For a startup business, working from your family home can save you a lot of money. When you first start a home business, be it baking homemade cupcakes, freelance writing or web development, you might view it as a bit on the side, and not your main job, so why hire premises?
Many entrepreneurs choose to work from home to start with, and while it is a much cheaper option, it can have a detrimental effect on your businesses and limit how successful it can be.
There will come a time when you will need to move into an office, whether it’s your own or a rented space. Here’s how to make sure you are making the move at the right time for you, and your startup.
Your work/life balance is becoming blurred and disrupted
Achieving the perfect work/life balance can be difficult in any job, however this becomes much more challenging when working from home. Working from home can also mean that you struggle to get out of ‘work mode’, as it becomes difficult to separate yourself from your business. In turn, this makes it easier to overwork, as you continue to work outside of the 9-5 and at weekends.
On top of this, creating a dedicated working area can take up valuable space in your home, giving you less room for your family time. If you find yourself unable to distinguish between your work and home life, it could be a sign that you should start looking to move into a rented office space.
Your home isn’t big enough anymore
As your business grows and you hire consider hiring your first employees, your workspace will also need to increase. Regardless of what kind of business you’re running, there is a need to allocate areas for both working and storage or files and materials. A recent survey by office design experts Dale Office Interiors found that 48 per cent of workers polled agreed that businesses can get the most out of employees by providing varied spaces to work in. Arranging your workspace as you and your staff like it can improve your speed and concentration levels, allowing you to get the most out of your working day.
If you are running a home baking business, for example, you’ll save more by bulk buying items like flour, sugar and decoration materials. Plus, to cook en mass, you’ll need bigger ovens and more cooling racks than you’d use in home baking for the family. Kitchen hire is readily available for catering companies, allowing you to work away from your your family kitchen to fulfil any big orders, which could wind up cluttering your home. Most rental spaces give you room to set up any specialist equipment you may need, giving you the chance to set up and layout the space in the way that works best for you and your needs.
With kitchen hire, as in any rented space, you have the advantage of being able to set up your workspace exactly as you want, and it won’t change while you’re away. This can have a significant effect on your productivity levels, speeding up your processes.
Hosting clients is much easier & professional in a corporate space
If you’re looking to host meetings with clients and potential customers, you should avoid inviting them to your home. While you may be operating your business from home, it can be unprofessional to hold meetings within your family space, and could feel intrusive for your clients. There are times when this would be appropriate, but even then you would need a dedicated room.
There are a number of different options you can hold meetings, including coffee shops, and even libraries. However, if you’re looking to give off a more ‘corporate’ image, consider renting out an office space for your meeting.You can choose from a wide range of serviced offices or meeting rooms that can be hired for the day, or even for half a day. In some cases, the fee can include refreshments such as coffee and tea, as well as having a receptionist ready to greet your clients when they arrive to the building.
For small business owners, it may seem that saving as much money as possible is the best idea, which is the appeal of working from home. However, it’s important to realise that your business growth is limited to how much you are willing to invest. Upscaling to a working space can help your business grow even more; however you should take care to only upscale by as much as you can afford to. Working away from home can also work wonders for your work/life balance, allowing you to switch off from work while you’re with your family.
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