What's in an office anyways? Create a Mobile Office the simple way by just learning what you need on the road and collecting it all in a convenient travel sized pack. In my case, it's a briefcase, a phone, and a laptop. My briefcase, opened, is a convenient mobile office with all the necessary parts. A tiny little box of office 'supplies', file folders in the lid, pens, pencils, note stickies, and a compact stapler will organize most anything I need to keep. The notepad-portfolio I carry for business meetings fits inside when necessary, and I always keep an extra notepad in the lid.

Don't forget the address book. Add new people in, and keep up with all your old friends and associates. You never know when you might be able to grab a cup of coffee and network. My motto is "The only way to get out of my little black book is die - or move up to everyday contact."

Create a Mobile Office by first thinking about what you might need on the road. I do a lot of travel writing, so my main objective is being able to - well - write. My laptop is essential. For transmitting those files back to home base, I use my cell phone or a wireless modem. Often my cell phone works best. Rural areas are not known for having the best wireless reception - so, I make do.

Quite effectively, a mobile office should be as directly related to what you do as your website. Clean, efficient, effective, and to the point - you can work better in a mobile office if you have what you need but nothing extra. Leave all the reports you won't be reading anyway at home in your full time office, and just do what you have to take with you. It's easier than carrying a huge file box full of "duds".

Oh, and just in case you do break down on the road, have an extra batterpack for that laptop. It will keep you moving while you wait for the tow truck. Of course, you can always resort to pen and paper, if you have it. Don't forget a time piece. I use my cell phone, but even cell phones need power eventually.

Jan Verhoeff

Somewhere between college and life, Jan began to focus on other people. Her intense need to feel accomplishment in her life drove her to finding a deeper contentment than just existing in the hoot 'n holler of southeastern Colorado. While the beauty of the prairie never escaped her eye for color and beauty, the intensity of her desire kept her moving ever onward.

Summers in Michigan and Tennessee brought her closer to something, but it wasn't until much later, as an adult, mother of four that she began to understand that her need for accomplishment included sharing what she had learned along the way. It also meant that her talent for painting the dream and writing her thoughts had a lot to do with her accomplishments.

She began to focus on actually writing down her thoughts and ideas in journals, revealing her prayer thoughts and life events. Bits of paper became treasures of memory, and a notebook became an outlet of hope and a step of faith. Jan put her thoughts on paper, and began to publish them, where she found opportunity, including various magazines, trade journals, and local publications. Her interests in business and new enterprise became a resounding outlet for her talent, and wisdom for those who sought it. Jan's interest in business development became her trademark, resulting in her first book publication in !992, "Building a Business: From Scratch". This 22 page booklet was published by a local printer in a vertical brochure format, selling more than a thousand copies nation wide. It has resurfaced in college classes as the basis for college term papers, graduate thesis, and research documents for small business courses over the past 13 years.

Seeking more diverse outlets for her talents, Jan most recently has written several short stories published in various books, including: "Stories for the Trail" with the Lamar Writer's Group, "Prickly Points of Life" a combination poetry/short story collection of Jan's work, and "Coffee Clatter" a bound collection of written works originally published in a newsletter published by her daughter, Brenna, as a Sophomore Year Project when she was homeschooling at Buchanan Academy.

More recently her work is available in a newsletter she publishes weekly via email, and various blogs listed on the right side of this page.

You may contact Jan at: janverhoeff@yahoo.com