Smooth operator: Run an efficient business at home
Find the right software to get your home office humming
By Cindy Waxer
Whether they are crying babies, barking dogs or brand new episodes of Oprah, today’s home-based business owners face countless distractions. Just ask Terese Westergreen, owner of Wee Sign, an Alberta-based educational program that teaches parents infant sign language.
Westergreen must keep tabs on sales reps, remote instructors and dozens of students at different locations while tending to her own children from the confines of a tiny home office.
While you can’t always eliminate clamour, there are tools that can help homebound entrepreneurs such as Westergreen be more productive. For example, Microsoft Office Small Business 2007 takes the confusion out of running a home office with easy-to-use programs including Excel, Outlook with Business Contact Manager, PowerPoint, Publisher and Word.
Together these programs let time-strapped small-business owners create marketing materials, manage sales opportunities and better communicate with customers.
“Microsoft SBE helps me forecast sales growth and keep track of prospective accounts,” she says. “As a small-business owner, there’s so much to do. My brain can only handle so much.”
Keep your info organized and easy to find
Using Office Outlook with Business Contact Manager, Westergreen tracks important data, such as a client’s contact information, program history and age. The business reports component of Business Contact Manager allows her to print customizable reports based on factors, such as course level, to create targeted marketing campaigns at a fraction of what the cost would be to have the job done professionally.
Flaunt professional-looking marketing materials
Promoting infant sign language takes more than word of mouth. Westergreen relies on Publisher to publish professional-looking brochures and newsletters without having to learn the software created for professional designers.
“[Having] high-quality materials that promote your business and that are easily produced and updated is a critical factor for success,” says Annette Marquis, a partner with Triad Consulting, a Michigan-based software training firm and co-author of several books about mastering Office.
Keep in touch with important contacts
While Outlook 2007’s junk e-mail message control diverts unwanted messages to a special folder, Westergreen counts on Windows SharePoint technology to cut back on inbox glut. By posting her client roster and Outlook calendar on a collaborative web site, Westergreen can better coordinate with travelling instructors while avoiding a flurry of e-mail correspondence.
There are also other software packages that address the challenges of running a home-based business.
- Visio 2007 helps budding entrepreneurs translate complex business ideas and processes into easy-to-digest technical diagrams. Plus, diagrams created in Visio 2007 enable users to communicate information in ways that text and numbers cannot.
- Microsoft Office Project 2007 enables business owners to quickly set up projects, assign resources, manage tasks and track project development schedules. In addition, the solution helps align employee activities with an organization’s objectives.
- Entrepreneurs can share a PowerPoint presentation with employees — both present and remote — thanks to OneNote. By setting up a shared note-taking session, remote participants can call in for vocal participation and log on to join in.
No home office is complete, however, without your standard hardware setup such as a fax machine, cordless telephone and, if you like to listen to music while you work, a pair of quality computer speakers. The latter provide the perfect excuse for Westergreen to take a break from being productive and listen to online audio files of children’s author Robert Munsch with her children.
