Virtual Office Set Up

4 Steps to setting up a Virtual Office

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Boardroom

What is a Virtual Office Meeting Room?

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A Virtual Office contains a combination of services; Business Address, Telephone Service, and Meeting Room.  It provides you with a combination of services that provide a professional business image at an affordable price.

The landscape of small business changes as technology enables us to be more mobile. Business owners are no longer tied to an office 8 hours a day. A traditional “office” is no longer required in some cases.  However, being home based or mobile does not mean sacrificing a professional image.

Meeting Rooms

If you are utilizing a Virtual Office Business Address, or not, you may find the need to meet with your clients face to face. Instead of meeting at the local coffee shop, reserve one of our professional, private meeting rooms. These on-demand spaces are available for hourly or daily reservations.

  • Day Office – This space is perfect for a one on one meeting or a quite place to do work. This office is professionally decorated with an executive desk and leather wing back chairs for your guests. Free Wi-fi is available during your reservation.
  • Conference Room – These are traditional style conference rooms that will seat 8-10 people. Equipped with Wi-fi, dry erase boards, telephone, and a flat screen for presentations (see on-line calendar for room specifics).
  • Training Room– This substantial room can accommodate up to 50 people. Perfect for a training, sales presentation, or large event.  Set up includes tables and chairs (2 people per table), free Wi-fi, and dry erase board. Projector and projector screen are available for rent.

When a client visits the location, they are greeted by a friendly receptionist in our shared lobby. Their arrival is announced and we will direct them to your reserved space or you can greet them personally in the lobby.  Visitor notification leads us into the next Virtual Office Service of Telephone Service.  We will discuss this in our next post.

You can reserve an on-demand meeting room 24/7 using our online reservation system at Meeting Room Reservations.

What is a Virtual Office Business Address?

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A Virtual Office can be comprised of a Business Address, Telephone Service, and Meeting Rooms.  It will provide you with a combination of beneficial services that provide a professional business image at an affordable price.

The landscape of small business continues to change as technology enables us to be more mobile. As a result, we are no longer tied to an office 8 hours a day and, in some cases, a traditional “office” is no longer a requirement.  However, being home based or mobile does not mean that you have to sacrifice a professional image.

Business Address

The first thing to consider is whether using your home address as your registered office is a good choice.  Most people who work from home do not expect clients to visit them there. In the past, it was more difficult for someone to locate you.  Now, they type your address in the search bar and are presented with a picture of the front of your home.

  • Advertising – A Virtual Office Business Address service will provide you with a professional, searchable street address for you to use in advertising. This is preferred to providing no address, a P.O. Box, or your home address. This is also an inexpensive way to test new market areas.
  • Mail & Deliveries – You are able to receive mail and have packages shipped to that address. This will help you to avoid chasing down a package or waiting for a re-delivery attempt. You can also have clients pick up and drop off from this address.
  • On-Site Staff – When a client visits the location, they will be greeted by a friendly receptionist and directed per your instructions. This leads to the next Virtual Office Service of on-demand Meeting Rooms. We will discuss this in our next post.

You can set up your Virtual Office Business Address in as little as 5 minutes. Choose from one of two prestigious Winter Park addresses. Sign Up

Benefits of a temporary office

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A temporary office can be very important in ensuring that activities of businesses do not stop when they suffer disaster or when they need quick access to additional space for an unknown amount of time. In addition, these offices ensure that seasonal businesses run their activities efficiently. Thus, temporary offices can help in the running of many different kinds of businesses and can have many benefits when a natural disaster strikes.

Natural Disaster

When a natural disaster strikes, it is necessary for businesses to have a plan so that they can continue to do business. Some of these disasters includes earthquake, fire, hurricane, flood, and hurricane among many others.  A temporary office can provide a location for a business to work while they are assessing and repairing any damage to their office space.

Short Term Projects

Some businesses may need to add additional staff for a short term project or contract. If their existing space cannot accommodate the increase in staff, a temporary office is a quick and easy solution. It will provide a short term contract and flexible size space.

Build Out of new Space

When a business selects a new location, there may be a delay before the space is ready for them to occupy it. The period in which the business will wait to get their office completed or built out is unpredictable and indefinite. However, during this time, they still need to go about doing business.  A temporary, or short-term office will allow the business to perform their activities from an office that they hire for a short period, and then move to their permanent office once it is ready for use.

Seasonal Work

Additionally, temporary offices are beneficial to those businesses that work seasonally. A good example are tax accountants. The office space can be rented for the two or three months the business needs instead of an entire year. This will help reduce costs as they are only paying for the time they need.

7 Pitfalls of a Traditional Office Lease

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A traditional office lease may be the best fit for your business if you have many employees or require a large footprint. But, in some cases, such as a start up business, home based business, small business, or growing business, the constraints of a traditional office lease do not meet their dynamic needs. Some points to consider with a traditional office lease are:

Personal guarantee or “Credit Worthiness”

Most landlords will require a personal guarantee (meaning if something happens you are personally responsible for the lease even if it is in your company’s name) and require you to provide business or personal financials for review.

Long Term

Typically the traditional commercial lease requires a 3-5 year, or longer, initial term. With a soft market you may find a shorter term available but usually no less than one year. These long terms lock you into a space and, should your needs change, you are typically stuck until the end of your lease. (Ask about the option to sublease).

Long renewal periods

Traditional leases usually have long renewal periods of 3-5-10 years. Again, this limits your options should your needs change.

Utilities

Included or not? Ask if you are responsible for utilities and cleaning services.

CAM charges– (Common Area Maintenance)

Included utilities do not necessarily mean you are off the hook. If the landlord goes over budget on expenses, you are responsible to pay for your % share of the overage. This could be an unexpected bill of $100’s or even $1,000’s when you least expect it.

Property Tax

Ask if you are responsible for your % share of the property tax for the building. This may be a passed through expense.

Usable vs rentable square footage

There is a difference. Usable square footage is the actual size of the space you are occupying, if measured wall to wall. Rentable square footage is the usable square footage multiplied by your percentage share of the common areas (bathrooms, hallways, elevators). So, you are helping to pay for areas that are not exclusively yours and you may not be getting the amount of space you think.

If the above terms are not agreeable to you or your business needs, there is an alternative. Our executive suites and office business centers provide upfront and flexible terms that help a business to grow and flourish at its own pace. Check out our next segment to discover the benefits of our alternative office solution.