Well, for years I've been holding out against buying one, largely on the basis that as I'm not a surgeon on call I haven't ever really needed to be contacted urgently at any time of the night and day. It's not that I'm a techno/social dinosaur - I work remotely, wirelessly and videoconferencely, have a flexible portfolio career and even buy music by popular beat music combos. But after several occasions over the last few months when a mobile would actually have been quite useful, I caved in yesterday and bought a titchy little thing (pictured) which does everything I want it to do (call people, take people's calls) plus lots of stuff I don't (take photos and videos, make coffee, etc). I'm still not entirely convinced I'll be using it more than once a month though. If you feel the same, so do these people at The Guardian newspaper's Notes & Queries section and I'd be interested to hear other people's views on the subject.
Friday, January 05, 2007
Do I really need a mobile phone?
Well, for years I've been holding out against buying one, largely on the basis that as I'm not a surgeon on call I haven't ever really needed to be contacted urgently at any time of the night and day. It's not that I'm a techno/social dinosaur - I work remotely, wirelessly and videoconferencely, have a flexible portfolio career and even buy music by popular beat music combos. But after several occasions over the last few months when a mobile would actually have been quite useful, I caved in yesterday and bought a titchy little thing (pictured) which does everything I want it to do (call people, take people's calls) plus lots of stuff I don't (take photos and videos, make coffee, etc). I'm still not entirely convinced I'll be using it more than once a month though. If you feel the same, so do these people at The Guardian newspaper's Notes & Queries section and I'd be interested to hear other people's views on the subject.
Mobile homeworking - get a trunk
I'm not entirely sure that the i-trunk from luxury retailer Pinel et Pinel is truly what they claim as "your office in your pocket" nor that "Men has (sic) always dreamed of bringing his own office everywhere". But it certainly looks good. Essentially the 21st century trunk contains an imac, JBL Creature sound system and Canon printer. As the Pinels say, "Possessing this marvel you can make your account, write your love letters or your last novel and of course send your mails or surf on the net, in your Canadian hut, on an desert island or more simply at your home sweet home." Choose from more than 50 colours of leather. I can't see a price on it which is obviously a bit worrying.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Music while you work – birdsong
When I'm in a relaxed mood I often play birdsong on my computer (though not when I'm in an irritated mood and want to calm myself down- I'll post about what I play then next week). You can buy several high quality CDs of birdsong including ones with experts identifying the calls bird by bird, though my preference is just to have the dawn chorus wash over me. There's certainly plenty to listen to at the excellent Wildsong site which also has many other examples of natural soundscapes as well as birds - for example, click here to hear a seasonal Mistle thrush.
Homeworking trends 2007
Emma Jones over at Enterprise Nation has been peering into her always remarkably accurate crystal ball and come up with some predictions about which five key professional sectors are destined for unprecedented growth in 2007.
With more and more accountants, lawyers, graphic designers, website developers, marketing professionals and journalists considering leaving corporate employment to be their own boss at home, Emma predicts that more than 300 new professional service businesses will start from home each week in 2007; accounting for around 15% of the total number of new home business start-ups.
And with an astonishing 58% growth in the number of mobile hairdressers operating in 2006, Emma predicts that the number of home based, personal service companies, such as complementary therapists, party planners and wedding organisers will grow by 50% in 2007.
‘Food miles’ remain a hot topic in the news, with the average British Christmas dinner travelling 24,000 ‘food miles’ to get to the plate. Emma believes that the number of home businesses producing food or products from home will grow by 35% in 2007, as consumer demand for local and organic produce continues to outstrip supply.
More than 70,000 people in the UK are now making a living from eBay and thousands more are generating their income from trading online. Emma predicts that 2007 will be the Year that Second Life, the 3-D virtual world built and owned by its virtual residents makes it big in the UK and sites such as Lulu.com, the online publisher, and VCAM (viewer created ad message) will deliver a substantial income for entrepreneurial homeworkers.
Domestic energy is proving to be an interesting emerging market, showing strong signs of growth for 2007. When B&Q started selling domestic wind turbines in November, they became one of the retailers’ top selling products. Emma believes that as the debate about global warming continues, opportunities emerge to start businesses at home that tap into people’s growing awareness of the environment.
“Home working is gathering serious momentum in the UK and especially in the West Midlands region. With an estimated eight million people operating commercially from home offices in the UK the home has officially become the most popular location for business start-ups,” says Emma.
With more and more accountants, lawyers, graphic designers, website developers, marketing professionals and journalists considering leaving corporate employment to be their own boss at home, Emma predicts that more than 300 new professional service businesses will start from home each week in 2007; accounting for around 15% of the total number of new home business start-ups.
And with an astonishing 58% growth in the number of mobile hairdressers operating in 2006, Emma predicts that the number of home based, personal service companies, such as complementary therapists, party planners and wedding organisers will grow by 50% in 2007.
‘Food miles’ remain a hot topic in the news, with the average British Christmas dinner travelling 24,000 ‘food miles’ to get to the plate. Emma believes that the number of home businesses producing food or products from home will grow by 35% in 2007, as consumer demand for local and organic produce continues to outstrip supply.
More than 70,000 people in the UK are now making a living from eBay and thousands more are generating their income from trading online. Emma predicts that 2007 will be the Year that Second Life, the 3-D virtual world built and owned by its virtual residents makes it big in the UK and sites such as Lulu.com, the online publisher, and VCAM (viewer created ad message) will deliver a substantial income for entrepreneurial homeworkers.
Domestic energy is proving to be an interesting emerging market, showing strong signs of growth for 2007. When B&Q started selling domestic wind turbines in November, they became one of the retailers’ top selling products. Emma believes that as the debate about global warming continues, opportunities emerge to start businesses at home that tap into people’s growing awareness of the environment.
“Home working is gathering serious momentum in the UK and especially in the West Midlands region. With an estimated eight million people operating commercially from home offices in the UK the home has officially become the most popular location for business start-ups,” says Emma.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Over-50s homeworking entrepreneurs
Millennium's latest B2B newsletter on over-50s marketing matters, Circus (to be published later this month though you can download back issues from the site), features a new newsletter targeting over-50 business entrepreneurs looking to work from home, launched by 57-year-old early retiree Roger George. Boomers' Monthly aims to profile home-based wealth creation opportunities and provide members with the latest news on related topics such as book and web site reviews, nostalgia, travel and health issues to help readers maintain a healthy life and enjoy their newfound wealth.
"Having retired from the rat race at 52, I went on to spend several years researching and testing, and using many, of the vast range of primarily home-based business opportunities," says George. "I know what it's like to stare at all the business opportunities and think 'where on earth do I start?'. The 20-page newsletter includes a free DVD each month featuring what George calls "recognised masters - all self-made millionaires" talking about their routes to success plus articles on subjects such as how to set up your home business, finding customers and using the internet to benefit your business.
Subscription to Boomers' Monthly is £19.97per month with discounts available and a free triall issue. More details at Boomer's web site here.
"Having retired from the rat race at 52, I went on to spend several years researching and testing, and using many, of the vast range of primarily home-based business opportunities," says George. "I know what it's like to stare at all the business opportunities and think 'where on earth do I start?'. The 20-page newsletter includes a free DVD each month featuring what George calls "recognised masters - all self-made millionaires" talking about their routes to success plus articles on subjects such as how to set up your home business, finding customers and using the internet to benefit your business.
Subscription to Boomers' Monthly is £19.97per month with discounts available and a free triall issue. More details at Boomer's web site here.
Solarpowered home office
If you’re going down the eco-friendly home office route, especially if you have a garden office/shed, then take a look at the options at SolaLighting who specialise in “cost-effective, energy-efficient daylight solutions for new-build or existing homes and businesses”. I especially like the look of their Brighten Up® Series 10" (250mm) and 14" (350mm) Solatubes which they suggest is good for lighting a small space, although they recommend the 14" Solatube for home offices.
Choosing a shed – Berrington Designs
Established in 2000 by Jo Berrington with the backing of The Prince’s Trust, the Salisbury-based Berrington Designs offers a bespoke design service which has received a good reception at various Royal Horticultural Shows. There’s a nice gallery of recent commissions on the web site, many of them on stilts. They will also supply all the bits and pieces in ‘kit’ form if you fancy putting it all together yourself, something which seems to be a growing trend in the garden office market.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)