Starting Smart: Affordable Tech Solutions to Keep Your New Small Business Secure
In partnership with NETGEAR
By Rieva Lesonsky
A just-released report from the Federal Reserve of St. Louis (FRED) shows Americans are quitting their jobs in record numbers: “The data show in August 2021, the overall quit rate hit an all-time high of 2.9%. And private-sector employees have been quitting their jobs at unprecedented rates since April 2021, reaching 3.3% in August 2021.”
And apparently, these newly unemployed Americans aren’t sitting around watching TV. The New York Times reports that, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, last year “Americans filed paperwork to start 4.3 million businesses,” an increase of 24% from 2019, and “by far the most in the decade and a half that the government has kept track.”
Plus, the Times says, “Applications are on a pace to be even higher this year.” Indeed, in September, the Census Bureau reports there were 431,382 applications for new business filed.
Put into context, this startup boom is nothing short of phenomenal. The Times also reports that this “unexpected turnaround [comes] after a 40-year decline in U.S. entrepreneurship. In 1980, 12% of employers were new businesses; by 2018, the most recent year for which data is available, that share [fell] to 8%.”
Starting from home
Due to various reasons, most (an estimated 80%) of these small businesses are starting from the entrepreneur’s home, and many of these new business owners are participating in the gig economy.
Starting a small business from home has a lot of advantages: It’s more convenient, and the startup costs are typically significantly lower (as are ongoing overhead expenses). In addition, vast improvements in broadband reach and the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic have enticed many Americans to relocate to the suburbs and more rural areas.
But home-based business owners also face some challenges. While tech innovations have certainly helped empower the startup movement and the ability to run a business from home, working from a house or apartment can be problematic when you’re sharing a WiFi connection with your spouse and your kids.
You find yourself not only fighting for a sliver of bandwidth, but you have security concerns. There are days you wish you lived in your own protected bubble.
Creating a bubble
While living in a bubble is impractical, Doug Cheung, Senior Product Line Manager, Wireless and Storage at NETGEAR, says you can secure yourself within a WiFi bubble of your own by simply adding a NETGEAR Business Essentials wireless access point that allows you to easily create separate networks for home and for business. That means no longer fighting for bandwidth with anyone in your household, so your Zoom connection won’t freeze in the middle of a presentation.
And you can instantly install it yourself—no IT consultant needed—without spending very much money.
Since most new business owners aren’t tech professionals, Cheung says, they’re often concerned about “messing” with their WiFi connection. As a result, they don’t want to touch the back of the box for fear of breaking something.
That’s not a concern with Business Essential WiFi products from NETGEAR, says Cheung, which were specifically designed for small businesses. For about $100, you get a standalone wireless access point that delivers fast, reliable, safe, and secure performance, and “easy-to-expand” WiFi coverage.
Brick-and-mortar startups
Not all businesses today start at home. But almost every startup has a need for creating its own WiFi bubble. Take retail. As this chart from the Census Bureau shows, retail trade was the most popular startup industry in the United States. Today’s consumers shop with smartphones in hand, sharing pictures with friends, posting to social media, and checking product reviews. And most appreciate a store that offers free WiFi connections.
With NETGEAR Business Essentials WiFi Access Points, store owners can create separate SSIDs for themselves, their back-office operations, cash machines, security cameras, and a “guest network” for their customers. Each “bubble” is secure.
The same principle applies to many other small businesses, from medical offices and yoga studios to beauty salons and accountant’s offices. Business Essentials WiFi Access Points come in particularly handy in restaurants, where diners are lingering for an hour or more and expect to have access to a reliable guest network. And restaurant owners want to ensure their cash machines and back-office operations are sealed off from prying devices. Some restaurants and bars with smart TVs lining their walls want to make sure customers can’t change the channels.
Business Essentials WiFi devices give business owners control of their environments and make them more secure.
Simple setup
No matter what kind of business you own, whether you’re at home or in a physical location, Business Essentials WiFi Access Points will help you get your startup off to a safe and efficient start.
And they’re simple to install. The two-step setup process takes mere minutes to install (and connect to your existing router), and there’s an intuitive web interface to guide you. The device creates a unique SSID, you create a passphrase, and you’re ready to go.
If you need help, the user interface also supports troubleshooting. Plus, you receive 90 days of phone and chat support and a 3-year hardware warranty.
The devices are compact, and you can choose from various form factors (there are desktop, wall, or ceiling mounts), including a WiFi 6 option.
To be clear, Business Essentials Access Points are not WiFi extenders and don’t include remote cloud-based management. However, other NETGEAR solutions provide that.
Affordable tech solutions to get your new business off the ground
When you’re starting a business, you’re naturally watching every penny. Sticking to your budget is critical. You need affordable, reliable solutions you don’t have to worry about.
In partnership with NETGEAR, where they turn ideas into innovative networking products that connect people and power businesses.
