Do You Need an External Office?
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| Photo by Mimi Thian on Unsplash |
Hanifmr.com - Today I'll deal with a "Do you need ...?" Question.
For self-employed people on the Internet, or rather for those setting up a business, the question that usually arises at the beginning is: Do you need an external office?
When I started there were a lot of people who were convinced that I needed an external office. And there were also many more or less meaningful reasons that were given to me.
After 5 years of self-employment, I would like to give a few answers to this question in this article and look closely at the possible reasons.
Do You Need an External Office?
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| Do You Need an External Office? |
As already said, many people in my area, and also many self-employed and start-ups with whom I have to do, believe that you need an external “real” office.
A couple of reasons given were:
- You can't work effectively at home.
- What should customers think?
- You get lonely at home.
- You need employees.
- Otherwise, you are not a real self-employed person.
I don't want to go into these arguments at this point, I'll do that later.
But of course, at that time I also thought about an external office and also looked around and planned.
In the end, it turned out to be a home office and to this day I haven't regretted it.
Who Needs an External Office?
Of course, there is no general yes or no to the subject of an “external office”.
It depends on the individual case and you should think about it at the beginning of your self-employment.
Let's go over the above reasons:
- You can't work effectively at home.
I can at least refute that for myself. Well, at the beginning I sat down in front of the TV for lunch and then didn't get up again. But that was only the case at the beginning. I was able to separate work and private life very quickly and I don't have the problem of wanting to be in front of the TV, console, or the garden all the time. However, I also have my own office. It would probably be harder to work in a corner of the living room.
It depends on the person and also on the possibilities (separate room) in your own home. - What should customers think?
You've got a point. Anyone who has customer traffic also needs decent office space. Because it also depends on the first impression and that is not right at the meeting in the bedroom corner on the PC. Even I hardly ever invite customers into my home office. It is an office of its own, but not the same as an external office.
And what if you have a conversation and another (potential) customer is at the door. Should you put it in the living room?
Anyone who has customer contact and above all walk-in customers usually needs an external office. - You get lonely at home.
That depends very much on the self-employed person. I used to work in an office with 3 colleagues and often wished I could work alone. In general, I also like to be alone and that's the only way I can write my long texts. Especially since I don't get lonely because the web with Twitter and Co. has meanwhile also become very communicative. But some people are more likely to have problems with loneliness.
That depends on everyone and certainly also on the type of activity. - You need employees.
It may be that you need employees at some point. But the vast majority of self-employed people on the net start out as lone fighters and that's not an argument. Unfortunately, some people only respect you as an “entrepreneur” when you have employees.
Even if you have employees, in today's information and telecommunications age it is not a mandatory requirement to have an external office. - Otherwise, you are not a real self-employed person.
The argument also comes from some people and also from many self-employed. For some, an external office is a status symbol, just like a fat company car. I don't suffer from this disease ;-) and that's why it wasn't a relevant argument for me.
To some people, status symbols are more important than anything else. If you are one of them, then you need an external office with a large company sign.
Criteria
From the previous considerations, I would derive the following criteria.
- Customer Contact
If you have customer contact, you can hardly avoid an external office. Although I also know self-employed people who can rent a room in an office community for certain times when they have customer meetings. Otherwise, you will work in the home office. - Working Method
I have already read comments from self-employed people here in the blog who are simply not able to work 8 or more hours a day in a concentrated manner at home. Then, of course, an external office makes sense. What use is the saved office rent if you can't get the job done? - Leisure Time
It can have a positive effect on the so-called work-life balance if the office is external. I notice that myself. It is harder to separate private life from work when everything is under one roof. - Cost/Benefit
The costs of an office should not be a knockout criterion alone, but one should pay attention to the cost/benefit ratio. Because you have to earn the money for the office rent first, which is not so easy for many, especially right after the start-up.
Alternatives to the External Office
If you cannot work in your living room or bedroom, but your own external office is out of the question, e.g. for financial reasons, then there are alternatives.
- Internal Office
I have an extra room in my house, which I use as an office. This is such an interim solution. I am not sitting in the real private area (living room or bedroom), nor do I have an external office. But it already feels like I'm going to work and I don't watch the enticing TV etc. all day. - Meeting Room
As mentioned above, customer contact is an important criterion. If you only have customer appointments now and then and no walk-in customers, you can rent a meeting room for individual days in an office community or a friendly company. - To the Customer
I have local customers. And 99% of the time I drive to my customers when there is a need for a meeting. Of course, that also takes time, which shouldn't be underestimated. - Coworking
Coworking is a trend that is also growing in United States. Open-plan offices, often specially designed for start-ups, make it possible to rent an external workplace at a low cost. But of course, there is usually a lot going on and not everyone likes it.
At the Beginning of Self-Employment
As a rule, it is a good idea not to rent your own office space right from the start. For many, this is not necessary and the costs are much heavier at the beginning than later.
If you then see how your independence develops, then you can still rent an external office.
In any case, one should weigh up the rational arguments carefully and not be persuaded that it will not work without an external office.
Opinion Poll
How does it look for you?
Do you have an external office?
- No (71%, 239 votes)
- Yes (15%, 51 votes)
- No, but I am planning to move to an external office. (14%, 48 votes)
Number of participants: 338 (1 vote)
Of course, you can also answer in more detail in the comments on this topic. :-)
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Person Office or home office for self-employed people on the Internet? - What is right for whom?
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