You want to be able to expand your capabilities but you don't want to sink too much time or money into any computer business software purchases until you know you have a market for them. Because computer business software is an investment, you need to think carefully about the programs and packages you purchase.

If you think in terms of whether the business computer software will attract and appeal to sweet spot clients, you are thinking on the right track. You want to ask yourself, "If I invest eight hours in learning this and invest a few hundred dollars in some training or not-for-resale product, am I going to make it back?"

There are two computer business software products I recommend you look at seriously for sweet spot clients.

Microsoft Small Business Server (SBS)

Novell's Small Business Suite

Why I Recommend This Computer Business Software:

Both of these computer business software products are inexpensive buy-ins.

You're not going to have to spend a lot of money to get a demo or not-for-resale copy for you to learn with.

For a few hundred dollars you'll have most of what you need.

With both types of computer business software, you should be able to take eight to ten hours and feel comfortable installing it, breaking it, and then reinstalling it.

I recommend that you just pick one of them. Don't try to support both types of computer business software at the outset unless you already have really strong skills on both Windows and on Netware, and you want to support both of them right off the bat.

Use the computer business software you choose to run your own business. Sooner or later, probably within a month or two, you'll feel comfortable enough to do a simple installation for a client.

Bottom Line on Computer Business Software

Always think of computer business software as an investment. You need to make sure you will recover, and then make a return on, the time and money you put into acquiring and learning new computer business software. If you stick to Microsoft Small Business Server (SBS) and Novell's Small Business Suite at the start, your computer business software investment should pay off pretty quickly.

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