Equipment, Supplies and Services for Your Business 2
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What about order forms? Where do I get them?
Order forms, sales call forms, invoice forms, purchase order forms, estimate forms, and even specialty labels can all be ordered with your name printed on them from a local print shop or by mail. They can be purchased as loose sheets or as continuous forms for computer printers that have a tractor feed mechanism (a gear with teeth that catches the holes in computer paper and pulls the paper through the machine).
If you just need forms occasionally and don't want to buy printed forms, you can get packages of forms that have a space to type in your name and address at most office supply stores. Or, if you have a computer, you can use either a word processor, page layout program, or a database program to print out forms as you need them.
TIP: If you use a popular accounting program such as Quicken, QuickBooks, or PeachTree, look for invoice forms and laser or inkjet checks that are specifically designed to work with your software. That way all of your data will line up in the right place on the forms and checks. A few of the mail order companies that print forms and stationery are:
NEBS, Inc.
500 Main Street
Groton, MA 01471
(800) 225-6380
http://www.nebs.com
PaperDirect Internet
1025 East Woodmen Road
Colorado Springs, CO 80920
http://www.paperdirect.com/faq05.asp
(800) 272-7377
http://www.paperdirect.com/
Quill Corp.
100 Schelter Road
Lincolnshire, IL 60069-3621
(800)789-4331
http://www.quillcorp.com
You can also buy stationery and business cards through Office Depot and Staples online stores.
How much business stationery and how many forms should I buy?
If you have no way of estimating how many letters you will write or how many orders you will get, order the minimum quantities of stationery at the start. For a home business, five hundred letterheads and envelopes will be sufficient unless you are planning to do a large personalized mailing. (In that case order enough stationery to do the mailing as well as a few hundred pieces for routine mail.) Although you can get quantity discounts, there's no point buying and having to find a suitable storage place for a few thousand letterheads and envelopes if it will take you 2 or 3 years to use up that many. If you need order forms and invoices, you might want to use the packaged ones from an office supply store and fill in your business name until you determine how many forms you will need each month.
Can I make my own stationery on a laser or inkjet printer?
Yes, you can if you are using a printer that makes clear printouts and the print doesn't crack or rub off on the pages. Unless you have a good sense of design, look for and use templates that come with your word processing software. The templates will help you choose appropriate size and style type for your letterhead. Paper Direct, which manufactures a variety of colorful preprinted papers suitable for business stationery sells templates as well. Their templates help you position your company name and contact information on their papers as well as help you choose the right size and typeface.
Printing your own stationery is a good idea if you only need a small quantity of paper. If you use a lot of stationery, you'll find it preferable to have it printed professionally. Printing envelopes is still difficult on many inkjet and laser printers, so you may find it preferable to have envelopes printed professionally. If you find you don't need them all, so they won't go to waste cover the company name with a home address label and use them for personal correspondence.
Do I need a separate phone line if I work at home?
It is advisable to have a separate telephone line for your business. Having the separate line will let you always answer the phone with a business greeting and will prevent ten-year-old Johnny from picking up an extension and trying to dial a friend's home while you are trying to land a new customer. Equally important, having the separate line makes it much simpler to track business phone expenses for your tax records.
If you are concerned about the price of a separate telephone line for the business, consider less expensive distinctive ring service. It will make incoming business calls sound different (so you will know to answer the phone with your business name). A separate line is preferable, however, so callers can get through if your teenager, your spouse, or your computer ties up the telephone for lengthy periods of time. In fact, many homebased business owners find they need at least three telephone lines: one for the family, one for incoming business calls, and if they don't have a DSL or cable Internet connection, a third one to use for Internet access.
If I run my business from home will I have to get a business phone line?
Whether you will need a commercial phone line instead of a residential line will depend on your local telephone company rules. In some localities, you only are required to get a business (commercial) line if you want a listing in the yellow pages. In other parts of the country, other rules apply. Call the business office of your local telephone company or the utilities commission of your state to find out what the rules are.
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