Home Based Business Center

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The digital age has come, fellow business owners - and we’re faced with what to do with our client names, addresses, side notes, business names, and more.

Both have very distinct advantages, and both have very serious downsides. What can you do when you’re faced with keeping everything in your handy computer, or keeping hard copies of everything instead?

The Big Decision: To Digitalize, or Not to Digitalize

The biggest choice when it comes to organization that you have it to keep your files digitally, or have ‘hard’ copies to hold and write on. There are pros and cons to both, of course, and you have risks no matter what you do.

With Digital…

If you’re going to go virtual, make sure to back up your files every single day. You can use an online company which will store data, but this can get very expensive as you grow, and also tends to be a hassle.

Using a physical HDD, or hard disk drive, to back up your most important files has been very affective for many businesses. Buying a spare hard disk drive and using it externally keeps your files in your own hands, and you have a copy no matter if you can or can’t get online.

You can buy a spare hard disk drive at any computer store, or online, along with an external connector. Remember to only transfer files that are important to the company - you wouldn’t want to accidentally transfer a virus that wipes everything out, after all!

Keep the spare hard disk drive in a safe place when you’re not around, and if possible, keep the files password protected. Spying eyes, no matter how innocent, shouldn’t gleam confidential information.

To Not Digitalize…

Keeping hard copies of your information, instead of storing everything on a computer, can prevent accidental crashes, loss of information because of not saving a document, and you don’t have to worry about not accessing vital documents if something happens to your computer.

The main problem with keeping a hard copy of documents, instead of virtual copies, is that you run the risk of damaging and losing things that aren’t stored anywhere else. If the worst happens and your home floods, catches on fire, or gets blown over by a tornado, your entire business is lost - you can’t just grab a hard disk drive as you’re leaving, and be able to start up from a hotel room or new home.

Physical files are also a lot harder to handle. Are you sure that you’re going to be able to juggle two file folders, ten different documents, and all of your notes without missing, forgetting, or dropping something?

Storing clients names can also get tedious - you might yourself spending more time writing down information and storing it than you spend actually working. If you do, then you should consider either hiring part time help, or finding a better way.

Keeping hard copies of credit card information, emails, date of birth and social security numbers of clients can also be very dangerous - if someone breaks into your home, it will be much easier to bust a lock on a file cabinet than it is to un-encrypt your passwords.

If you’re going to keep things in a hard copy, spent the extra bit of money and store the most vital documents - if not everything - in a fire proof file cabinet. Always keep a sturdy lock on it, and hide the key out of sight.

The Bottom Line?

The bottom line is that no one way is right for anyone. You might be tech savvy, and couldn’t dream of trying to juggle with actually writing out names and dates - you also might type very slowly, and find yourself spending hours on something that would have taken another person just a few minutes.

Discovering what you like best, and is most efficient, can take time. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself because of it, either - you’ll find it eventually, and if you don’t experiment, you won’t learn what works best!

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