February 28th, 2014
Many people start out by running small businesses from home – but then find them growing to a point where they need offices for rent. The question is, how do you decide when it’s the right moment to move out of the kitchen, study or garage, and into a studio or workshop?
It can be tempting to stay put for as long as possible, in order to avoid new costs such as rent. However, this will be a false economy if you have to put the brakes on your business growing through lack of space. There is even a risk you may end up turning away valuable contracts, simply because you have no space to take on the staff you’d need to carry out the work! Here’s a look at six common reasons for moving out of the house and into an office rental.
1. The Business Has Taken Over My House: A major disadvantage of working from home is the lack of separate business space. If your home is large enough, you may be able to set aside a room to use as your office or study – though many people make do with just a corner. As your list of clients and projects grows, chances are this won’t be large enough, and equipment or paperwork could encroach on the rest of the house. It may be difficult to find enough space to store everything away at the end of the day, so the family could end up tripping over your vital files and records. If your chairs and sofa are fast disappearing under overflowing in-trays, something’s got to give.
2. I Need Somewhere to Meet Clients: Another reason to consider a move to offices for rent is that it will give you somewhere to meet current or potential customers. Inviting clients to your home does not give a professional impression, and you may well have nowhere suitable to hold a meeting. Plus there is the risk of neighbours and relations popping in unannounced for a cup of tea just when your meeting is at a crucial point! Some home workers decide to meet their clients in coffee shops. However, this could cause problems with confidentiality, as there is a chance of your discussions being overheard, and again it does not necessarily give the professional image you want to create. A fully serviced office is a much better answer.
3. I’ve Taken on Staff: Working in your kitchen or the garage might be fine for you – but not so good when you decide to take on staff and have to fit in extra workstations. As well as the space for the desks themselves, this could also mean extra power and data connections are needed, along with additional phone lines. All of this would be easy to organise in managed offices, but is a big ask for the average house. In addition to this, if you have staff working at your home, you need to comply with health and safety legislation and carry out workplace risk assessments.
4. I’ve Suddenly Got a Large Project/Order and I Need More Space: The aim of every small business is to grow, but sometimes that growth doesn’t happen steadily. You win a major contract and need to double in size quickly – which may not be practical when operating out of a front room which is already bursting at the seams. The best way to get enough space to cope with that new order, and give your new client the service they expect, may well be to move out of your home and into a larger serviced office.
5. I Need To Look Very Professional, Very Quickly: When you mainly deal with clients via email and the internet, it is possible to create a professional impression at a distance. However, once you have impressed your new customer with your expertise at a distance, it is important to carry that through when you meet. This means you need to have access to all the technology which is expected as a matter of course in modern business centres, from high-speed broadband to the technical backup you might need to provide instant quotes and projections.
6. I Can’t Get My Business Head on at Home: As many people who work from home have discovered, it can be hard to concentrate on work and avoid being distracted. It’s very tempting to break off from a difficult project in order to do some housework or run an errand, and you are also likely to be interrupted by personal phone calls or visitors. As a result, you may not get as much done during the working day as hoped, and have to work into the evening to hit deadlines.
If any of these scenarios sounds familiar, it is likely that the time is right for you to move to offices for rent, such as those run by Basepoint. Serviced offices in a wide range of sizes are available, which will provide you with the space to grow your business. Each business centre has serviced meeting rooms where you can meet with clients, and a full range of facilities is available to create a professional image and provide all the backup you need.
