Need an office space? Read these 5 tips before you act!

Finding the right office space can be daunting – especially if you are a budding entrepreneur trying to eke the most out of a limited budget. There are tons of questions that people ask themselves, and us, while choosing an office space. Here are our 5 tips on how you can make a smart decision when considering getting a new office space:

1. Define Your Requirements

When on a budget, it is important to define your requirements. Do you need an office to house a team, do you need a space for periodic tasks and meetings, or do you simply want to create a one-off impression? Get a permanent space if you feel that you’ll need a multi-purpose space on a daily basis. Get a shared space – quiet or collaborative – if you love working at a desk but don’t necessarily need a permanent office every day. If you are a team of freelancers who only want to meet periodically, all you need is a virtual office and access to meeting rooms. The choices for office spaces are endless – make a smart decision about your office space by defining your space requirements first. The rest will all slot into place.

2. First Impressions Matter

First looks can make or break a relationship. Consider this: a new client is about to walk into your offices to put the final touches to a deal you’ve worked day and night for the past month to close. Would you want to host them in a professional-yet-warm atmosphere, or a run-down warehouse? Remember: the first impressions formed will always define how your company is perceived in the market – for clients and prospective colleagues.

3. Location, Location, Location

Clients and colleagues both love office spaces that are easily accessible. A client is likelier to pay a visit to your office if it is on their way and won’t unnecessarily inconvenience them. A prospective colleague too will find greater motivation to join your team if they face little difficulty in reaching the office space. Location is key.

4. Amenities

There is no use in having an office space in the wilderness. Make sure that your office space has must-have amenities and associated support services. Proximity to food and coffee, efficient Wi-Fi, working elevators, hygienic washrooms and safety controls are all things to check when choosing an office space. Of course, there are intangible amenities such a great view of the city from the office window. If appreciating the city skyline is what gets your creative juices going, go for it!

5. Infrastructure

A critical question to ask yourself when choosing an office space is the infrastructural support you need to efficiently run your office. Do you need a virtual office to take care of your secretarial and communications requirements? Do you need a space to simply have mail delivered to a permanent address? Who will receive the mail? Or do you need an office with high-quality tech tools for presentations and meetings? Return to where you jotted down your office space requirements – you’ll find the answer to your infrastructural requirements there.

Why You Need To Give Your Online Business a Face?

Why You Need to Give Your Online Business a Face?

The trend of online businesses is at its pinnacle. If you have a creative and a profitable idea, you can easily start your online business and operate it from the comfort of your home while wearing your pajamas.

You don’t need to worry about a huge investment cost in a brick and mortar or worry about operational and facility maintenance expenses.

But what if your client wants to meet you in person, then what do you do?

Arranging a proper office space is one of the biggest challenges for budding home based entrepreneurs. You can cross your fingers and hope that your client never asks for your office address or wants to arrange a meeting but this will eventually happen. Though you may not feel the need, but your client might. After all how long can you stall the client on Skype?

Why You Need To Give Your Online Business a Face?

Here’s why you need to give your online business a face and rent a proper office space:

Ø  To Ensure that You are Not a Fly by Night

Since there are so many online businesses today, clients want to know if they are working with an authentic business and not a fly by night. For this reason many potential clients are lost by online entrepreneurs who don’t have a proper office space. Losing potential clients mean losing potential sales and letting go of the chance of making profits.

Ø  Make an Impactful First Impression

Would you like to have a first meeting with your client in your studio apartment with piles of clothes all over the place, last night take out boxes on the table and the sink stacked with dirty dishes or would you conduct a meeting in a proper air-conditioned boardroom? You decide!

Well, it’s said that the first impression is the last impression, and in this situation it fits perfectly. To establish a long-term relationship with your clients you would need a proper office space to interact with them frequently and understand their business needs and concerns.

Holding meetings in a proper office space looks more professional and clients feel that you are serious about their work. No client wants to hire a person who comes across as an unprofessional no matter how good you are at the services you offer! Your business impression really counts

Virtual Offices and Reception Services.

As today's commerce quickly turns to the Internet, it is easier than ever to use a virtual office for nearly every department in a business. Many companies are already outsourcing a great deal of their departments simply because it is cheaper for them to do so. One of the most popular departments to outsource is the receptionist area, especially if the business does not need a storefront or if it prefers that clients contact them remotely instead of stopping by unexpectedly.

Companies outsource receptionist services by contacting a company who will work with them to get a receptionist to answer the phones. This person will sit in an office in, for example, downtown Toronto and answer the phone in a professional manner. The business approaches a company, Company A, who will provide the business with a receptionist to answer the phones in the name of the business. The receptionist is the employee of Company A and is paid by Company A, not by the business outsourcing the work. This saves the business money on health insurance for employees, employee benefits and other employee related expenses.

If the receptionist assigned to the company is out sick, it is up to Company A to find a replacement. It is not up to the business to figure out who is going to answer the phones. This is another compelling reason to outsource receptionist work - the convenience of never having to worry about sick days. The business can operate as normal on a daily basis, knowing that the phone will always be answered. Customers will always hear a friendly response no matter what day they call.

The atmosphere behind the receptionist will also be professional. If the business is run out of a person's living room, background noise such as dogs barking or children yelling could put a damper on the business relationship. The outsourced receptionist is always a professional and always makes the business sound professional by answering the phone in a professional office setting. This means that the business could be run out of a person's basement and it doesn't matter - a professional receptionist will answer the phone every single time in a business atmosphere, ensuring that customers never know that the business is actually run out of someone's home. 

Outsourcing a receptionist means a business receives the best professionalism, outstanding customer care, no concerns over sick days and saved money over a period of time. More and more businesses are outsourcing because the benefits greatly outweigh any possible drawbacks of the situation.

Finally, the place which outsources the receptionist will also receive mail and house official business meeting rooms. The downtown address will make the business feel professional and the meeting rooms will make the business look professional. The idea is to give clients the impression that the business is highly organized, even if it is run out of someone's home.