Advantages and Disadvantages of Running a Home Based Business

May 21, 2008

Video Projectors ? Advice On Choosing The Right Model For Home Or Business

As video projectors become more affordable then more people are using them both at work and at home. You might be thinking that projectors are all alike and the more you spend the better it will be. Well this is not strictly true. The more expensive projectors will be of a higher standard, but you might not experience any benefit if you do not choose the correct model. This is why we have written this article to try and guide you and help you choose the model most suited to you.

Before any purchase it is important to have a think about what you will be using it for and in what kind of environment. The business user will have very different requirements to someone wanting to set up a home cinema. Companies are now marketing hybrid projectors that claim to be able to be used for both home cinema and business. These two environments are very different though and will need projectors designed specifically to be able to handle these two very different uses. As you read the rest of the article you will begin to understand what you need to look out for when purchasing your video projector.

LCD or DLP

Both are excellent formats and which you choose will depend on your use. The business user will be more suited to an LCD projector due to the increased brightness. The home user on the other hand would be better to opt for a DLP projector as these will give a more cinematic experience.

Brightness

Think about the level of ambient light in the room where you will be using your projector. In the home cinema you will hopefully have control of the level of light so this will not be an issue. If you are using a room at home that has ambient light then you will need to opt for a brighter projector. In the business arena you are likely to be presenting in very bright rooms with standard office lighting and windows. A good projector for business use will need to have a high brightness level.

Brightness is measured in ANSI lumens. For home cinema you should be looking at projectors that have around 700 ANSI lumens brightness and for business projectors you will need between 1000 and 1500.

Color

The color, gray-scale performance, and video playback, are only really important to the home user as they will give more natural and detailed videos.

Contrast

There is no point spending money on a high contrast video projector for business use or use in a room at home that has significant ambient light as your eyes will not notice the benefit. If you have a dedicated cinema room at home then it will be worth looking at projectors with contrast ratios of 400:1 or higher. If you are looking for a projector for business use then there is no point by one with a ratio of higher than 400:1

Portability

This will probably only be an issue for a business user. If you travel around a lot and take your projector with you then the more compact and light the better. It is possible to buy extremely light projectors.

The home user may not be concerned too much with size and weight, but it is worth considering how you will set your projector up at home. Will it be fixed to the ceiling or on a stand? If you have it on the ceiling you should look for a projector which comes with a remote control as this will make adjusting settings a lot easier.

We hope that this look at the differences with video projectors will help you make your decision.

Find more articles by Steve Jones at www.a1-lcdprojectors.com />

After several years of running two home based businesses I have learned a lot. If you are about to take the plunge please keep these experiences in mind and avoid some of my mistakes or repeat some of my successes.

Good Points About Your Own Business You Are The Boss - Own your own business and you are the boss! You take the credit win, lose, or draw. Be prepared to admit your mistakes and enjoy your successes. There is no “boss” to blame.

Work The Hours You Want -That’s right! Suppose your spouse works the late shift, you would rather be home during daytime to take care of the children or you want to go to that special event.. Self employed people can easily re-schedule their work to fit the family situation. This is generally true for many businesses owners. One of the hardest things I had to let go of is not always being available for customers.

No Commute - In some communities people give up 4 hours commuting to work each day.

No Office Politics - This is a plus. Of course, if you grow you will need to be prepared to deal with the politics of your staff.

Less Stress - I threw this in because in many respects there is less stress. You are making your own decisions. However, there is still stress but it is a different style.

Dress Codes - Let’s not discuss how I am dressed for this discussion.

Spend More Time With Your Family - It took me a long time to be able to turn on the answering machine and relax. Be smart about your business day and how you manage the off hours. When you hear that phone ring or you see your inbox grow it takes time and discipline to know that you are off-work!

Time management is a vital part of being successful in any business. to help you with that goal I have a few book recommendations:

Organized for Success!: 95 Tips for Taking Control of Your Time, Your Space, & Your Life (Self-Study Sourcebook Ser.)
Organized for Success : Top Executives and CEOs Reveal the Organizing Principles That Helped Them Reach the Top

Realize Your Dream of Business Success - You are in charge. Your success or failure depends upon you and no one else. Running a successful business is one of the greatest feelings in the world.

Now let’s visit some of the downsides to owning your own business.

What can be wrong with running your own business. Needing to Prove Yourself - Telling people about your business dream often means not being taken seriously. Well meaning friends and family will treat your “availability” as a vacation. Discipline will be a constant challenge. I sometimes borrow quotes from websites like WHoSezHome.com and post them on my computer. They inspire me and serve as a reminder to my family.

Freebies - Those close to you will see your business as a free resource. I give discounts, but I do not give it away. They have to be reminded that working for yourself still means that you are working for a business. What you do for free takes productive time and income out of your life. Be gentle, be tactful, and be firm.

Isolation - Working alone for eight or more hours per day can produce isolated

feelings that may leave you feeling alone. The interaction with co-workers, while not always fun, do give you a sense of being a part of a team. I have found that working at a Panera bread or similar coffee shop often helps you build a social group of like minded individuals. I also found that business organizations helped reduce the feeling of isolation.

Motivation - Earlier I mentioned WHoSezHome.com as an quotation and inspirational source. You will also find articles on this site which discuss the motivation you need as part of your business day. You need to listen to your internal coach who can help keep you on track to finish work assignments? Staying motivated can be as tiring and stressful as the work itself.

Staff - If you grow you will need a staff. Guess what, you now have the office environment that you wanted to escape from.

No Benefits - You will need to allow for health benefits and be aware that until you have other income producers working for you when you go on vacation no work gets done.

Income Levels will vary - Be prepared for the cycle of feast and famine. You will need to always be aware that from month to month you may see peaks and valleys in your income. If you are used to living from paycheck to paycheck you will need to discipline yourself to keep some in reserve.

You Are The Boss - This is both a good thing and a bad thing. No “idiot” to blame mistakes on. All problems rest on your shoulders and it will be impossible to leave work related problems at the office because the office is in your home.

Written by: Art Sprague owner of Art’s Photography - A photography studio specializing in commercial and portrait photography.

Art Sprague Consulting - Web design for small business needing ecommerce and business development.

Art Sprague gave up the corporate world to pursue his love of photography and a desire to be creative. During that time he has grown both businesses and added employees to those businesses. Now he enjoys writing articles to share what he has learned.

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