b5media.com

Advertise with us

Enjoying this blog? Check out the rest of the General Channel Subscribe to this Feed

Home Biz Notes

Running a Home Business on a PDA

by Jean Murray on March 27th, 2009

Do you run your home business from a PDA?  I don’t mean that you have a PDA, but that your entire business is managed using that PDA.

My new hairdresser runs her shop from a Blackberry.  She uses it as her business phone, she keeps appointments and all her customer contacts information on it, and she uses it for paying bills through online bill pay (although she does have a laptop where she has her accounting program).

In the same way, I have a PDA that I use as my main phone and I keep my appointments and contact information on it, and I can check email from the PDA when I am not at home.

There are both benefits and drawbacks to using a PDA for everything.

Benefits:

  • It goes with you everywhere.  My hairdresser said she is taking it on vacation in April so she can make appointments while she is relaxing on the beach.  “No one will know I’m gone,” she said.
  • It keeps everything in one place.  You don’t have to look in several places for the information you need.
  • It travels more easily. If you are out of the office/home you don’t have to carry around a notebook to make appointments or do business.
  • It eliminates paper, which can get misplaced or destroyed.

Drawbacks:

  • Everything is on it, so if it gets destroyed or you can’t get online, you might be in big trouble.
  • It follows you everywhere, unless you turn it off.  I don’t think I want to take mine on vacation and answer phone messages while I’m sitting on the beach with a Mai Tai in my hand.
  • It’s small, so it’s easier to lose.  I have left my on seats in restaurants and in my car.  I prefer not to think about what would happen if I couldn’t find it.

We are all so tuned in to instant communication these days, that I think sometimes we have gone over the deep end.  What about you?  Do you think we should be running our home businesses using PDA’s?

Image: Newscom

Tags: , pda's, Technology

POSTED IN: Networking, Online Resources, Technology

2 opinions for Running a Home Business on a PDA

  • GoEverywhere Team
    Mar 27, 2009 at 5:37 pm

    I have an easy solution to the issue of losing data on the PDA! If you use GoEverywhere, you can actually keep your documents and files on your webtop - but access it from your mobile phone or any computer with a single login! This gives you even greater flexibility if your PDA happens to have a dead battery and you need to get something done!

  • WorkShak » Can Your PDA Run Your Home Business?
    Mar 30, 2009 at 3:28 pm

    [...] PDA probably can’t run your home business. But you can run your home business using a PDA. Jean Murray over at Home Biz Notes has written an excellent post about the pros and cons of having your PDA as your primary mode of [...]

Have an opinion? Leave a comment: