Possible to run an offline business without a physical office?

I don't have a "real" office location, other than the spare bedroom in my house, because I don't see a need for the extra expense right now.

I keep it honest with the biz owners let them know I don't have an office and they respect that.

My experience with having a home office:

Some clients will respect the fact that you are working hard from home. As long as you show your value it isn't an issue.

However, some clients will not understand the economics behind it and will view you as not being a 'stable' business and won't want to work with you.

I have encountered more of the former. I can recall only two times that not having an office has cost me a sale (and those two sales would not make up for the price of two years in an office). Obviously this will depend on who your target market is, so best to just feel it out.

I have done both ways. I currently have an office but I definitely don't think you need one to get going and I highly suggest looking at creative ways to get one if you do. 90% of my clients I meet at their office. So if this is your primary business there is not a reason to invest heavily in an office in my opinion unless you get to the point where you are looking to develop a personal assistant and sales force. If you do want an office there are plenty of ways to get creative with office space.

Service Trade Out - My current office I trade out services or basically my knowledge in exchange for my space.

Virtual Office - Depending on where you are there may be a virtual office you can pay a small fee for each month to use for a set number of hours each month. If your not in an area that has a virtual office then network and find someone with office space. Offer to pay them a small fee each month to be able to use their conference room and address.

You have a bedroom? There you go.

This is online marketing man, it seems like a pretty obvious answer if you ask me.

All you need is an internet connection, and "some" privacy.

Yep, run mine out of my office at home. Never had a client say that was a problem. I try and meet people at their office or a coffee shop. Only in rare occasions do I have any clients that come to my home.

If you think you really need an office look for something where you are renting shared office space in a commercial building. There are a couple in my area and they even come with someone to answer your phones, internet and power. Last time I checked they ran between $600 to $1000 depending on how large of an office you get.

Working from home is really only a big deal if you make it out to be one.

Again, agreeing with Claude. You can manage sales people remotely, but its optimal to do it from an office. Most Warriors dont have sales staffs like that, and they work from home. Its not uncommon or unrealistic to run a business from home.

Do you need to meet clients at your office?
Do you have employees that need to work in your office?

if either of these is true get an office.

Otherwise just do the home office. How will anyone know rather you have an "office" or not? You should be talking about your client and what you can do for them not about where and how you work.

Whether or not you work from an office is pretty much a non issue these days, it's so common. People run million dollar construction companies out of their garage. Let alone all the independent agents and other kinds of home workers. It's common place.

yeah, it has to be really really worth it to have an office, because it's a HUGE cost.

I wouldn't even think about getting an office for my business, unless I was up around the £100K mark.

Maybe next year

My office has been in my house for the last 10 years.

Definitely possible. all you really need to be is engaged and organized. If you can be organized without an office that is on you. but i know plenty of business owners that thrive without the office. some even have an office but rarely step in it.

My husband's friend sells insurance, and he does not have a physical space outside his home. As long as you have a place where you can meet your clients (if needed) to discuss their needs (like over coffee), I don't see why it should matter. Be sure to have a professional website, with a working phone, email, and post office box where they can reach you. If anything, you can advertise it as a way of keeping overhead costs lower so that you don't have to pass the costs on to them.

I have found having my sales people office actually builds their sales/productivity on average. There are always the exceptions/mavericks who dont need one, but most people in sales need to get pumped up, and encourage each other, share ideas, etc... Sales is tough out there being a lone wolf for most. They were mostly road warriors and would be traveling once a week or two, and in the office a few days a week. This was a manufacturing biz, IM seems a bit different w/ many contractors etc...officing out of home. I'd look at putting my sales team in an office for IM as well when expanding w/ a sales team. The production side I would not office.

Thanks everyone for all the inputs. Just to share my current progress and what the future holds for me for the next year.

Currently, I am renting a small desk at a prime location for $500/month. The lease is due this May and I will not be renewing.

I've worked from home before so it's nothing new to me. Recently, I got a good deal for hotdesking. What it means is, you pay $38/month and you get to pop in to any of the office centers to work. Pretty cool idea and I will be taking it up.

I also had a virtual office address which cost me $99 a year. No one to answer the phone for you but you get to collect mails and use their address. Wanted to get a more prestige address for $198/mth which comes with a pretty lady answering the phone for you. Something I think may be a waste of money.

In terms of production crew, like most WF members here, my writers and designers are based in Philippines. Currently we are using Teamwork to manage all the projects and communicate via skype.

Future

My copywriter used to work with a SEO company. What they do is pretty similar to what I have in mind. They have an office in PH where they house the production crew. They do not have a physical office here in Singapore. Their sales agents got a laptop, phone allowance and work from home.

So i am pretty sure my business can follow this infrastructure, even in the long run.

Anyway, this is an interesting read. It's an article that inspire me to not have an office. lol

The Remote Control CEO, Leading Your Company Article | Inc.com

We've been doing offline for 9 years now, and haven't had an office front. Over half of our clients are offline also and don't have standing offices. The ones that do are franchises with sales people etc. By not having a physical office, it allows you the freedom to sell anywhere you want, and you don't have to meet with people unless you choose to. It all depends on what you're selling, how good you are at selling and how qualified your prospect is.

So, yes, it can be done, successfully, just as everyone else here said

If you have the space (and the money), you could just build a home office with a separate entrance for clients. I saw one when I was still living in Manila. His (a lawyer friend of mine) "home office" is connected to his house but he keeps that door locked when working. And he made sure the entrance and inside of his office looked neat and professional so he could take clients there anytime without having explain anything.

Yes, I work out of a cool high-tech Coworking space called San Diego Meeting Rooms & Shared Office Space | Co-Merge
There are others nationwide and worldwide called Regus. I highly suggest leveraging these type places, not only will they make you look more professional, you can pick up business from the other people that work there. Good luck !!!

I don't really have an office you are talking about, I work anywhere so as my staff and I bet most people here also does the same.

I guess a particular business doesn't necessarily have to have a 'physical office,' for as long as the operations are flowing smoothly and that you are acquiring a substantial number of sales leads, then I think your business is on the right path.

Have an office is not mandatory thing! the main thing is that the way you control your staff and make sure that they work from home.

we have town offices where you can rent offices by the hour, week, or month depending what you need it for. They also have conference rooms etc you can rent by the hour for team meetings etc. Makes it nice when you need somewhere to meet with clients without having a ton of overhead.

I used to have commercial office space but found I didn't go there much (I had to drive there which was a hassle) so I dropped it.

When I ran an offline business, I set up satellite offices where I booked boardrooms by the hour when I needed to meet clients. This is a great set up if you need office space for meeting clients but don't want to get locked into an expensive lease. I paid $25 per month and the hourly cost was $25. The other advantage with this is you can have offices in several towns which can attract more clients.

Currently I work in coffee shops and at home; however, I'm entertaining renting a small condo steps from my home to use as an office. Too many interruptions at home.

If you have to meet with clients, I wouldn't go the coffee shop route (I don't meet with clients currently). That's not very professional. If you meet with clients, rent boardrooms by the hour ... at least for the initial sale or go to their office if that's their preference.