Spacing Out: A Common Dilemma

As a purveyor of shared office space, we definitely hope that anyone reading this will consider the services of Office Space Coworking with offices in Akron, Cuyahoga Falls & Canton.  But our vested interest aside, we are committed to helping small business owners & entrepreneurs find the right office solution to meet their needs.

We’ve talked a lot about the pros and cons about working from home. As a small business owner, you either started out at home and/or you’re still there. But for some, it might be time to consider making a move out of the extra bedroom to their own office space – even if it’s only a one-person show.

This question is a fairly common one for many small business owners. Some need to move because of growth, others because of loneliness or a need for stimulation. Regardless, the cost of office space is a variable that can have a big impact on a business’ bottom line, so it’s not surprising that it ranks near the top of the list of owners’ concerns. If the time is right, the key is to find a space that meets your business’ needs without breaking the bank. Location is important (especially for retail), but so are issues such as usability, cost and condition.

Decisions, Decisions

The advantages of moving out of your home office boil down to increased professionalism, more space to work and unlimited growth potential. Of course, with any advantage come a few disadvantages, but nothing that can’t be overcome:

• Your daily commute will be longer, but if your office is located near your home, the lost time and frustration should be minimal.
• You may need to furnish your office professionally (unless you go with a shared office solution like Office Space Coworking)
• Your overhead may increase, but your revenues could grow proportionately as you attract larger or more clients.

Here are few points of thought we’ve compiled to help guide you through your decision-making process:

Luxury or necessity: First, it’s important to determine whether or not your business is at a stage where finding an office is a luxury or a necessity. If it’s just you, and you have very few interruptions, you may be fit to stay. However, if you’re overseeing four employees who are working out of their homes, you have a communications disaster waiting to happen. Moving to a central location will most likely improve communication and create new energy in the business.

Assess your space needs: If you’ve made the decision to rent of lease space, the next step is to assess your company’s needs. If you’re business is not retail, you do not need a high-end space. But at the same time, you don’t want the space to be so inexpensive that it is depressing for your employees and potential buyers. One alternative might be to find less expensive space that can be transformed into an environment that stimulates creativity. Or, if you’re looking for a more formal environment consider choosing a reasonably priced office space that can be broken up into different areas. Invest more resources in meeting rooms that will be used by potential buyers, and less in rooms that will be used by employees.

Consider alternative options: If the budget is just not going to work, but you still need an “outside” space, consider some other options. Business centers, for example, are temporary offices that provide traditional office space for you to work in and usually come with amenities like Internet access, videoconferencing, conference space, copiers and sometimes, receptionists.

And then, there’s always the option of spicing up what you have. Reinvent your present office by hiring a professional organizer to help you make the best use of your space. Or, think about outsourcing work to other free agents instead of trying to squeeze employees into your already packed space. The options are limitless – it just takes a bit of time and vision to do what’s right for your business.

Get Creative! Making Team Meetings More Powerful with White boards…

I love a good brainstorming session.

Something about taking a group of smart people and throwing ideas on the wall. Be they good, bad, or otherwise — it’s a great way to get all the options & all the issues up in your face.

I recently toured some facilities with white board walls all around and realized that was something we wanted more of at our Akron Office Space Coworking facility.

So this weekend, we completed the first installation of white boards in our Conference Room ‘A’ — nice, big 4 x 8 dry erase boards ready for members to get together and go nuts.

Over the coming weeks we’ll complete installation of additional boards for all four of our conference / team rooms. In fact, the team rooms will feature entire walls covered with the dry erase boards. Each of which can be booked online by members for client meetings, off-site team meetings, training & education & product brainstorming sessions.

Ahhh but before you get started – here’s a great article with detailed guidelines for running a successful creative brainstorming session.

An outline of these guidelines includes:

• Suspend judgment
• Think freely
• Improve, modify, build on the ideas of others.
• Concentrate on generating a large stock of ideas

And the article goes on to explain the practical methodology for running the session — including making sure you have an official recorder, keeping the session relaxed & playful, & organizing the chaos.

Anyway – I encourage you to read the full article at Virtual Salt and to plan your next brainstorming session at Office Space Coworking in Akron or Cuyahoga Falls.

Coworking is Coming To Cuyahoga Falls

Office Space Coworking is hosting this event to celebrate the opening of our 2nd location in Cuyahoga Falls.

We provide shared office and meeting space for independent workers, telecommuters and solo entrepreneurs.

Office Space Coworking is a refuge from the isolation of working at home and the restriction of working in busy coffee shops. Members get all the tools and community of a modern office without the soul-crushing corporate environment. Meet clients, network with peers,or use it as your satellite office as you’re moving from appointment to appointment.

With the opening of our 2nd location, members of Office Space Coworking will have full access to BOTH the Akron & Cuyahoga Falls facilities.

It’s a great location with free parking, private offices & plenty of space for meetings & presentations. It’s right off the Front Street mall between Portage & Baird street.

Get a sneak peak at the new facilities!

 

We’ll be hosting a special preview of the facility to get your ideas on the design, look / feel, & amenities before launching the Grand Opening in December.

But – here’s the catch – if you’d like to see coworking come to Cuyahoga Falls, we NEED YOUR HELP!

We need 6 people to sign-on as Charter Members for the Cuyahoga Falls location before we can commit to moving forward.

Charter Members will receive a 20% discount off our published rates for a 3 month commitment to use Cuyahoga Falls as their primary location.

Charter Members will also get first dibs on private, dedicated offices.

If you’d like to learn more, please give us a ring @ 800-644-0683

…Or register for Open House event on Friday, November 13th.

Doors open at 3pm.

Get a sneak peak at the facilities, give your input on design, furniture, decor — and stake your claim on your future office.

Parking: FREE

Wine & Appetizers: FREE

Network with Peers: FREE

Why join us?

• Tour our facilities
• Learn more about coworking
• Meet some of our members from the Akron office and learn why they love coworking
• Learn why people who work in a collaborative environment make more money
• Network with your peers and make a new business contact or two
• Great music, great food, great company AND frosty beverages.