The Clean-Up Crew
Any cleaning service you hire should be bonded and insured--if cleaners mess up your stuff, or themselves, you don't want to get stuck with the bill. Prices for that will be higher than for under-the-table help, but worth it. Remember, cleaning people often work when the office is empty; you need to be able to trust them. Make sure the company does background checks on workers, and check multiple references.
Old-school long-distance service
Negotiate directly with carriers or go through resellers, or CLECs (competitive local exchange carriers), which tend to price more aggressively and be more focused on the needs of smaller businesses than the large telecoms. There are many sites that let you solicit bids and compare rates, including PhoneSaver.com and BuyerZone. As you compare services, look for one that will bill the shortest time increments possible for long-distance--one- to six-second intervals, rather than 30-second ones. The smaller increments can translate into savings of 10 percent or so.
International calling
It's not a substitute for a traditional phone system, but Skype, which lets you make calls directly from your computer, is a useful supplement if international calls are a big part of your phone bill. The quality usually can't match a good phone connection, but the prices can't be beat. Calls to other Skype users (through your computer) are free wherever you're calling from, and calls to landlines and cell phones in the U.S., much of Europe, China, and Japan cost about two cents per minute.
Broadband: Why You Need a Broker
Unless you have a strong preference for a particular provider, you'll generally get better rates through a broker--brokers do the comparison shopping for you, and because they buy in bulk, tend to have greater negotiating leverage. Typically, there is no charge to the consumer in working with a broker; instead, the providers pay the brokers a fee. Look for resellers that have been in business at least a few years, and make sure they show you quotes from several providers. Broadband is an extremely competitive market, so avoid getting locked into a long-term contract. Most companies require a two-year minimum commitment--don't sign up for a longer term. You can solicit quotes from multiple vendors and resellers at comparison-shopping sites.
Office Design
Most professional designers charge between $75 and $200 an hour. But hiring one can actually wind up saving you money. Designers often see possibilities that you do not. A designer might suggest ways to use inexpensive materials and built-ins--using melamine boards in place of desks, for example--that can help reduce the amount of office furniture you need to buy. And when you do buy, designers get discounts of as much as 50 percent. The trick is to keep your designer on a short leash by defining the task at hand as narrowly as possible. To find a designer, go to asid.org, the website of the American Society of Interior Designers, and click on the "Find a Designer" link.
Before You Buy
Thanks to the Web, comparison shopping is a cinch. Sites such as Bizrate.com, PriceGrabber.com, Shopping.com, and NexTag.com may turn up the deal you're looking for on any number of items. The following sites may be helpful for specialized searches.
