3 inches to stream content; one of the angles is perfect for those who draw on their tablet. Wherever you go, the Moft sets you up to be productive.
4. Happy hour on demand.
After trying dry January, you might be tempted to go full Mad Men — but the Bartesian Professional Cocktail Maker [$449; bartesian.com] will keep you classy. Stock this semiautomatic bartender with your five favorite liquors and get a cocktail in your cup in less than 30 seconds. The Bartesian uses premixed pods of juice, bitters, and extracts — like a K-Cup coffee maker — and lets you choose how strong you want your drink, from a Monday mocktail to full-blast Friday. It makes about 50 different cocktails.
5. Presentation in your hand.
Slightly larger than a soda can, the 2.1-pound Nebula Capsule 3 Laser [$799.99; seenebula.com] is a projector that takes just a few minutes to set up and runs for up to 2.5 hours on a charge — long enough to get through a good meeting or movie. Connect your device to it through Chromecast or the HDMI input, and broadcast your ideas in high-definition with a built-in Dolby Audio speaker. Or (via its app) stream your favorite entertainment in your office, home, or hotel — anywhere there's something to project onto.
