You’ve got to spend money to make money. But with the rise of iDevices, you don’t need to spend much to make a lot. With a few well-planned purchases, you can get your business going with nothing but an iPhone, iPad, and a few good ideas.
An iOS business is a highly mobile one, so get the Wi-Fi hotspot on your iPhone for an additional $25 a month on your AT&T or Verizon bill. This will allow you to tether your iOS devices at your local coffee shop business headquarters and ensure you’ll only ever need the Wi-Fi-only iPad. In fact, with your iPhone as a Wi-Fi hotspot, there’s no reason to ever buy a 3G iPad.
The Boxwave stylus is elegant and effective.
A few pieces of hardware will go a long way in your quest for the elusive Forbes cover, and we know how to spend your money. Buy yourself a nice stylus, like the Pogo Sketch ($14.95, tenonedesign.com) or Boxwave ($18.95, boxwave.com) so you’re not spending all day trying to write with your finger. But remember, a stylus is only as good as its note-taking counterpart, so for complex note-taking we recommend the utilitarian Pen Ultimate ($1.99) or feature-friendly Note Taker HD ($4.99)—both will have you scribbling out proposals in no time.
Apple’s productivity suite contains three apps every business owner must have.
Once you have a business plan, it’s time to get some work done. As far as work apps go, we stick with the Apple productivity suite that released with the iPad. Pages ($9.99) is a writer’s best friend, and its AirPrint capabilities mean your ideas can easily find their way to paper. Numbers ($9.99) and Keynote ($9.99) will help you distill your complex ideas into gorgeous charts and presentations. And once your business is open, it’s time to play your Trump card: no, not a toupee—a Square card reader. This little rectangle of wonder connects to your iOS devices’ headphone jack and allows you to charge people’s credit cards for a 2.75% fee. That’s a small price to pay for the ability to charge anyone anywhere.
Just like that, Square takes your company from pipe dream to profit.
We suggest buying a HyperMac Mini external battery ($99.95, hypershop.com), so when your device dies, your work doesn’t stop. And finally, look to the long term with a good budgeting app. For a simple, clean aesthetic, pick up the Mint.com app (free). It’s filled with colorful and informative graphs that make budgeting almost fun. Or if you’re looking for something a bit more complex, try BudgetCare ($1.99). It has slightly more comprehensive statistics but doesn’t lose the pretty charts.
HyperMac’s gorgeous external battery will keep your device charged for days on end.
And that’s it. Once you’ve made some money, go buy yourself a Mac or three.
