As the US economy climbs out of recession (hopefully!) one of the keys to the turnaround is the success of small business start-ups. Many of the new businesses are home-based businesses by entrepreneurs.
Starting your own business can be both challenging and fulfilling. But if you don’t take the necessary steps in the planning phase it can also be a stressful time. A respected sports coach once said that when you fail to plan you are planning to fail. The same could be said of a small business.
All Roads Lead to the Right Office Desk
There are many aspects to planning your business. 
From developing a business plan, to managing cash flow, to assessing the effect of the new business on your family, to positioning yourself in the market, there are a lot of bases that need to be covered.
An overlooked but essential part of planning your home business is choosing the right office desk.
The Right Office Desk Solves Many Problems
Your office desk is the most diverse piece of furniture you will ever own. It is where you keep your computer. It is where you keep your land phone. It is where you keep all the relevant financial information for your business. It is often where your day starts and where it ends. Most people don’t realize how important their office desk is until they need one. It is critical to the success of any small business.
The right office desk will:
- Be ground zero for your operations.
- Be all things to all people—contacts, clients and staff.
- Be a storage center for your critical documents.
- Be a technology hub.
- Be both innovating and inspiring.
The Desk Set – Helpful Hints When Buying an Office Desk
Once you make the decision to buy an office desk for your home and are ready to begin shopping, there are several points that you should factor into your buying decision:
Change has come, but not too much: You want a desk that is the right size for your office. 
You do not want to have to rearrange your house or end up buying more furniture to accommodate your new desk. Be sure to take the measure of the office where you will place your desk.
Appearances are everything: You need to ask yourself who will see your desk. Will it just be you, or will you have to share it with staff? Will clients call on you while you are at your desk? Answers to these questions will help you decide whether you want a professional-looking desk or something a little more casual.
Storage, forage and porridge: Think for a moment about all the things you will do at your office desk. You will use it as a compartment to store the documents relevant to your business. You will use it to find, and hopefully keep, new clients. And, if you are like the overwhelming number of business owners, you will eat more than a few lunches there. Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg in office desk functions, so determine which ones matter the most to you and shop accordingly.
One body, one desk: The last thing to consider in an office desk is how it fits your body type. While you may like the look of say a sleek computer desk, it may be too low a profile or may have too wide of a berth for you to use comfortably. You will be spending a lot of hours at your desk so you must be absolutely comfortable. An ill-fitting desk can cause back pain, RSI or other health problems.
Buying Guide Basics and Budgets
There is no scarcity of office desks on the market today. Almost all of them have been built to accommodate a computer, so that is one feature they all have in common.
Keeping your budget in mind and the fact that all home office desks are built to handle a computer, you need to first ask yourself what features are an absolute requirement. You then need to ask what features would be nice as long as they don’t stretch your finances too much.
Most desks come with the following basic features:
- Retractable middle drawer
- PC/Hutch unit
- Three sliding side drawers
- Stepped shelving
This is just a start, of course, when it comes to features. Office desks also come in a range of colors and finishes. European designed executive office desks often come in hand crafted wood veneer finishes whereas modern Scandinavian designs tend to blend hand finished wood with metal legs.
It is easy to get carried away when shopping for an office desk and some cost thousands of dollars. A modest wood veneer finish computer desk often gets high marks among small business owners and is reasonably priced. While it is critical to have the right office desk for you and your particular needs that type of money is probably better spent on getting your new home-based business off the ground.
