Find the Real Tools and Reduce Your High Tech Costs

If you are a small business owner, you are likely inundated with marketing messages everywhere you go about the latest in cutting edge business technology. Every new device comes with the promise that it will unchain you from your desk and earn you thousands of dollars. It can be easy for a business owner to be swept away in the hype. To help sort out the market and decide what you really need, try asking yourself a few basic questions before you purchase new business technology:

Does This Product Add Functionality I Actually Need?
An extremely popular business device is a cell phone. If you use your cell phone solely to make and receive calls, chances are that your current phone does that just fine. What is the point in paying $300 for a new phone that provides internet access and GPS, and lets you watch television, if all you will do is make phone calls?

What Level Computer Do I Need?
Another popular business device is a computer. Computers become obsolete almost as soon as they hit the shelves. However, there is no need to try to play catch-up with the evolving market. Choose a computer that is approximately two steps ahead of what you need now, in terms of RAM, hard drive size and components, and you will be all set for years to come. Unlike games, which constantly compete to provide the “best” playing environment, business software evolves much more slowly. Your Windows XP computer will be able to run business applications for a long time, despite the recent release of Vista. In fact, investing in new Windows builds can actually cost you a great deal of money, as you will be forced to upgrade all of your software as well.

Will I Use the Software Frequently Enough to Invest?
You may not consider software in the same category as business devices but its necessity and complexity in use certainly qualifies it as a very popular and required devices. In general, businesses can be classified in three broad categories: Very Small, Small to Medium, and Large. Very small businesses can often be run using software that was designed for personal applications. Large businesses will produce enough volume to make expensive software purchases worthwhile. Small to medium businesses, however, face a bit of a dilemma. They have likely outgrown the ability to get by on personal software applications. Yet it may be difficult to justify an expensive purchase of software that may be only rarely used.

About the author: Heather Villa, MBA CMA MSM, is a Business Coach and Entrepreneur. She helps business owners achieve success in operations, productivity, project management, and social media. Read her other articles at http://hireheathervilla.com/resources/articles/ and visit http://heathervilla.com for more information.

Disclaimer: © 2009 Heather Villa. Permission is granted to repost this article. Article must be published in its entirety, including author bio, and all links must remain intact.

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