Entrepreneurship is fast evolving and more and more businesses are turning their back on outdated technology. In fact, you no longer need expensive equipment and office space to start a business. Many online entrepreneurs are doing it from home with just a phone in hand. A mobile phone is the primary business tool for these mobile entrepreneurs.
Recent smartphones allow you to juggle multiple hats wherever you are with super-fast speeds. Clever apps help you to streamline your business. With your phone, you can operate efficiently from anywhere through cloud-based operations. And they allow you to reliably keep in touch with clients at all times and be highly responsive to their needs. Smartphones are a revolutionary device for entrepreneurs.
These arejust a few of the ways mobile entrepreneurs are using their smartphones:
Processing invoices and payments
E-faxing documents
Recording and note-taking of ideas, both written and voice
Social media management and automatic scheduling of posts
Access to business management apps and mentoring tools
Diary and calendar management
Keeping in touch at all times by making calls on the go and receiving out-of-office forwarded calls
Email and document forwarding from anywhere
What kind of phone does an online entrepreneur need?
An excellent operating system, fast processing speeds, good battery life, and reliable technology are going to be a must for the mobile entrepreneur. On top of these, he or she might expect the latest in face ID or fingerprint technology for the fastest and securest interactions. Wireless charging is ideal, too. But doesn’t all of this come at a high price?
Are you worried that making a mobile phone the central tool for your business involves investing in the most expensive smartphone out there? Are there more affordable alternatives?
We show you how you need not buy new, and how a lower-priced refurbished phone is absolutely up-to-the-job.
What is a refurbished phone?
A “refurbished” or “renewed” phone shouldn’t be confused with a “used” phone. The key difference is that a renewed phone will have undergone a testing and repair process that means it is now certified to be in full working order. A phone listed as “used” cannot offer any of these assurances.
There’s no reason to think that refurbished phones are all outdated, tired models. There are plenty of newer models out there with all the latest features. Refurbished phones may even be unwanted phones that a consumer changed their mind about (so were barely used) or phones returned under warranty with their fault fully repaired and tested.
This is the newest model and comes with all of Apple’s latest features and includes the super-fast A13 Bionic chip.
2. A lower price
A refurbished model will almost certainly be lower in price than its brand-new-in-box counterpart.
If you purchase a refurbished phone from a reputable dealer, you’ll get a phone with 100% function. There may be a few visible signs of use, but a good dealer will be honest about these, perhaps by using a rating system to give you an idea of whether or how much a phone is marked. The level of visible use will be used to determine the phone’s price.
If you are happy to accept a tiny mark or two on a phone, the kind that always appears after even a few weeks’ careful use, then you are likely to pay much, much less for the same model of phone.
3. Reliability
Refurbished phones from good retailers are rigorously tested and all necessary repairs are done, however minor. Batteries will be replaced and your phone will be sent with a brand new one. All this means mobile entrepreneurs can be reassured that they are buying a reliable phone which will not let them down.
Before you buy, check the returns and warranty policies of your chosen dealer. They may offer as long as one year’s warranty, which is the same as you would likely get buying a brand-new phone.
4. Strong environmental credentials
Many modern entrepreneurs are environmentally minded. Using a smartphone to streamline your business also allows you to lower your impact on the planet — for instance, by going paperless.
However, brand-new phones have a large eco-footprint. The manufacturing and distribution of a new phone alone is thought to be responsible for around 83% of the phone’s total carbon footprint during its lifetime. Opting for a refurbished phone over a new one allows for a clearer conscience on environmental principles.
Smartphones are certainly making online entrepreneurs’ lives easier. However, a refurbished smartphone can help you go one step further by matching a new phone in terms of quality, durability and reliability, but beating it on price and eco-credentials.
Author Bio
Mirza Saqib Habib is the Business Manager at Dubai-based Teckzu, the perfect one-stop shop to discover, browse, and buy new and refurbished electronics such as smartphones, tablets, laptops and accessories. Mirza comes from a strong E-commerce background with over 6 years of regional experience. He has helped kick-start many startups in the past and is passionate about using technology to facilitate a seamless digital user experience.
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