space, no bad weather to fight! The home office saves travel time. (How many people do you know who travel more than an hour a day to the office? That’s five or more potential billable hours per week if you work out of your home!) Working at home is becoming a way of life for many business technology advances. As long as you have a phone and e-mail, the world is your oyster.
Armed with a phone, e-mail, and a computer, you can do business anywhere in the world. Many designers who work out of their home say that they schedule all or a majority of their meetings at the client’s office—not because they do not wish the client to see their office and its location but because clients appreciate the “level of service” of a designer who comes to them! Working out of your home also has its disadvantages. One is image. Do you want to have your clients meet with you in your kitchen, or your office in the basement or on the sec- ond floor? For some practitioners, this is acceptable. For others, it poses an image problem. Another disadvantage of the home office is the presence of so many distractions—the refrigerator, the television, and so on. If you practice where you live, do you ever really leave the office? Many designers want a space away from home so that, at the end of the day, they can close the door and go through the ritual of driving home, away from the studio. Finally, you need to check your local jurisdiction’s zoning laws to see if a home office is permitted in your area.
Another issue with a home office is the question of whether you want future employees coming to and working in your home space. This can be difficult. Having an office in the basement, in the garage, or in a guesthouse are all logical, viable options. However, sharing a den or a dining room with staff could be challenging. It can be difficult when you are encountering deadlines, and staff are within your home after midnight or even pulling an all-nighter. If you are to go to bed while they are working there, are they trustworthy to be left alone in your home? And what is the perception of you going to bed and requiring them to remain awake working?
To work out of your home requires discipline to help separate business from home life.You have to make the right decision for yourself and your new com- pany—its vision and image. Some designers work out of their home for a peri- od of time to develop a firm foundation for their new company, and then move into office space outside the home. Other designers want to separate their office from their home at the outset, even though costs get in the way. They forge ahead anyway, some with reckless abandon. Should you choose to work out of your home in the beginning, the best decision you can make is to establish a
time-parameter goal. Try to move out of your home in twelve or eighteen months, or sooner if possible.This will provide a target for success. Consider your initial studio space to be your “incubator.”At some point you need to move on.
Planning for growth and a move is very healthy, portraying vision and success.
Many a designer overspends to outfit an office to present a particular image.
Rome wasn’t built in a day. Think before you act, and be reasonable in your approach to outfitting your new space. Chances are that you will schedule more of your client meetings outside your office than in it. Keep your fix-up costs simple in the beginning to portray a cost-conscious designer image, and invest your valuable capital on items that will make you profitable—staff, a computer, or other equipment. Design your office space to be commensurate and consis- tent with your new image.
Designers don’t receive commissions because they have unique, wonder- ful offices. In a few years, when you are successful and grow, you will move on.Your tastes will change, and all that you invested in that trendy office will be out the window. Invest your money in your spatial needs wisely. Don’t let your design ego get in the way! Design your space to be comfortable and effective in a business manner.You will be spending a fair amount of time in this new office, so you might as well invest wisely and create a space that will inspire you and your upcoming staff to be the best that you can be.
Many designers have opportunities to locate their new, small quarters in a consultant’s office, a contractor’s office, or a developer’s office building. Before you commit to any “opportunities,” which may include free rent or bartered rent, consider the image of the location and whether it will give the impression that you are being “kept” and are not truly independent. Ask a colleague to evaluate the opportunity. Ask for advice. But only you can make the decision.
Some designers look for an office with complimentary professional or business support capabilities. Essentially, you have your own office with your own furniture, but the rent expenses of the overall office and the reception- ist’s salary are shared on a proportional basis with all the tenants. Secretarial expenses are negotiated according to use. Usually, telephone answering serv- ices and computer networking are available. If you do seek out a pooling arrangement, try to have a minimal notice period to end your lease.You may wish to leave because of expansion, inability to pay the rent, or personality conflicts. Make sure that the terms of your rental relationship are simple and in writing.Try to negotiate a month-to-month lease for maximum flexibility.
You can see how important a decision on office location is. For many, the decision is driven by economics at first.The funny thing about economics is that for as long as you are in business, you will wonder: “Can I afford to be located where I am? Is it the correct image? Does the space meet the company’s vision?” This isn’t something that happens only when you start up. You are not alone. It is an ongoing process!