It’s that time of year that parents love and teachers dread: back to school. And for entrepreneurs that means you have the chance to stock up your office with great deals at many stores celebrating back to school.
This weekend I made a little trip to Staples to check out what’s on offer and get some ideas. Here’s what I loved.
(Note: this is NOT a sponsored post)
What you choose to buy or upgrade will entirely depend on your budget and needs. I totally love office supplies and creating a comfortable, fun office of my own.
Office Furniture – let’s get the big stuff out of the way first. Now is the time to shop for that new desk, bookshelf or comfy chair and treat yourself to a comfortable workplace. We spend way too many hours working each week to do so with flimsy furnishings. You don’t have to buy new either, the most comfortable work chair I own came used and I just added a new slipcover. While your chair is important also consider your desk, lighting and storage options.
Paper – if you’ve seen the colorful paper I keep in my office for notes and planning then you might want to pick up a ream for yourself. I get most of mine at Staples and prefer the mixed packs instead of 500 pages of each color. If you have entrepreneurial friends you can each buy a pack and split the ream to get the most variety.
File folders – gone are the days of manila file folders and green hanging folders in file drawers across the country. Now you can pick up bright and colorful ones that are fun to look at! Mine hang on the wall so they’ve got to be less boring. Designs vary from “ugh filing” to motivational:
Gifts – The office supply store or aisle is my favorite place to find amazing client gifts including these gorgeous rose gold journals, new pens, and packs of thank you card. My favorite gifts are hand selected but it’s nice to have some options on standby. Check out the Poppin brand too for fresh and modern pens and accessories.
Organize Your Projects – While I have a stash of plastic folders from years past, these beautiful paper files are perfect for storing your project notes. Imagine showing up to a meeting or pitch with this tucked into your portfolio! You can pick up portable file boxes and accordion files too that look way nicer than they used to. I wish I had these beauties when I went back to school!
Here are some of my other favorites from around the web (no affiliate links here, just my recommendations):
Vinyl mesh bags for receipts. I always throw one of these in my luggage during a trip to keep receipts in one place and dry!
These delightful G2 pens come in a variety of colors to make note taking more fun.
A little mobile scanner that’s about the size of a water bottle is an excellent choice for scanning contracts, receipts, and other important business papers.
A compact laminator for making labels, making signs for the office or creating a DIY checklist that can be reused daily.
This large monthly planner with no dates so you can start it anytime (help, they’re on sale and I already have a spare… must resist!) + any number of stickers to make planning, even more, fun from Etsy.
If you have a big whiteboard in your office – or even a piece of glass to write on – then now is the time to stock up on dry erase markers. Trust me, if you don’t use them then a teacher will appreciate having backups.
For most of these supplies there are great deals to be found right now and, if you’re all stocked up, you can share the love by helping stock the classroom of a teacher!
What’s your favorite back to “school” item to buy for your business? Let me know in the comments down below.
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