Mobile Office

OUR STORY

Our story of the mobile office begins with our passion for travel and hiking. We love to travel in our recreational vehicle (RV) and hike in National Parks and National Forests throughout the United States. Our goal was to find the freedom to travel often.

Our first question was…how do we create income that is not dependent on being an employee at a job? The answer was clear: Create a internet-based business that can be tended to from anywhere in the world. Become mobile entrepreneurs conducting business on the road from the location of our choice.

Our version of the mobile office is located in our RV. For several years our mobile office was a Holiday Rambler fifth-wheel travel trailer. We spent a summer hiking in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness in Aspen, Colorado. We enjoyed the fall in the Chattahoochee National Forest of the North Georgia mountains. When cold weather moved in, we spent the winter at Juniper Springs while hiking and canoeing in the Ocala National Forest in Florida.

Our longest adventure was hiking for 8 months in the redwoods along the coast of California (from Redwoods National Park to Big Basin Redwoods State Park). We are now thinking about switching over to an Airstream travel trailer. Wouldn't it be fun to tell people that we work from our Airstream office!

WHAT EXACTLY IS A MOBILE OFFICE?

A mobile office is actually a portable office. A portable office does not have to be in an RV. One couple from Alabama actually rent a house in Bali for 6 months each year. Some have an office on their boat…like the couple from Texas who spend each spring sail- fishing along the coast of the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico. Other people set up an office in their mountain cabin or in their beach house. Some discover that they like their remote office location so much, they just never leave.

YOU CAN BE A MOBILE ENTREPRENEUR

Mobile entrepreneurs are part of the new emerging group of portable professionals who work from almost anywhere in a variety of industries. Technology has exploded so quickly in the last few years that many companies and businesses are not even aware of how feasible remote offices can be. The latest mobile technology also saves a lot of space in an RV, small cabin or boat. New possibilities are emerging every day.

This website offers a variety of possibilities. There is no right way or wrong way. Instead, each topic in this website describes one of the many paths to prosperity and personal empowerment. Choose the paths that interest you the most. If you are attracting a particular piece of information, it will feel inspiring and interesting to you. If not, just move on to a different topic that does feel good. You will know by the way it feels.

If you are getting excited and want to know more…keep reading! If you are ready to take back your life…this is a great time to become a mobile entrepreneur. Set up your mobile office and work from the location of your choice!

HOW TO CREATE A MOBILE OFFICE

Richard Charpentier wrote an article about his own experiences in the spring 2008 issue of Airstream Life magazine, entitled "Setting Up Your Mobile Office." He advises to go digital and go wireless. He says the basic components of the mobile office include a laptop computer, a wireless internet setup, some software, and a digital camera. All of this equipment will fit into a rolling computer case or small bag and becomes your "Business in a Backpack" as described in an article by Michelle LaBrosse. Descriptions of these items are listed below with examples of the equipment that Richard Charpentier uses in his mobile RV office.

BASIC EQUIPMENT FOR A MOBILE OFFICE:

LAPTOP COMPUTER: A laptop is the central tool of the mobile office. It allows you to email, work on the internet, create and share documents, hold video conferences or teleconferences, conduct research. As of 2008, wireless network adapters are built into most modern laptops. (example: a 15 inch laptop)

TWO PORTABLE HARD DRIVES 100GB EACH: Portable hard drives may beused for photo storage, backups and media such as movies and music. A USB-powered drive will allow you to use them even when AC power is not available. (example: two LaCie Firewire portable hard drives 100GB each)

WIRELESS INTERNET CARD: Most new laptops come with built-in wireless transmitters. If your laptop doesn't, you can buy a wireless adapter that plugs into the PC card slot or USB port. A wireless card from a cellular carrier allows you to connect to the internet anywhere there is cellular coverage. (example: a Verizon Wireless EVDO card) To read more go to: http://www.high-speed-internet-access-guide.com/wireless/

WI-FI ROUTER: Routers provide internet-access and internetworking to all devices connected to them (wirelessly). They allow you to easily connect multiple computers and to move them from place to place without disconnecting and reconnecting wires. This makes your RV a rolling Wi-Fi hotspot. (example: a Kyocera KR1 Wi-Fi Router uses the Verizon Wireless card to share the internet connection to multiple devices.)

DIGITAL CAMERA: Pick the digital camera suited to your needs. Choose a camera that will easily offload your photos to your laptop and are in a format for sending over the internet. A digital camera may also be used to make a digital copy of a paper document if you do not have a scanner. A high end digital SLR camera is good for those needing professional photos. (example: a Canon EOS 30D is a high end camera)

ADDITIONAL OPTIONS FOR THE MOBILE OFFICE:

INVERTER: If you plan to work in your RV without electric power (off the grid), you will need an inverter or DC power adapter to run your laptop with power supplied by an RV battery.

SURGE PROTECTOR: A power supply with surge protection is always a good idea. RV parks and campgrounds do not always have reliable power connections. Choosing a power supply with a 15-minute power backup gives time to logout and transfer files if needed. (an APC power supply from apc.com)

PRINTER: Your work will determine if you need a photo printer, a laser printer or an inkjet printer. Your available space will determine if you need a very small size printer or a larger one. A wireless printer would be the most flexible in a small space.

INTERNET IN MOTION: One mobile office solution for a moving RV or boat is Internet In Motion. Internet In Motion provides a transparent interface to the 3 major cellular carriers, Sprint, Alltel and Verizon. To find out more, check out the website at: http://www.internetinmotion.net/rv_office.html or visit your local Camping World store.

WI-FI FINDER: Wi-Fi networks have limited range. If you plan to use public Wi-Fi hot spots, you may need a Wi-Fi finder that identifies the location of the signal and the signal strength. A portable Wi-Fi finder is as small as a door key and can be added to a key ring. Keep in mind that Wi-Fi networks that are open (unencrypted) can be monitored and used to read and copy data (including personal information) transmitted over the network, unless another security method is used to secure the data, such as a VPN or a secure web page.

SPECIALIZED SOFTWARE: The Adobe Creative Suite software is an example of software that serves several purposes. It has Photoshop for editing photos; it has InDesign for book and magazine editing; It has Illustrator for creating graphics and layouts; It has GoLive for website design and management; It has Acrobat Reader and Writer to create secure documents.

SCANNER: Anyone who receives a lot of paper documents may prefer to scan them into an electronic format rather than store files of paper. NEAT Receipts® offers a portable scanner and software that actually scans receipts, documents and business cards. The software allows you to manage receipts; groups relevant items together; stores documents in a searchable PDF format; create a document database; automate expense reports; and, allows export to Quicken® and QuickBooks®. Read more about a paper-free life at www.neatreceipts.com.

ADDITIONAL OPTIONS TO CONSIDER FOR THE REMOTE CABIN OFFICE

The amount of equipment you need depends on how remote you are. If you have a cabin in a remote area of the mountains you may already beaware that DSL or cable internet is not readily available. In addition, there may not be cellular phone service…which means that you will not be able to use your mobile phone or a wireless internet card from a cellular carrier. Although most locations have a regular phone lines, dial-up is usually used as a last resort or only for backup. Good news! Technology has exploded here too. Options abound!

SATELLITE INTERNET: The speed of satellite internet is comparable to other high speed Internet services, and just like DSL and cable, its always on. It is secure, fast and reliable. Here is a quick check…just go outside and look to the south…if you have a clear view of the southern sky, then you can most likely get high speed satellite Internet service! Sometimes a tree must be removed to get the signal. A home office package may cost $300 to install, $300 for the equipment and $60/month fee. A small business package with extra features may cost up to $1500 to install with a $200/month fee.

ANALOG PHONE: Analog phones are supposed to always work - even when electric power is out. Keep one tucked away and plug it in when the power goes off.

TWO PHONE LANDLINES: If the satellite link goes down, you will have one phone line for dial-up internet and one phone line for telephone.

CONFERENCE CALL PROVIDER: For those who have clients or business partners in various cities across the US, a conference call provider may be useful. One service (FreeConferenceCall.com) allows as many as 96 lines on a call. Each participant is charged for a regular long-distance call and the bridge is free.

BUSINESS LOUNGE NETWORK: If you often travel away from your cabin office (or without your mobile RV office) for business purposes, you may be interested in joining a business lounge network. Conducting business from a local coffee shop or Wi-Fi hot spot may be awkward as well as un-secure. The business lounge provides a secure internet access as well as a quiet place to work. One business lounge example is the Regus Network Access Program (regus.com). For $300 per year, you can use any of its 950 business lounges worldwide to check email, make calls and work in a quiet place.

DESKTOP COMPUTER: You may decide to include a desktop computer in your cabin office in addition to a laptop. The desktop stays home and the laptop goes with you in your mobile office.

TAKE BACK YOUR LIFE…WORK FROM THE LOCATION OF YOUR CHOICE!

Mobile entrepreneur choices abound. Imagine telling someone, "I'll call you from my Airstream Office when I get to Yellowstone." Or, "I'll call you from my cabin office after my hike to the creek." If you are ready to take back your life…this is a great time to begin. Set up your mobile office and work from the location of your choice! Life is supposed to be fun!

return from Mobile Office to Prosperity-Decoded