Virtual Offices
Should You Return to the Home Office?
Published July 14th, 2009 by Jennifer LeClaire
Returning to the home office. That’s the subject of a Q&A style Inc. magazine article. The article features an independent consultant who wonders if she should trade in her office space for a virtual home office. The first line of the Inc. staff’s answer: “Office buildings are so 1990s.”
Then the Inc. staff offers a piece of advice that probably makes the Davinci Virtuals of the world rejoice:
“If you are skittish about conducting meetings at Starbucks or putting your home address on your business card, consider paying for a so-called virtual office. Point B uses services from Regus, which operates more than 1,000 business centers in 75 countries. For prices that start at $49 a month, you get a real office-building address for your business card — Regus forwards your mail. Upward of $99 buys you the services of a receptionist and access to a private office a few days a month. Meeting rooms start at about $12 an hour.”
Virtual offices are certainly getting more attention these days as some independent consultants, boutique law firms, solo accountants and other professionals see business decline and look for ways to cut costs. The office space seems like a natural line item expense to trim if business is down. Since you can rent a meeting room for $12 an hour at a Regus or a Davinci outfit, there’s no compromise on professionalism if you need to meet with a client face to face.
However, the Inc. staff also offered a caveat: Working from home can make an impact on your work and your home life. This is true. When you work from home one of two things tend to happen. You either become easily distracted by family and friends or you go into workaholic mode and work longer-than-ever hours. My best advice as a home office-dweller: Set a schedule and stick to it. Working from home means less commute time, so you can still work more hours, produce more, and have a less stressful “rush hour.”
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About the Author
Melanie Jones July 14th, 2009 at 6:17 am
I work from a home office. I think it’s the best way to go unless you have to meet with clients every day. Even still, I tend to go to client offices or we meet for lunch. Virtual office products are great for image, but independent consultants can often get away without a traditional office space.
Maggie Correta July 14th, 2009 at 6:50 am
I personally wouldn’t want to hire an attorney who worked from a home office. That’s just me. It would seem to reflect on their skills as an attorney… can’t they even afford an office space? Of course, with a virtual office and a meeting room, I might never know the attorney was working from home. Virtual offices are great!
Bill Brookshire July 14th, 2009 at 6:51 am
There shouldn’t be a stigma placed on working from home. It’s more efficient and it’s better for the environment. All the money you would spend on a suit of clothes for every day of the week can be reinvested into professional education. All the time you spend driving to an office space can be spent finding new clients. It’s a smart move, so long as you are equipped with virtual office technologies that keep you on the cutting-edge of business.
Rob Zeus July 14th, 2009 at 6:59 am
I think the question this independent consultant was asking Inc. magazine is one that’s on the hearts and minds of many in the same position. There still is a stigma for entrepreneurs who work from home among some crowds. The virtual office, if it’s a high-quality virtual office provider, can remove that stigma for certain. It’s a great compromise, but eventually I think most growing companies need office space.
Elizabeth Sanchez July 14th, 2009 at 11:30 am
I don’t see virtual offices as a compromise at all. I think entrepreneurs, so long as their families don’t distract them, can work from home efficiently and effectively. The virtual office is quite literally a saving solution for many at-home workers who need to maintain a professional image. You just have to invest in the right technologies and stay focused.
Bradenton Gets New Virtual Office Provider July 24th, 2009 at 8:12 am
[...] How bad is the commercial real estate market in Florida? Perhaps bad enough to spur the Manatee Association of Realtors to convert 2,500 square feet of its property into virtual offices in Bradenton. With a down economy, it seems the association couldn’t rent the space to a permanent tenant, so its president is leading it onto the virtual office bandwagon. [...]