Virtual Offices
Laughlin Associates Opens Alternative Office Space in Carson City, Nevada
Published February 3rd, 2009 by Jennifer LeClaire
Laughlin Associates is no stranger to the virtual office market. The company has been offering the services to small business owners for years – but mostly outside of Nevada. Laughlin has decided it’s a prime time to expand its virtual office solutions right its own backyard: Carson City.
Laughlin just launched an alternative office space set up for small businesses that runs $175 a month. For that price, entrepreneurs can take advantage of part-time office space, get access to conference rooms with a WiFi Internet connection, and enjoy a mail drop and a local phone number. This package comes complete with a receptionist to offer a professional image.
“The downside of starting a small business is the overhead,” Brent Buscay, vice president of operations at Laughlin Associates told the Nevada Appeal. “We can eliminate the overhead by using shared office with shared employees. For a small business, we can offer everything they need at a low cost.”
A Unique Virtual Office Twist
Laughlin has an interesting angle on the virtual office industry, though. The company’s long-time bread and butter is not renting office space but renting incorporation services, so to speak. Laughlin offers incorporation services to entrepreneurs and others that want to set up a Nevada corporation or LLC.
Noteworthy is the fact that most business owners incorporated their companies in Nevada don’t actually do business in the state. But Nevada offers some advantages to corporations that make it an attractive option. For example, Nevada shareholders are not a matter of public record, officers and directors cannot be held liable for the corporation’s actions and Nevada has no business tax. That explains why Laughlin Associates has been selling virtual office space mostly to companies outside the state.
Laughlin also offers another interesting twist on the virtual office concept. The company has a team of attorneys and accountants on staff. That makes it a one-stop shop for small businesses that need help with legal and tax issues. Laughlin is also lending its marketing gurus to help new businesses raise awareness, a graphic designer to create print materials and Web sites, and a full-service print shop.
Of course, Laughlin charges for all of those services. But it’s certainly a set of amenities that most virtual offices don’t offer. That makes Laughlin unique among its peers and hard to copy without a great deal of effort and expense.
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Elizabeth Sanchez February 4th, 2009 at 5:31 am
Very interesting. This company’s virtual office space is an outshoot of its core business: incorporating companies.
This is a natural progression for a virtual office provider that didn’t plan to be such a force, first giving non-Nevada companies that legally incorporated there a pseudo-presence there and now expanding that capability more broadly.
Rob Zeus February 4th, 2009 at 6:53 am
This company is really smart. It’s almost like they tested the virtual office market in a no-risk way, just offering a convenience to their clients who used their incorporation services. Apparently, it worked well and now they are offering virtual office services close to home with a lot of small business bells and whistles under one roof. Brilliant!
Melanie Jones February 4th, 2009 at 9:34 am
This is a great case study for companies in related industries that are looking for new revenue streams. I could see virtual offices becoming ancillary income for companies that haven’t traditionally offered this as their core. Of course, Laughlin was smart. It tested the virtual office waters before it launched its full-scale operations in Carson City. That’s wisdom.
Marcus Hester February 5th, 2009 at 6:56 am
Pardon the pun, but this is a low-risk gamble for Laughlin Associates. The firm has already tested the virtual office market and discovered it has the capability and capacity to keep happy customers. This is a great time to look for add-on revenue streams and virtual offices have been a popular strategy. Some of them will fail, but Laughlin has inherent advantages and its timing is good.
Bill Brookshire February 6th, 2009 at 6:08 am
What would be really interesting is if Laughlin opened some serviced offices in Carson City. Of course, that would be a bigger risk because the company would have to invest in real estate. Looks like right now the company is just leveraging the office, staff and virtual technology resources it has.
Elaine Benes February 19th, 2009 at 5:25 pm
I just love Laughlin Associates! I have been with them for 5 years and wouldn’t recommend any other business to work with!
Their customer service department is best I’ve ever worked with. Those girls at Laughlin really know their stuff! Call them now!
John Randall February 19th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Smart move Laughlin! They will be around for a while!