Running a remote business comes with plenty of perks and benefits. For starters, you can take your work on the road and manage your company from anywhere. Furthermore, with niche service-based companies, you can take advantage of outsourcing certain tasks to keep your business running smoothly. For example, you might outsource web hosting support with a company like IP Geeks, or outsource writing to one of many freelancers on Upwork.
And lastly, more and more job seekers consider remote work one of the best perks of a position, and would be willing to take a pay cut to accommodate it. With that in mind, you’re uniquely positioned to benefit from high-level flexibility, and are attractive on the job market. But every remote business owner needs a few cool gadgets to help them streamline their business. Here are seven cool gadgets for you to try:
Mobile Printer
If you choose to hit the road and are looking for the perfect way to create a mobile office, you can benefit from utilizing one of the best mobile printers. For instance, the Canon PIXMA iP110 is just under five pounds, and remains the gold standard in today’s mobile printing arena. It comes equipped with enough battery life for 240 prints, and the included cartridges can print 191 black and white prints and 249 color prints. Pretty impressive.
For more features and functionality, HP OfficeJet 250 would be a better option; its batter can deliver up to 500 prints, and the blck cartridge can print up to 200 pages while the included tri-color cartridge can print around 165 pages.
Rocketbook Erasable
The Rocketbook Erasable is a smart notebook that you’ll likely never get tired of. This is a notebook that lasts forever by allowing you to erase pen-written content. It achieves this with a special type of paper that took many years to develop. Write a special pen, you can write in this notebook just as you would any normal notebook. Once you’ve used all the pages, or if you want to erase something in particular, simply use a moist cloth to get rid of the unwanted content in seconds. The notebook also comes with an app that allows you to scan pages and save digital versions of them before you erase the pages.
Bluetooth Keyboard
A Bluetooth keyboard allows you to write directly from your mobile device without having to bang out on the keys. If you plan to travel often, this is a must-have, as it allows you to quickly create a mobile workstation no matter where you are—whether you’re on a crowded bus or waiting at the airport. There are many different Bluetooth keyboards on the market, but you should consider a folding QWERTY keyboard to help you maximize on space.
Anti-Slip Pad for Your Belongings
Sometimes the most simplest of gadgets have great utility use cases. An anti-slip pad allows you to move around with ease, without losing your core items. The most popular place for these pads are on dashboards; stick them in your car, and you can throw your phone, change, keys, sunglasses, and much more onto the pad for easy access. As a remote worker, chances are you’re often running from place to place, whether you’re organizing a meeting or simply working from a co-working space or coffee shop; this pad streamlines your movement from Point A to Point B.
Wireless Mobile Scanner
Long gone are the days you’re chained to your desk. Just like a mobile printer, a mobile scanner can do wonders for your remote business. You never know when you’re going to receive documents or find a physical piece of paper with information you want to save. Rather than take a bunch of photos that may get lost in the shuffle, an ultra thin and portable mobile scanner handles it for you within seconds.
Portable WiFi Hotspot
There are several portable WiFi devices on the market, and you’ll do your research to determine which is best for you. For instance, the Skyroam Solis 4G is a SIM-free, palm-sized Hotspot setup that’s extremely easy to use. If you’ll need mobile hotspot often, a device like the TP-Link M7650 will likely work best for you. Unlike the Solis, it does require a SIM card, but it has enough power to give WiFi to 32 devices and offers quick speeds. If you’ve got your team with you on the road, this device could pay for itself in terms of productivity. Check out this list of best portable WiFi hotspots.
High-Tech Backpack
With all the movement you’re doing, it doesn’t hurt to have a high-tech tool to make your movements that much easier. A high-tech backpack comes with all the fixings you need, including charging ports, built-in Bluetooth speakers, and even solar powered charging stations. They’re also practical, too, as many are waterproof and tear-proof, as well as theft-proof with high-tech locks. Every high-tech pack is different, so you’ll have to do a little shopping around to see which features are most important to you.