One of the great joys of owning a small business is getting to go to the office supply store and buy nifty stuff that’s tax deductible. And now, with back-to-school sales under way, it’s the perfect time to stock up on necessary — and not-so-necessary — office supplies.
As my company has grown, I rarely go to the office supply store anymore. We order online and get supplies delivered. That’s more cost efficient and better for the environment — who needs to make a special trip just to buy paper?
But it’s not as much fun. C’mon, you know what I mean: wandering aisles full of brightly colored gel pens, expensive leather notebooks and sleek Lucite desk trays. Looking to see what’s new, what you crave but can’t afford, what organizing system has been invented that will (finally!) get you organized.
And who knows who you’ll run into while you’re there? I once met Marc Andreessen, the co-founder of Netscape, in the checkout line at my nearby office superstore — with an overflowing basket, I might add. Everybody loves office supplies — even millionaire techies.
And some of this stuff you do need. Really!
Put this in your shopping cart:
Poster-size Post-It notes. These are like flip charts, but you can stick the pages up harmlessly on walls. We use them for planning and brainstorming and important checklists. Even if you work alone, use these to post “can’t miss” project deadlines around your office.
Permanent markers. There’s always something you need to write that you don’t want to fade. And now there are retractable Sharpies. Good idea!
White board and markers. I love white boards. They’re perfect for illustrating concepts and creating charts that I add to my books. Now you can get really cool colors, like aqua and coral, so you can imagine you’re at the beach while you’re in your boardroom.
A large calendar for crucial deadlines — so big, you can’t miss seeing it.
Extra printer ink cartridges. Otherwise, trust me, you’ll run out when you’re on deadline.
Presentation folders and labels. Giving a proposal or a report to a client looks more impressive in a presentation folder. Folders printed with your name are expensive. Instead, buy plain folders and print labels on your laser or ink-jet printer.
Spiral-bound notebooks. Keep one by your phone for messages and another for meetings. Get rid of those pieces of paper on your desk.
Shipping supplies. You’re far more likely to send out that order, catalog or proposal quickly if you’ve got everything handy.
Colored file folders. I use blue folders for client work, green folders for money-related matters, red for pending issues and purple for personal stuff.
Transparent file folders. Transparent plastic folders are perfect for people who like to keep piles on their desk. Pendaflex makes some specifically for this purpose.
Label-maker. We all love the label-maker in our office. Can’t do without it.
Sheet protectors and three-ring binder. When you buy a new piece of equipment or appliance, just slip the instruction manual and warranty into a sheet protector and keep all of your warranties in a three-ring binder.
Shredder. You do have a shredder, don’t you? If not, what are you doing with all your sensitive papers?
Phone headset. Many backaches can be eliminated by using a headset. Plantronics is the leader in headsets, and it has a new model, the Calisto, that you can use for landlines, cell phones and Internet calls.
Rhonda Abrams is the author of “Six-Week Start-Up” and “What Business Should I Start?”
