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How To Entertain A Child While Working From A Home Office

There is no doubt that the benefits of being a work-at-home parent outweigh the drawbacks. However, some days can prove to be difficult when your two year-old is determined to climb on top of your filing cabinet while you’re trying to participate in an important conference call.

Here are ten tips that can help make your life easier, and your little ones happier, while you work at home.

Set up a little desk for your tiny assistant in your home office, close enough for you to keep an eye on him, but far enough away for you to focus on your work.

Tell your child that he is your personal assistant-in-training and emphasize what a big deal it is for him to have this title and his own work area.

Provide your child with some tools similar to those on your desk. Carefully select only the safest items that are virtually indestructible. Your child’s active imagination and natural curiosity can easily lead to disaster if he gets his hands on the wrong gadget.

Assign your new assistant with important job responsibilities. Young children love to imitate adults, especially their parents. Depending upon what type of business you operate from home, you can dream up duties that mirror what your child watches you do every day.

One duty that may delight your toddler is opening mail. Give the child junk mail, advertisements or anything else you don’t want to read. Provide a little trashcan or place for him to pitch the envelope if that’s what you usually do.

Another job that may thrill your child and can potentially occupy him for more than an hour is organizing your out-dated files, old business cards, duplicate copies, rough drafts and any other impertinent papers. The key to this little task is to place files to be organized in a basket or file bin and provide an empty desk drawer or old briefcase for your toddler to transfer the papers to and from – possibly repeatedly. If you can manage to concentrate on your work and coach your new assistant at the same time, you may stimulate their thinking by beginning to count the papers he or she is moving from the basket into the desk drawer.

A must-have for your new little employee is a notepad or notebook similar to the type you use for taking notes, and crayons (if he or she will accept such a “childish” writing implement.) Encourage your child to draw a picture for you and make sure you praise the final product. The more compliments he or she hears from you, the more your child will want to keep creating special drawings for you, or Grandma and Aunt Jeannie and Uncle Timmy etc. Either take a brief time out or make it a routine at the end of the day to hang your child’s masterpieces in your office. He will feel like he accomplished something that made you proud. Let your child help you tape his work on the side of your desk or up on the wall. You may be surprised by how intrigued your toddler is with tape!

A chalkboard is an easy, inexpensive addition to your home office that you may never need, but your assistant-in-training will probably use it every day. If you buy the big sidewalk chalk, your toddler will be less likely to decide to taste the bright colored sticks. If he or she does try to take a bite, the chances of choking are reduced with these fat pieces of chalk. Make a production out of adding this new item to your office. Pretend you need it to use it to record your daily business reminders. Your child will be more eager to get his little hands on something he sees you using. One little warning: Although this cheap addition to your office may offer a new outlet for your child’s creativity, it will usually lead to the need for a quick bath at the close of the business day!

There are a few items that are actually “toys,” but may be able to pass for “tools” (similar to the machines you use every day) to be added to your new assistant’s desktop. Various toy companies manufacture mini-versions of adult products, like little battery operated computers, designed to teach your child the alphabet or animal sounds; play telephones that ring by themselves and talk back to your child; and musical keyboards that perform tunes automatically and also allow your toddler to make his own melodies. Your toddler may be content to imitate you with toys, like these, that look similar or sound the same as your desktop devices.

Depending upon the location of your office, layout of your house, and your child’s level of independence, you may be able to designate duties that require him to leave your office to go find a phone book for you, or to locate that big envelope that came in the mail the other day. You can purposely forget to collect all the items you will need to complete your job that day or you can ask your little assistant to seek out objects that you don’t really have to have immediately. Toddlers usually like to look for things, especially when they think they are helping mommy or daddy. Be sure to thank your child and compliment him for being able to find exactly what you wanted!

The Importance of Office Stationery

There are several key aspects that remain standard to almost every office, no matter what type of business is conducted in that office. Most offices will have chairs, tables, computers, coffee makers, printers, copy machines, and telephones. They will also have keyboards, bathrooms, windows, and possibly a place to eat. These are all things easy to identify. Another set of objects that would be easily forgotten are sets of office stationary. Office stationary is key and integral to most all offices, but is likely to be forgotten because it is taken for granted.

Office stationary plays a huge role in office settings. Without office stationary, it would most likely be impossible to conduct business without any degree of frustration. This would be like a basketball player going to practice basketball with no basketball or shoes. Due to the huge role that office supplies and stationary take, someone in the office is usually responsible for the ordering of all office supplies and stationary. If someone in the office is not responsible, there is generally a company that contracts with the office to make sure it is completely stocked.

Office supplies and stationary include paper, letterhead, pens, pencils, markers, pre-printed envelopes, stamps, staplers, erasers, and all the other essentials that you would need. While the electronic age has really taken hold of today’s society, most business transactions still require office stationary to some degree. This office stationary is key, especially if it looks very professional and planned. No one wants to see an invoice coming from a company with a sloppy or outdated letterhead. People want crisp, clean, and non cluttered items on a piece of paper that are easily readable. This is why proper office stationary is so hugely important. It may seem like such a small piece of the puzzle, but it can have extreme effects on the business satisfaction of the clients.

In closing, if you do not have a good supply of office stationary, it would be wise to look into getting more. Along these same lines, it is important that you find the best value for money. Often-times stationary stores are a business with a sole purpose of making the most money they can from you. This is why it is often a great idea to find multiple quotes on what you are wanting. Also, the degree of flexibility and innovation that stationary companies have is key. You want a company that can give you a cutting edge with modern ideas and formats.

Essential Types Of Office Stationery Products And Its Uses

Apart from elegant and stylish furniture, office stationery is another important category that completes the establishment of an office. Although most of these supplies are inexpensive, it is quite important for the effective functioning of a company. Each business requires specific types of items; however, there are items which are universal.

Some Essential Items:

Paper: There are various types of business papers which are used in work places for the purpose of printing. A4 sized papers are among the most widely used products. It can be bought in bulk amount from most of the online stores at affordable price rates. There are different brands of business papers made available these days.

Folders and Documents: Folders and documents are quite essential for an organized environment. There are different types of folders made available on most of the online stores. There are stick files, plain files and so forth which can be bought from online stores.

Business Card: Another essential item required in a workplace is a business card. These cards are relatively small in size with the company logo, contact information, email ID, name and so forth. It is easy for prospective clients to search and order for products with the use of these cards.

Envelopes: Different types of envelopes are also used in an office to send documents, letters, invoices and so forth. Today it is easy to find a huge variety of envelopes listed on many of the online stores at affordable price rates. There are stores which offer bulk products too at discounted prices.

Letterhead Papers: It is quite essential to have letterhead papers to type official letters. Any business letter should be typed on a letterhead for a professional appearance. Letterheads include the name and the logo of the company.

Apart from these essential items, there are various other products which are quite pertinent for the smooth functioning of a business place. Items such as staplers and pins, pens, marker pens, glue stick and cello tapes are also required in a work place. Erasers, correction fluid, highlighter and correction tape are also essential for smooth functioning.

Several other small devices are also used in a workplace. Protractors, letter openers, scissors and compasses are available on many of the online and offline stores at affordable price rates.

In addition to these items, some of the most reputed online stores showcase a huge variety of products such as pen holders, document holders, calendars, paper diaries and so forth. There are various types of pen stands which can be made available at different price rates.

Some of the stores also showcase a variety of notebooks and diaries which can be used as business organizers too. It is possible to custom order these products with the name and the logo of the company from many of the online stores.

Business firms can buy or custom order from online stores at various price rates too. Bulk purchases can be made at discounted price rates from reputed online stores.

How Can Microsoft Office 365 Help You to Increase the Profitability of Your Business?

Microsoft Office 365 offers a robust solution to enterprises enabling them to build a truly modern workplace. Tailor-made for your business needs, it enhances your business’s productivity by helping you virtually communicate and collaborate with your people at all times. From email to web apps to communication services, Office 365 brings together all of Microsoft’s productivity tools, and provides an easy and cost-effective platform for enterprises to move to the cloud.

Let us now do a detailed analysis on how Microsoft Office 365 can help enterprises in achieving optimized productivity and increased profitability for their business:

Intelligent Security

Security is an integral part of cloud services. With a 128-bit SSL/TSL encryption, no unauthorized personnel can read Office 365 applications. Microsoft continuously monitors for suspicious activity in your system and takes immediate action with a robust incident protocol in place. Office 365 has an intelligent security management system, threat protection, information protection, and identity & access management which can help enterprises save on huge additional costs arising due to data theft.

Microsoft SharePoint Online – Portal Collaboration

SharePoint Online facilitates better collaboration between your people. Employees can easily collaborate on projects, share documents, and organize all their information. Enterprises can benefit from SharePoint Online and save on costs associated with managing their own infrastructure and servers as it runs in the cloud.

Exchange Online

Exchange Online helps enterprises effectively manage their email and calendar, and provides benefits of Exchange Server 2010 with no cost and overhead expenses of deploying it in-house. The Single Item Recovery can be enabled to recover any file which has been permanently deleted from the system. Attachments up to 25 MB can be easily shared while user mailboxes up to 25 GB are supported.

Instant Messaging and Skype Connectivity

Let people know you’re available and effectively communicate with them through messages, voice and video calls. Office 365 is tailor-made for enhanced connectivity between your people. This results in optimized business productivity.

Reliability

With a Service Level Agreement (SLA) offering a 99.9% scheduled uptime, Office 365 helps enterprises with enhanced worker productivity and ultimately saves big on costs. Backup data centers are available which transfer customers hosted by one data center to another with minimal interruption.

Compatibility

Upgrading all desktop systems to the latest operating system is not a feasible solutions for all enterprises. Microsoft Office 365 supports Mac, iOS, PC and android platforms, and has a comprehensive workforce management helping enterprises achieve reduced TCO across management, servicing and deployment.

Web and Mobile App Development

With Microsoft Office 365, it is possible for enterprises to build customized business apps suited for web and mobile. This can help them achieve their business goals and increase profitability.

Being a one-stop solution for numerable business concerns of enterprises, Microsoft Office 365 is an idea choice for enterprises looking to increase the profitability of their business. However, it is important for enterprises to choose only a certified Office 365 cloud solution provider having globally recognized certified consultants.

Small Business Idea – Home & Office Cleaning Business

For the cost of cleaning supplies and a stack of marketing materials – you can be well on your way to starting a Home or Office Cleaning business! A cleaning business is flexible and versatile in many ways. You can offer your services to small business offices, churches, day care centers, private homes, and much more. Due to the ease of start-up and low overhead costs, the cleaning business is often crowded and can be very competitive in some areas.

Here are a few things you will want to keep in mind if you are considering a Home or Office Cleaning Business:

1. What range of services will you offer?: This is one service based business where it may be best to keep your list of services as flexible as possible. Where one client may want to hire you for a weekly deep cleaning of their home, another client may need a one time service of clearing a cluttered garage. Someone may want a laundry service while another wants carpet cleaning. Be open to your clients needs and wants.

2. In what ways can you set yourself apart from the rest?: A home-owner or business in the market for a cleaning service ultimately want just two things – a clean home or office and peace of mind. How good you are at providing those things will determine the success of your business. When a person allows you into your private space, they are trusting that you will not steal or do anything else to betray their trust. As a small business owner, you do not have the brand recognition of a larger cleaning company, so you will have to work harder to gain clients. To give them peace of mind it may be wise to insure and bond your business, keep an up-to-date copy of your driving record, and criminal background check. You should offer to show any new client this information.

As society grows more conscious of the environmental impact of certain chemicals, people are moving towards eco-friendly or “green” alternatives. You can reach that demographic by offering green cleaning solutions and child-friendly methods. This will be very important for families.

3. How can I market and advertise my cleaning business: When it comes to advertising – you will want to concentrate your efforts to high volume social places. Your local grocery store, day care facility, church or shopping plaza are ideal locations. Consider spending the money to run a print ad in your towns newspaper and CraigsList.com is another great (free) alternative. Building your word of mouth reputation will be important, offer to clean the homes of friends and associates in exchange for a testimonial of your services. You may also want to consider marketing a contract deal to local apartment complexes, Realtors and credit unions. These companies will always need a reliable service to thoroughly clean apartments and homes after leases end, evictions and foreclosures. In fact, specializing in foreclosure clean-up may prove to be highly profitable.

Though the overall start up costs of a cleaning business are very low, you don’t want to make the error of skipping over the important steps. Make sure to register your business legally with your county, state and the IRS. Purchase a domain name and establish a website. Finally, you are a cleaning professional and must present yourself as such at all times. Although you are cleaning messes, your appearance should remain tidy!

Surprising Small Home Office Ideas

It doesn’t matter if you are working from home or in an office building, your office is one of the places you will spend huge chunks of your time. It is a space you need to be as practical as possible, and you also have to like it. It is very hard to work in an office you hate. If you dislike it, maybe you have an opportunity to change it. Here are a few ideas.

Small Spaces

If you are trying to create a new study or office space at home and don’t have a designated room for it, don’t despair. You can utilize small spaces or corners of rooms that otherwise are under-utilized and gathering dust. Look around you and see what options your home offers. Very often people overlook places because they have been deemed as too small. However, you can make small spaces look bigger with a couple of simple color changes. Once you have located the spaces you want to create an office – get to work. Check what furniture you can move or rearrange so it fits the space and looks at different possibilities for office furniture.

Color Palette

Look at what kind of colors dominate your office at the moment. Perhaps it’s time to switch it up a little. Go bold. Pick your favorite color and use it as an accent color on different parts in the office. Perhaps the wall behind your desk is extremely boring. Paint it your favorite bold color to make space look not only functional but also stylish. If the wall is out of the question because you use it for shelving, a whiteboard, or something else, consider using colored accents in other things – binders, pen holders, notebooks.

Empty Corners and Light

Do you only have a corner to use? That should not hold you back from creating an office for yourself. Find a desk that fits in or makes one your own by upcycling materials. One of the most important aspects will be how comfortable you are sitting at the desk, so make sure it fits. Make sure that the light is appropriate and doesn’t strain your eyes since corners can be quite dark, especially if the window doesn’t quite provide enough daylight.

Utilize Nooks and Crannies

Perhaps you have an empty corner in your bedroom that could easily become office space? Put a desk against the window and when you get too tired from working -you can easily look outside and rest your eyes. If you have a window behind you – make sure the curtains block out enough light for you to avoid squinting, but make sure it’s not too dark either.

Make sure you your brain will look at a bedroom as a relaxation space so make sure you separate the two areas to separate work and rest. You can have modern office space and use softer tones and textures for your bedding and bedroom furniture. This way you can easily work there, but then separate the two spaces and not worry about insomnia because your brain is still in the fifth gear thinking about work.

Secret Spaces

If you don’t want to spoil the rest of the style around the house, blend different styles and textures together. Find furniture you feel good about and that fits the rest of the style in your house. A classic desk probably will not look very good against a modern interior, so find something that looks good as a whole.

If you are short on space, see what kind of shelving you can create or utilize around you. If you have space under the desk and it’s not in the way – boxes are a good way to store items. Nowadays you can also get different solutions to neatly hide everything away when you are done. For example, hang a curtain in front of your workstation so you can hide it from guests and yourself. Otherwise, it might be glaring at you from its corner.

Your home office will become the place where you spend quite a lot of time so keep it organized. If you need a little bit of mess around you while working – organize everything once you’re done. It will give you the satisfaction of a day well spent and it will not stick out from the rest of the house like a sore thumb.