Top Four Tools to Work From Home Effectively

Owning a home-based franchise has a multitude of benefits. They offer lower overhead costs, tax savings, and a flexible schedule. However, one challenge with working from home is making sure you have the right equipment to work efficiently and comfortably. You will need affordable, performance-oriented gear that helps you provide excellent service to your clients. Here are four items you should consider to help you run a successful home-based franchise. 

Laptop

First, you will need a laptop that can serve you well at home and on the go. Crestcom franchisees need a laptop that will help them in their home office and enable them to deliver high-quality client presentations. You might remember the “ol’ reliable” Lenovo ThinkPad being an excellent choice for business professionals back in the day, and we’ll be the first to tell you that its legacy has aged like fine wine.  

Its specifications are eye-popping for a laptop, boasting a Quad Core 8th Gen Intel i7 and NVIDIA Quadro 2 GB GDDR5 graphics card. In addition, Lenovo gives you the ability to customize the RAM and SSD size including options of 16, 24, or the absurd 40 GB RAM (remember when 32 MB was a lot?) as well as SSD sizes ranging from 256 GB up to 2 TB. It is lightweight and easy to carry, while still offering a best-in-industry full-size keyboard and the hallmark TrackPoint. Look no further for a workhorse of a computer at a price you cannot find anywhere else given its performance. 

Router

Once you have a great computer, you will need a good internet connection. You will likely have several devices at home connecting via Wi-Fi. You will need the bandwidth for your mobile phone, laptop, tablets, and your family’s devices, too.  To ensure you have fast Wi-Fi performance to serve your clients efficiently, invest in a reliable and high-speed router. The NETGEAR Nighthawk X4S Wi-Fi Router boasts up to 2500 square feet of wireless coverage and can handle up to 45 devices. It offers 5 wired ethernet ports, 2 USB 3.0, and 1 eSATA ports so you can share a portable storage device or printer with others on your network. It is safe and offers options for guest log-ins, Disk Operating System (DoS), Firewall, VPN (Virtual Private Network), and a proprietary mobile app for setup. 

Webcam 

When running a home-based business, you will need to meet with existing and potential clients. Meeting face-to-face is ideal and can bring much better results than a phone call. However, in today’s world, it can be hard to fit into a busy schedule, so people rely on video-conferencing to connect with people worldwide. An excellent webcam is necessary for a professional-quality, video-conference experience. The Logitech BRIO – Ultra HD Webcam has superior 4K HDR video quality, auto-focus, and auto-adjusts exposure and contrast to put you in the best light at all times. It works with Windows/Mac and is easy to use with popular conference services like Skype, Zoom, WebEx, and more. 

Microphone

An often overlooked piece of equipment for working from home is a high-quality microphone. A good microphone package will not only provide better audio quality for your web-conferencing but offers other benefits as well. You can create audio recordings for instructional videos, record podcasts for brand awareness, and even videos for social media pages. The Rode NT1-A Condenser Microphone is a studio-quality mic made for musicians historically, specifically warm vocals, and is just as fantastic in communication. It delivers an extended dynamic range while reducing low background noise thanks to its studio-grade shock mount and pop filter. 

Choosing the right equipment can make your home-based franchise run smoothly while creating a great first impression on potential clients. Luckily, it is possible to find affordable, high-quality equipment perfect for your needs.