Posts Tagged ‘Home office’

Home office or office-office?

For many small business owners, home is where it’s at: the commute and dress code are a cinch and the tax write-offs can save startups a lot of money.

Still, for some like Toronto-based Marija Main, owner of Currant Art Direction and Design Solutions, having an offsite office can become a necessity over time.

Marija Main

“I worked from home for three years but as my business grew, I sometimes needed to hire a production artist during busy times. It felt unprofessional having someone work from my dining room table.”

Marija recently bit the bullet and opened a studio near her home where three people can work comfortably – and where she can even do her painting on quiet days. It’s also close to where her children go to school and to her gym.

Home office expert, Lisa Kanarek, says there are three big reasons entrepreneurs like Marija decide to relocate:

1. Interruptions: If you live alone, a home office can be the ideal place to focus and get your work done. But if you have a family, the once dreamy idea of being able to work near your family can turn into a nightmare if demands from your spouse and kids begin interfering with your assignments and client relationships.

2. Loneliness: We often take the office environment for granted and don’t appreciate the interaction and inspiration it can provide. While many people work well in isolation, for a lot of us, the impromptu visit from a coworker can provide a timeout when we need it most.

3. Growth: As Marija can attest, once you begin hiring employees – even part-time ones – working together on a regular basis in a small home office space may become a hindrance.

Marija’s expansion has had great perks:

“An important benefit for me is to provide my clients with a private space to discuss business… instead of hosting a meeting at my house or in a public coffee shop,” she says. “Plus, getting up from the office chair and brainstorming a client’s job in another environment really works!”

Some things to consider if you decide to get an office-office:

· Share a space – plus office equipment and a receptionist – with other small businesses. It can make the added expense more manageable.

· Negotiate a short-term lease – if the arrangement doesn’t work out, you won’t have that long to wait, or if your business continues to grow you’ll have more leverage when you renew with your landlord.

Here are more great tips from Lisa to help you decide if it’s time to move out of your home office.

Are you thinking of making the move? We’d love to hear why.

Posted by Lynnette in Growing Your Biz on February 8th, 2010

Currant Art Direction and Design Solutions, Home office, Marija Main, Office space, Small Business Owners

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How to make your home office a space you can actually work in

With nearly 70% of us doing some work these days from where we live, finding a small space where we can be productive is key.

Designer Jodi Vautrin offers up a few practical tips to help you set up a home office you can work in:

1. Create a space where you really want to be. This sounds pretty intuitive, but a lot of people lose sight of it: if you can’t imagine spending an entire workday, say, in your basement, don’t set up your home office there.

2. Be organized. Spend time upfront removing distracting clutter. Then fill up your environment as efficiently as possible. For instance, if your job requires that you handle and collect a lot of documents, invest in folders and a filing cabinet – instead of piling up papers on the floor or all over your desk. You can also save a ton of space by investing in furniture and equipment that serve multiple purposes – for example, an all-in-one, instead of a separate fax, copier, scanner and printer.

3. Put up a pinup board. It’s another simple but smart idea that can help you put aside projects and spur-of-the-moment ideas for later and focus on your more immediate tasks at hand.

Another useful tip to improve your home office workspace:

4. Surround yourself with good lighting. It can improve your mood and elevate productivity. Natural light is ideal but, especially if you’re using a closet or basement for your home office, shop around for high-quality energy-efficient task lighting.