With a virtual office, it doesn’t matter where in the world your work takes you. You can do business with people in your hometown or across the world through one of these shared workspaces. For many businesses, one of the biggest benefits of this arrangement is that you can choose a prestigious location to house your temporary office. While most of your business may be done at home or on the road, you still benefit from a prestigious address and a stylish office space.
Choosing a Location
Once you make the decision to use a virtual office solution, the next decision is location. As they say in real estate – it’s all about location, location, location. Take into account the place where you are most likely to be when you are in the office. Is it in your hometown? A nearby city? Somewhere that you travel to frequently?
Another consideration is the location of your major clients. If they are grouped in an area far from your home, you might consider using a virtual location that is nearer to your clients than to your home. This makes it convenient for clients to meet with you when needed. It also gives them a sense of comfort knowing they are doing business with someone with an office close to theirs. That type of local accessibility is likely to be important to many of your clients.
Business Potential
In addition to considering your own location and the location of your major clients, also consider areas that hold the most business potential for you. There may be an untapped market that could yield many new clients for your business. Setting up a virtual office in a place that you have never done business before may help you tap into an entirely new market.
Think about your target audience, and where they live and work. Even if it is far from your home, you can still benefit from the address and phone number that you are afforded by using this virtual location. And by traveling there occasionally for meetings, you also have a physical presence in the area.
Using Virtual Resources
With a prestigious location, perhaps on a well-known street or near an important local landmark, your business gains instant credibility. This is particularly useful to those who work from their homes or vehicles. The stability of having a prestigious office gives your business a professionalism that is difficult for many entrepreneurs to gain. It shows clients that your business is there to stay, and it’s ready to meet them with professionalism.
The reception desk is one of the many resources afforded by these locations. Your guests can be greeted and shown to your temporary space as with any professional office. You will also have access to the necessary office machines that will make your office time convenient. Set up your computer, give a Power Point presentation and fax documents wherever they are needed. You can do all of this and more in a shared space and still do most of your work from home or the road.
