When Is It Time To Get An Outside-The-House Office?

A couple weeks ago a friend of mine;told me he was looking at office space at this cool "collaborative co-working facility" (this is a more space age way of saying "office") called The Hive.

Undoubtedly it's much more cool than the office in my house (you should see the photos of the "chillout room" at their website, and they have a Wii!), but I wondered,

• Exactly what type of internet worker would really need to rent office space?
• Haven't we all been trying to get away from fluorescent lights and cubicles?
• Why not just work at home or at the cafe?

I had a few ideas at the as to the answer to these questions in respect to an entrepreneur with my friend's needs, but a new facet to this "virtual worker having space outside the home" idea popped up today when I found out one of my clients was actually doing something similar!

His reasons for getting outside space were different from my friend's, but I thought "Aha, I see a pattern here!"

Some very successful online entrepreneurs are yearning for a more structured workspace where they can get more work done, meet with in-person clients, and possibly socialize and collaborate with colleagues and potential clients.

Let's take a close look at these questions and discover when it's time to get an outside-the-house office.

What Kind Of Virtual Worker Would Rent Office Space?

Well, I think obviously this appeals to folks who are web workers, particularly those in the tech industry and creative fields--designers, writers, architects, developers, entrepreneurs, programmers, web media professionals and other tech-y, artsy type jobs.

You might want to rent office space in a co-working facility or regular office if:

• You can afford to pay rent on office space. (Duh, right?)
• You have disturbances at your home that prevent you from focusing on the work you need to do (think kids, roommates, super friendly neighbors and such)
• You sometimes meet with clients or colleagues in person and are tired of meeting in a crowded, noisy coffee shop
• You get lonely working from home all day and would like to work around people (Whah--who would have thunk it?!)
• Perhaps your apartment or house is so tiny that you get "cabin fever" working in there and need some place out in open society where you can work
• You find the cafes and coffee shops too distracting and need a more controlled, quiet environment to get your best work done
• You like the idea of "going to work" and also "coming home from work" (working away from home sometimes helps us to not work so much all the time)
• Your line of work is such that working in a collaborative co-working facility (a place where you have your own office, but where common spaces are shared with other renters) allows you to easily work on projects with colleagues in person, network with potential clients and generate new business
• You miss working under fluorescent lights and in a cubicle (Please note: progressive, non-traditional work facilities do not have cubicles--they're called "workstation pods" now, silly! And I can stomach sitting in a "workstation pod" much better than I can a cubicle, even though they look much the same.)

What Kind Of Virtual Worker Should NOT Rent Office Space?

  Boat Deck Cafe, Mawson Lakes 
  Originally uploaded by rubenerd

You will NOT want to rent office space in a co-working facility or regular office if:

• You cannot afford to pay rent on office space. (Duh, right?)
• You can afford to rent office space, but you just don't think it's necessary for your needs
• You like working by yourself from home
• You enjoy being a nomadic web worker and venturing from cafe to cafe
• You home is quiet, or you don't mind it being noisy
• You don't get lonely or you have other activities you do in your off hours that fill that social need
• You have a dog or a baby that you want/need to keep with you as you work
• You don't want to commute to work at all
• Your work is 100% virtual and you never meet with clients in person
• Working in a cubicle (or a workstation pod) gives you "corporate life flashbacks" and disturbing nightmares

So, getting outside office space is definitely the best choice for some folks, but it's not for everyone.

I don't see myself renting office space, but perhaps in the future I can see myself building on an official, separate, professional looking (but still cool!) office at my place of residence.

I have to admit, having a one second commute is nice, but it's also kind of cool to actually go somewhere and then come back home. You get more the feeling of  "Ahh, work is over", and I think sometimes we virtual home workers don't get that feeling very often.  

So tell me, do any of you have office space outside of your house, or would you ever consider doing this? Let's hear from ya! 

Comments

[Gavin Heaton]

Working from home requires a huge amount of discipline. I tried it years ago and nearly drove myself out of business. It can also lead to an isolated existence ... the challenge is to find ways of getting out and meeting up with your professional network. Or at least, changing out of your pyjamas ;)

[Sharon Sarmiento]

Hi Gavin,

Yes, you're so right. I have to have a schedule to stay on task--it's so easy to get distracted and end up working at all weird hours of the day and night (and sucking up the precious hours of your day in the process!).

Discipline is a must with working at home. If we aren't organized about how we spend our time, we can end up at one of two extremes:

* Not getting any work done
OR
* Working all the time

It's a balancing act, and I can see how working away from the home helps. But I'm thinking that even working in a different building, even if it's just a little office space in a shed in your backyard, can help with the balancing.

[Andrew Luter]

Sharon - thanks for the mention. I think your analysis is spot on. One other thing I would put in the pro column is that there is a lot of new business generation between Hive members. It has been a huge bonus to many of the folks as they work on multi-discipline projects (e.g. design, PHP, database). There is great comfort in being able to get up and talk to your database guy in the middle of the day, rather than doing a Skype chat with him. Oh...and the Wii is nice too ; )

[Steve Shaw]

Hi Sharon

As you know :) I have had to move into separate office space away from home because of all the distractions, I just couldn't get properly into the 'work vibe' I needed or actually concentrate for any real length of time, and this was having a real affect on both my productivity levels, and stress levels.

It's only been a couple of days, but I've noticed a few real benefits to this, apart from the increased concentration/productivity:

- I actually get some fresh air and exercise on the commute (a nice 15-min cycle ride), and this exercise really helps me work harder, simply because I feel better
(Working at home, you have to either force yourself out, or schedule in some exercise and fresh air, whereas the 'exercise on the commute' is an enforced and integrated part of the day - so a lot easier.)

- I get some more fresh air and exercise at lunch time (rather than just going downstairs in my house to get some lunch!)

- I feel more part of and in tune with the world, rather than somehow cut off from it when working at home

- Home is now for 'home', and work is for 'work' - so I switch on for work better when I physically go to work and enter a professional working environment, and switch off again when I come home, so I relax better, and probably interact better with my family as a result - and I'm finding it really nice to come home at the end of the day to enjoy being at home, rather than just still being at home at the end of the day, and not having as clear a work/home distinction.

It's not for everyone of course, but it's working well for me at the moment.

Great new look for your blog BTW! :)

[Sharon Sarmiento]

Hi Andrew of "The Hive",

Thanks so much for reminding me of that extra perk to working in a co-working facility like The Hive. Yes, being able to collaborate and network in person was one of the things I left off the pro list...adding it now!

[Sharon Sarmiento]

Hi Steve,

Fancy meeting you here! ;-)

I can totally see how working in an away-from-home office helps with you with your focus and productivity--it's amazing that you've been able to get as much done as you have with 3 young children running around!

See, I think you're working the perfect distance away from home--a 15 minute cycle ride is not too close and not too far. You can ride home for lunch if you like or if you need to, and it just sounds like fun to ride your bike to work!

And you bring up what Gavin also pointed out--working from home 100% of the time can sometimes feel isolating. To feel like you're "in tune with the world" is an invigorating feeling! Now you're making me want to do this too!

On the days when I work from the cafe, I relish the feeling of having an end to my workday. It's fun to go somewhere and come back home, like the home is a relaxing destination at the end of a busy day. Yes, I can totally see how that feels really great and affects the interactions with family.

Oh, and thank you for noticing my new blog design! I just put it up last night, and now my blog has a new look and a sassy spring in her step! :-)

[ChierGirl]

Sharon,

I love the idea of having an office away from home. I am a VA and I love working from home in my comfy clothes. However there are times I feel the need to get out of my house and I think it would really help to be able focus better. I bet I would increase my productivity. Having said that, the office would have to be very close as not to spend alot of time commuting. It would also need to be non-conforming, non-corporate.

Shelley

[Sharon Sarmiento]

Hey Shelley,

Yes, you're right--I've grown so used to being casual and not having a commute that any outside office space would need to be close (Steve's situation where he does a 15 minute cycle ride to work sounds ideal to me!). It would also need to be cool, kinda like "The Hive".

I'm totally with ya there--see how I'm so easily convinced to want to do something? Now I'm dreaming of having an outside office :-) I wish there were something like "The Hive" where I live.

[Wilma]

I start to realize that having your own office set up is different than working in an office that is ruled by a ruler and manned by people you haven't chosen.

I think I am still in a detox state when it comes to relating to the word 'office'. Must invetigate that....

The hive doesn't look bad at all....as does your new look :)

[Wilma]

Sharon, I have given it more thought after I got over my initial loath of offices. This is a chance to reinvent 'the workplace' and worth to be taken seriously. And for people to create a business opportunity by offering those office space for hire on casual and regular basis.

I do meet people in cafes but the noise is getting to me and it would be great to not to have to carry your laptop everywhere.

What I see as an extra advantage of working in a hive is that you can pull resources together. For example I have recently met quite a few people who are interested in an e-commerce site. If I was working in a hive I could invite them all and have one of my coworkers who is into ecommerce for example kill a few birds with one stone by explaining it all to them as a group in the hive. No hassles of finding a seminar room either...

Having a hub of people in related industry can have a lot of such advantages. You can also learn from each other as you said.

What would be fun is to have events (drinks) for everybody's clients together, that allows for lots of networking going on amongst everybody, which won't happen if you are working from home on your own....and sharing costs....
And togehter you can have more people coming so the events look more impressive than when you organize one for just your own clients, don't you think?

[Carlos Hernandez]

I have an office...right smack in the middle of the heart...downtown San Francisco...a few heartbeats from the Financial District...a few heartbeats from SOMA "South of Market"...where Web 2.0 firms live and reign.

The office provides me a disciplined place to work, but more importantly I draw energy from the downtown vibe. It is impossible to get or be bored...I just get up to walk or get something to drink at our neighboring cafes.

Often feel tempted to work in the neighborhood cafe, but I feel for the small business owner who struggles with not turning tables. It seems selfish to keep my expenses down (i.e. not paying office rent) by "taking" from someone's profit margin. Doesn't feel like an honorable way to conduct business. $2.75 lattes cannot make it up for the cafe owner.

[Marcus]

I tried working out of my home for a while but for a number of reasons I had to get a physical office (I found it at officesuitesplus.com). The main reasons were to get a little more structure to my day, to provide an uninterrupted workday (kids!), and to take advantage of the telephone answering services Office Suites (or other serviced office providers) offers. The office is very close to my house, so it has everything my growing business needs.

[Office Space Rental]

Great article, I guess there are pros and cons when trying to work out of the house.