It’s true. I bought a Herman Miller Aeron chair — the symbol of dot com excess that cost more than my first car.
The $79 chair I got at Fry’s less than a year ago was already starting to fall apart, and I suspected it might have been the root of some minor back pain I’d been experiencing over the last couple months. After fond reflections on the Aeron I’d had at my last job and some validation from noted technology bloggers, I decided to take the plunge.
The purchase symbolizes the fact that a year into the business, I’m emerging from extreme bootstrapping mode (being very cheap) to semi-bootstrapping mode (still being very cheap, but blessed with the means to spend money when it matters). By nature I tend to first opt for the cheapest option whenever I’m buying tools and supplies. I don’t think I’d be able to survive as a small business owner if I didn’t operate that way. But it’s not always the best thing to do for the long term, and the dilemma is figuring out when to buy the best and when to pick off the clearance rack, making sure the numbers balance out in the end.
I’m curious — what do you “splurge” on? Or what would you, as your business grew?
11 responses so far ↓
1 Ed S. // Feb 13, 2007 at 10:04 am
Wow, some congrats are in order here. Any reason you got the Aeron over the Mirra? Also where did you end up getting it?
2 Doug Karr // Feb 13, 2007 at 10:28 am
Keep your receipt! Don’t forget that it’s a business expense!
3 ade // Feb 13, 2007 at 10:47 am
Thanks! I thought about the Mirra, but opted for the Aeron because I had used it before, and had some difficulty finding a place in the area to test them side-by-side. I ended up buying online at http://www.homeofficesolutions.com/ - free shipping, and $50 off when you sign up for their newsletter (thank goodness for disposable email addresses).
Oh yeah, that receipt’s in a very safe place
4 brock // Feb 13, 2007 at 9:07 pm
Congratulations on the Aeron! Definitely a major milestone.
But, it’s also an investment. Next to your mattress, where are you going to spend more time? I’m guessing you use your car 10. Not exactly the same, but and interesting comparison.
5 Cameron Penn // Feb 14, 2007 at 3:00 am
Nice chair, especially for an entrepreneur who must, by necessity, fly by the seat of his pants. You might as well be comfortable.
As for my own personal splurging, I’m a sucker for organizational stuff — binders, boxes, trays, tabbed notebooks — and I end up saving a lot of junk that should have been pitched. But at least it’s organized.
Happy flying!
6 Ian // Feb 14, 2007 at 8:52 am
Congratulations! That chair is on my list of yearly improvements, maybe this year will be the year!
Like Brock said, you spend a lot of time there. You can’t go cheap on a mattress either.
I bought a semi-expensive chair at staples awhile back and I regret it to this day, as my back hurts almost all the time.
7 Kenny // Feb 15, 2007 at 9:15 pm
That’s awesome….I also have an Aeron in my office and wouldn’t trade it for anything. I think I got mine a little cheaper than you did…I’ll tell you all about it sometime as you drag my chips from the pot.
In terms of splurging, I’m in the market for a new laptop case and the ones that I’m looking at are just silly money, but I’m not going to skimp.
8 Ed Illig // Feb 19, 2007 at 11:28 am
Splurge? An office mattress I would think—I’m getting to that age you know.
9 T Struck // Feb 22, 2007 at 11:36 pm
I also splurged for an Aeron over a year ago for my home office and wrote a review on my blog … please feel free to check it out. In addition to my Aeron, I spurged on some great office furniture (desk and credenza) at roomandboard.com.
Tim
http://struckreviews.blogspot.com
10 Ade in Business » Blog Archive » Welcome, August // Apr 25, 2007 at 4:16 pm
[...] yes, he’s got an Aeron [...]
11 Mike // May 2, 2007 at 9:28 am
.. and you didn’t even consult the expert.
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