Posts Tagged ‘home offices’

Has Your Business Outgrown Your Home Office?

December 3rd, 2010 :: Rieva Lesonsky

By Rieva Lesonsky

Running a business from home is a great option for many small business owners. It saves you money on commuting, parking and dry cleaning and can help you be more productive. But as your business grows, you’re eventually going to be faced with a decision: To stay at home, or not to stay? Ask yourself these questions to see if it’s time to consider looking for outside office space.

Is working from home hurting your image? Of course, you can meet clients at their offices or the local Starbucks, but at some point, this may become counterproductive. If not having an office of your own is making clients think less of you or causing you to lose out on opportunities, you may need to bite the bullet and look into a lease.

Are you running out of room? If your company ships products, stores supplies or otherwise needs a lot of space, a home office may eventually get too small. Unless you have the option of adding onto your home or building an office in the back yard, you may have no choice but to move out.

Do you need to hire employees? Many entrepreneurs who work from home do quite well using virtual employees or outsourcing to contractors. But if you need real, live employees to actually work in the same space as you, having them come into your home can seem like a violation of your personal space. Unless your home office has a separate entryway or is a separate building like a guest house, hiring employees is where many entrepreneurs draw the line.

Could you be more productive in an outside office? Some people are suited to working from home, and some aren’t. If you feel distracted or can’t focus at home, or if you feel isolated and need the stimulus of seeing other people besides the mail carrier, consider whether you might be more productive outside the home.

Don’t rush into anything. Before you make a big move, consider each issue and possible ways to work around it without leaving the home. For instance, if you only need meeting space once in a while, look into office suites solutions that let you rent space on an as-needed basis.

If you decide you do need to move out of the home, take your time to find the perfect space that solves the problems you’re facing at home. Write down everything that you need and enlist a commercial realtor to help you sort out your options.

Last, but not least, when choosing commercial space, take time to assess your business’s projected future growth plans. Look for a space that gives you room to grow—because moving out of the home is just one step in the continued success of your business.

Image by Flickr user Clint McManaman (Creative Commons)

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Tags: home offices, home-based-business
Posted in Small Business | 2 Comments »

7 Ways a Virtual Office Could Help Your Small Business Grow

October 22nd, 2010 :: Monika Jansen

I work from home, and I have for a long time. I love it. I have a very short commute, can dress as I like, grab a nap if I need one, work outside on the deck if I choose, and get household chores out of the way when I need a break. With no distractions from coworkers, I can focus on my work and get it done quickly.

Not everyone can work efficiently or effectively from home, though. If you’ve been spending more time working at the local café, Starbucks, or even hotel lobby than in your home office, you should consider renting a virtual office. If your business is in an industry that prides itself on appearances as much as results, you definitely need a virtual office.

Here are 7 ways a virtual office could help your small business grow:

Keep work separate from home. When you work from home, there is no transition from your professional to your personal life. And unless you have a home office separate from the rest of the house, it can be hard to focus on work.
Work feels “real.” Unless your office is professional and well-organized, it can be easy to be sloppy, and if you look and feel sloppy, your work might end up following suit. If you’re going to an office every day, you will look, act, and work professionally.
Professional address. In certain industries, like government contracting, it’s beneficial to have an address in a professional office building. The receptionists can accept packages for you and you don’t have to worry about hiding your home address on your marketing materials.
Answering service. Many virtual offices offer or include answering services with your virtual office. Having a professional receptionist answer your phone, take messages, and schedule meetings will make your company look bigger than it is.
Meeting space. When you are meeting with prospective, new, or existing clients, investors, or partners, a nice conference room is a zillion times better than Starbucks or a hotel. You’ll have AV equipment and white boards at your disposal, too.
Save money. Because virtual offices don’t require a long-term lease, you can better manage your cash flow, reduce overhead, and save money. You can rent offices part-time or full-time, and you can increase or decrease the size of your office space as needed.
Central location. I have yet to hear of a virtual office that isn’t in a central location. When your address is in a highly visible business district, your clients and partners will notice, and they might just take your company more seriously.