Working at Home vs Getting an Office

Need an Office?
5 things to Consider when Finding your First office or Moving from a Home-Based Office

1. Term of the Lease: This first office lease will probably be one of the bigger commitments and liabilities of your business. Make sure the lease term is flexible and is within your budget now based on current cash flow not future projections. Most small businesses start with a 1-2 year lease because month to month leases are difficult to find.

2. Location, Location, Location: The location of your first office is a balance of price and quality of life. You can find an office 7 miles from your house in a more affordable location but your commute might be long and you might have an issue with safety. Focus on a location that is convenient for employees (or future employees) and one that is priced right. Commute times within the Bay Area have a drastic effect on your employee’s qualities of life and should be considered. Another thing to consider about your location is potential crime. Have there been break-ins in the neighborhood recently? Would an employee feel comfortable working in the building alone, or walking to their car or public transportation after working late on a project? All of these issues should be considered when considering your first office

3. Amenities: What restaurants and coffee shops are available nearby? Being in an isolated office park can be a very bad situation for the comfort of employees. At times it cannot be helped, but being in close proximity to the amenities employees use during their lunch break can be a huge recruiting and productivity advantage.

4. Expansion or Reduction of Space: If things go well, you will be thinking about business expansion and you don’t want your space or your lease holding you back. It is important to have a conversation with the owner about how much expansion space is available and an option to break your lease if it’s not available. If business is not going well, it is important to have an option to sublease your space or to buy out of the lease obligation.

5. Parking/Public Transit: Transportation and parking are two of the most pressing issues in the Bay Area. The proximity to public transportation and affordable and convenient parking are extremely important. The more transportation options the better.

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Marcus Arkan Marcus Arkan currently serves as the President/Principle Broker of Syndicate Mortgages Inc. After working with a number of Canada's top financial institutions, the experience and knowledge he gained throughout his professional career combined with his drive and entrepreneurial spirit led him to develop his own company. The operation began in 2003 in the basement of his home and now has flourished into a successful corporation with a head office in one of Metropolitan Toronto's busiest sectors and 10 branch locations employing over 100 mortgage professionals. His organization is now one of Ontario's leading mortgage brokerages specializing in residential, commercial, and construction financing. He holds the designation of Accredited Mortgage Professional from the Canadian Association of Accredited Mortgage Professionals. This allows him to differentiate himself from other mortgage originators and demonstrates his commitment to the highest standards of industry performance. For more information on Mr. Arkan and his Syndicate Mortgages Inc., please visit www.syndicatemortgages.com. - Visit Marcus Arkan's Website

Staging Diva Debra Gould, aka The Staging Diva®, is President of Six Elements Inc., an internationally recognized home staging company. Inspired by many requests from aspiring home stagers wanting to start similar businesses, Gould created the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. Gould has trained 4000+ students worldwide to start staging businesses. Buying decorating and selling six of her own homes in four years lead to an interest in real estate staging which she turned into a career with the launch of sixelements.com in 2002. Since then she has staged hundreds of homes in addition to teaching home staging training. Gould is the author of several home staging resources including a series of popular home staging guides made up of a Design Guide, Color Guide, Portfolio Guide and Twitter Guide. For more information about Debra Gould visit stagingdiva.com. - Visit Staging Diva's Website

David Acheson David Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns.  David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website

Kalena Jordan Kalena Jordan is the search industry’s first agony aunt, here to answer your tricky questions about search engines. Kalena is Co-Founder and Director of Studies at Search Engine College, an online training institution offering instructor-led short courses and downloadable self-study courses in Search Engine Optimization and other Search Engine Marketing subjects. She’s been marketing websites online since 1996 and blogging about search since 2002. For her full bio, view Kalena’s Linked In Profile. When not working, Kalena likes to go geocaching, hiking or fishing. She also plays a mean darabuka. - Visit Kalena Jordan's Website

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