FIRST THINGS FIRST: CELL? VOIP? POTS?

Generally speaking, most of us have to TALK on the PHONE in order to get work done.  Not constantly, but often.  I spend HOURS on the phone some days, and not so much on others. 

So... reliability is key.

But, so is cost.  

I've tried several options... SKYPE (not ready for prime time), POTS (great quality, high cost, limited flexibility for SOHO), Alternative VOIP, CELL, and VONAGE.  My pick for home based reliability - Vonage.

Why?  

Lots of reasons.

First, the quality has gotten VERY good.  Consistently good (assuming you have great internet high speed).  

Second - COST.  It's predictable (25 bucks a month - ALL YOU CAN EAT).  That's cheap. 

Third, it's highly flexible when it comes to a SOHO.  If it's down (rare)... you can configure it to ring your wireless (or any other number).  If you're working in a "real" office for a day (or a month)... you can set it up to automatically forward - seamless to your callers.  AND - you can even set it up using a great feature called SIMULRING™... so that it rings your VONAGE number PLUS another number (or more than one) that you define.

That's great flex... for a great price.

And that's what you need to make SOHO Great.

SOHO GreatCo

So... you're SOHO.  You're Small Office Home Office genius.  Or, you're working for the Man but still telecommuting. 

Surveys show that 44 million Americans telecommute at least one day a week.

It's green.

It's smart.

I've been doing it for nearly four years - only leaving to visit clients, project sites, or the occasional visit to our west coast home office.  Okay, I do leave.  Sometimes I have to go to the grocery store.  Or the Apple store (just to bond).  But I generally do that when everyone else does, nights and weekends.

And, speaking for me and for people I've talked with, You get more work done (and generally spend more hours doing it).  

There is something great about working from home.  You might say it's the new American Dream.  

It has its advantages, certainly.  But is it all its cracked up to be?  Yes and no.  

I've found an absolute need to maintain connection (you'll see tools and secrets to accessibility on this blog).  And to grab opportunities to have a "real" office feel - from the outside in.  And to eschew some of the "tired" sacred cows that some of us are still holding on to. 

Using this blog, and the website (www.sohogreat.com), I'll review products, services, concepts, and ideas as they relate to working from home - more effectively and more efficiently (for you - your clients or customers - and, if you're a part time SOHO, your mother ship (that means the brick and mortar place you show up to once in a while... to show you're breathing and not just an Independent-Cyber-Contributor).  

Would love to hear from you - your successes, your challenges, the things you can't live without (and the things you won't repeat).  

Let's talk SOHOGREAT!