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This is a guest post by Danielle Adams.
As a startup, you have a lot of challenges. Everything you do, every obstacle you overcome, gets you closer to solidifying your business and advancing toward the growth stages that you have long envisioned. As a business makes progress and grows, the way many startups have to conduct business will start to conflict with the need for a more polished environment for conducting meetings, hosting clients and investors, and receiving calls. But do you have to dive into a high-cost office that will put a serious dent in your bottom line?
In short, the answer is no. And you don’t have to move into a grimy basement suite on the wrong side of town, either. But there is a simple way to get a polished professional office to serve as the public face and location of your business while keeping costs within the bounds of a startup budget.
Virtual Offices
The solution is a virtual business office. Are you wondering “what is a virtual office?” Before, your idea of a virtual office has been a coffee shop and your smartphone. Now virtual offices encompass everything from a professional business address, mail forwarding, virtual receptionists, and more. With the growing demands of your business and the need for having a reliable place to conduct important meetings, a virtual business office can become a must for your company.
How does it work? There are a variety of options. Virtual business addresses can provide you with an prestigious business address listing complete with mail forwarding, virtual receptionist services, and for those important meetings some come with meeting space access. A virtual receptionist is a great way to field incoming calls and take messages so you can maintain your focus on running your enterprise. Having an address that is not a home address or a PO box can add another polished dimension to your company as well.
What do these solutions mean for your business? It means that you can begin to move beyond the start-up phase and have a business address for your mail, SEO listing purposes, and even a virtual receptionist. This can help your customers see that you are in the business to stay and they will take you as a more serious business. You get the perks of having a physical corporate office without having the expense of a physical corporate office. If you’re business is transitioning to a larger office, virtual offices can provide a business listing and even meeting space or day offices to help you in that transition phase.
Office Space On-Demand
Another great option for virtual offices is the ability to use day office space on an as-needed basis. Your team can still work from home or the coffee shop when they want to, but when you need a conference room, or a quiet place to work for the day, renting a board room or day office and desk helps with efficiency by removing the awkwardness of trying to work in public spaces.
Many virtual office services offer solutions that can seem out of reach to a lot of small businesses and startups. Is your team spread over multiple cities? No problem. When the time comes for the team to get together for an important meeting or project, you can easily rent a meeting room or day office.
A further dimension of a virtual office is the ability to use coworking space. Some members of your team may not be able to work from home. Renting a desk or access to coworking space in your virtual office location gives members of your team the option to have a space to work, if it’s just for the day or for a little longer. Again, it comes at a fraction of the cost of leasing an office.
Studies continue to show that for many jobs, working remotely leads to happier and more productive workers. The freedom that comes from breaking free of the usual 9-5 in a single location can lead to tremendous benefits for both workers and employers. A virtual business address helps you take advantage of the benefits of remote working options while maintaining the business address and home base that your company needs.
As your business grows, pay attention to business start up tips and take a look at the many options available from a virtual office. You can get the best of both worlds: the features of a traditional office without the higher costs.
Author Bio: Danielle Adams is a freelance writer who works with various sites, including Davinci. When she’s not writing she enjoys reading, cooking, and exploring local stores.
