When you decide to start up a business, there are many questions that you have to ask yourself, like “What am I going to sell?”, “Who is going to buy it?”, and “Where can I get some help?”, but there is one question that startups spend hours, or even days stressing over. This question is whether you want to rent office space for your business, or simply work from home. It may not seem like the most important question to some, but if you choose the wrong premises for your business is could seriously affect your productivity and cost you a lot of money. To help you decide where to set up your business, here are some things that you should consider.
Distractions
If you get distracted from work easily, then working from home might not be the best option for you. After all, there is so much more at home that can distract you, such as family members pets, and chores. If you decide to work from home, you’re going to have to set some boundaries for your family, and let them know that while you’re working, you have to be left to work. At an office, of course, you don’t have any of these distractions and will likely find work much easier.
Work/Life Balance
When you have to go to work at somewhere other than your home, it’s easy to see this place as work and home as home, so, even though you could continue to work at home if you wanted to, you find it easier to avoid doing this. This helps to preserve your work/life balance. Unfortunately, it’s a little harder to leave work at work when you work at home.
Commuting
When you’re finding the right rent office space, you need to consider how long it’s going to take to get to and from work every day, as the last thing that you want is to be driving a large portion of the day. If you don’t have to commute to work, and simply have to walk into another room, you will save money on gas or public transport and will have many more hours in the day to either spend working, on chores, or with your family.
Productivity
You need to consider how your business premises affects your productivity, both at work and at home. As already mentioned, renting an office can help you to be more productive, as you can get away from the distractions of everyday life and focus completely on the work that you have to do. However, you also have to remember that you have to travel to get to work when you rent an office, which is either going to take time from your work or from the things that you have to do at home.
Expenses
You have to consider your financial situation when choosing your business premises, as it’s not the cheapest decision on the planet. When you rent office space, you have to pay for rent, as well as anything extra, like wifi and a phone line. If you don’t have the cash spare, this simply isn’t an option for you. On the other hand, when you work from home, you don’t have to pay these extra expenses, and can actually save money, as you can get lots of things deducted from your tax.
Space
One of the largest downsides of working from home is that you actually have to find somewhere to work. Most people envision an entire room for their home office, but if you don’t have a spare room, then this won’t be possible. Instead, you might have to settle for the corner of the living room, your dining room table, or just a laptop on the sofa, from which you might find it difficult to work.You don’t have to worry about this issue when you are renting an office.
Deciding where to work from home or rent an office is a big decision, and is one that you should take some time thinking about. There is no simple answer, so it’s important to consider your individual needs and the needs of your business. If you find it difficult to focus on work, don’t have a spare room, and have a few children and pets at home, then it’s probably best to rent a space, whereas working from home is likely the better choice if you do have a spare room, but no spare cash. Hopefully, the information above will help you make your decision.
