Other than your smartphone, what piece of hardware is a must-have for entrepreneurs?
Other than your smartphone, what piece of hardware is a must-have for entrepreneurs?
1. Multiple monitors: We work with multiple monitors – usually our laptops plus a PC. When you work online, there's no other way to efficiently bounce between dozens of web pages and files. I usually have two or three screens available in addition to my laptop. What it takes up in pure physical space, it makes up in saved time and patience. Plus, it makes me feel like an awesome, futuristic computer hacker!" -Manpreet Singh, Seva Call.
2. Old-school phone: Nothing is more frustrating than trying to have a conversation with someone who is using Google Voice and a cell phone in lieu of a landline. If you're running a business, you need a landline phone. Period. Shell out the $15 or $20 per month, and save yourself (and your customers) endless frustration. -Brittany Hodak, ZinePak.
3. Extra battery: If every piece of hardware were a Greek hero, the iPhone would surely be Achilles. This is because it's a mighty business tool with a fatal flaw: the unreliable battery life. Never leave home without an extra battery. You can find hundreds of iPhone batteries on Amazon. Although the mophie battery case is the best known, my favorite is the ZAGGsparq because it's a charger and battery in one unit. -Gregory Galant, Sawhorse Media.
4. Mobile internet: I've lost count of the number of presentations I built, bugs I fixed or A/B tests I started from the backseat of a cab, a commuter train or the airport terminal between flights using my mobile Internet card and my laptop. You can bang out so many more emails with a proper keyboard. Before we had an office, employees or paying customers, we had mobile Internet cards." -Richard White, UserVoice.
5. Apple TV: Bring videos, keynotes, and demonstrations off the small screens of your devices and onto a television using Apple TV. We use this daily for viewing our live streams and videos on YouTube as a team. -Jennifer Donogh, Ovaleye, LLC.
6. A Kindle: A Kindle is essential for reading business books on the go without breaking your back from a huge bag full of books. - Josh Weiss, Bluegala.
7. A Webcam: As an entrepreneur, you'll need to connect with a lot of people, and sometimes you'll need to be in more than one city in a day. With limited travel budgets and time resources, a webcam can help you stay well-connected while you try to interview new talent, network or raise money. -Ben Rubenstein, Yodle.
8. Bose headphones: Everyone should have Bose noise-cancelling headphones. Flying takes a toll on you, especially because of all of the noise. I feel a lot more rested after I use them. -Jared Reitzin, MobileStorm Inc.
9. Google Glass: Google Glass lets you stay informed about your customers, up to date with email and even tracks your business metrics. We use Google Glass both in and out of the office at Crushpath. -Matt Wilkinson, Crushpath.
10. A backup drive: Systems crash, and it takes tons of time and money to get lost data back. A few years ago we spent thousands of dollars and countless hours trying to recover what we lost. We will never let this happen again, and now we have a backup drive. -Jim Belosic, Pancakes Laboratories/ShortStack.
The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world's most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched StartupCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.
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