looking for first office space outside home. Any advice?
 

The time has come for me to finally segregate my work and my home life. I can't stand living at work anymore...

Any advice when looking for office space? What to avoid? What to look for? etc? Looking to rent out something in 2-3 weeks.

You're asking on the wrong board. I would estimate 90% work from their spare bedrooms here. LOL

My advice as someone who has rented office and studio space is, why are you in such a hurry. Take your time and get it right. Most places will want you to sign up to long lease.

However there might be some office space that's small, short term or even monthly rentals. But they tend to be expensive on a sq ft basis. Though a proper office might be too big for you. how many people and what will you need in the office?

Your question is very vague.

I did this for a while several years ago, but at that time I was living in a small place. When I moved into my new place with the extra room I turned that into an office and moved back. However, here is my advice. If possible either don't sign a lease at first or try renting a small temporary space for at least a few months and make sure you like it. You may find yourself hating it and if that is the case it would suck to be stuck in a long term lease. If you like it you can always sign a lease or look for a perfect spot.

When I started doing it the office I found was about 15 minutes away from house so it worked really well. It wasn't much of a drive and I found I got a lot more done than I was just working out of my bedroom.

Another thought. You may wish to be honest and up front with the landlords if they ask you what you do. I have heard of companies moving into offices only to have the landlords find out they are porn companies and make their lives miserable.

Well I plan to hire someone to help with support, css, etc, so I need an office space anyways. I have one guy already but he works from home. I'd rather be able to watch him, and I REALLY want to get away from these 16 hour work days I do.

It's not that im in a hurry, but I have been thinking about this for some time. Another issue is my new house has shit internet, 2mbit over wifi 10km away on a good day, and this makes working a bit slow and hard. If I got an office in the city I coudl get way faster net. I mostly just say in 2-3 weeks in the sense that I will start looking then. Right now im changing my company to a corporation for tax purposes. In order to do that, I need to sell the equipment from my sole proprietorship to my corp after and VAT comes into play at that point, so Im avoiding doing it beforehand so that I can just buy the office furniture, computers etc and write it off on the corp. I'm only after like a 20-30m2 office for myself and eventually a couple more people. Don't need or want anything huge.

A friend got office space recently and says he gets tons more done every day

I did find when I got into my office I did get more done because I didn't have the distractions of living at home. I wouldn't stop to watch TV or run to the store or jerk off or whatever. I felt like I was at work and I would focus.

I think I may have to do the same shortly, especially since a newborn is on the way. Everyone here doesn't seem to realize I'm not just playing, and am actually working. There's a reason why we live in a nice, comfortable house, there's always food in the kitchen, etc.

Someone will just walk in, throw me the neighbors baby, and say, "here, we're going to the market, look after her for an hour". She's a sweetheart and everything, but come on... I'm trying to get shit done.

If you travel lots, maybe look into http://www.regus.com/. Get an office in pretty near any city in the world, comes with a receptionist, full serviced (photocopier, fax machine, etc.), coffee, meeting rooms available, etc.

My issue is that when my stupid email program makes that noise im drawn to my computer like a fly to shit. I can't spend any real time with my fiance, friends, etc.

I use Regus for my business. Awesome offices, and a very clean and effective environment. For my travels, I do have the platinum Businessworld card because I often travel to a new place, need an office for a day or two, for that they are excellent. If you are more stationary, I'd recommend to look into a regular office space with them. They will always try to sign a 1 year contract with you but as long as you are persistent and stick to you being new and small, you can get a good price on a 6 months lease.

It's good to get to meet some other people too, like at the coffee machine in the shared kitchen area, it's always nice to have the bathrooms cleaned by someone before you arrive in the morning and they can handle regular mail, phonecalls and such for you.

I can definitly recommend regus.com, do check them out or even give them a call if they have offices close to you and go check them out!

Regus has a bunch of offices in warsaw but no where near my city. 350km would be quite the morning commute :P

one good advice is that your new office must NOT be in walking distance from your home...

I've rented with Regus as well, very good as an all inclusive service. But of course the price is higher then renting just an office space, and they tend to charge you for every little thing, which gets a bit annoying after a while...

Make sure it's a place with good ventilation too, and avoid top floors that might get really hot during the summer.

Agreed, 350 km would take 3-4 hours of driving, that might not be very feasible... :)

Why not in walking distance? Afraid that it's too close then?

I think it's better to walk 10 minuttes then drive 10 minuttes, and you don't have to worry about traffic or parking space.

Because then not only is it close for you, but also for everyone else living at the house. Then they'll just wander over anytime they feel like, and bug you because they can't get the DVD player working, or they ran out of eggs, or they're simply bored and felt like coming by to say hi and have a chat, or maybe they cooked up some food and decided they'd like to eat with you, etc.

Tried that before. Neighbor down the street moved back to Europe, so I assumed his house. What the hell, it's NE Thailand, so it's cheap. Might as well have a work house, instead of work office. Only lasted a week before I said fuck it, and came back to working from home.

do they have like a technology park or something where you can rent space and be around like-minded people? I used to be in between a quilt company and a carpet cleaning service. Never had anything to talk about with those weirdos.

My advice is to keep your commute short. Traveling daily is a pure waste of time. Waste as little as possible. My best work got done when the office was 3 blocks from the house. If you have a garage or a basement with a separate entrance that you can turn into an office and cut off direct access to the rest of the house that would even work. Or rent an apartment nearby.

If you take public transportation and can read or accomplish something worthwhile during the commute then its not an issue but if you are driving you are dumping hours of your life (non recoverable hours) into a commute, adding to your vehicle maintenance and fuel expense for no good reason unless you get something as close as possible.

In a way I did that when I moved to my house and turned a spare room into an office so I didn't need to rent an office anymore. The office doesn't have a separate entrance, but I decorated it to look very different from the rest of the house. I painted it different, put in a hardwood floor, hung up pictures that gave it an office feel and I don't have a TV or anything like that in there. When I go in to work I shut the door and it makes me feel like I'm in a different place and helps me focus.

there is a technology park here but it would be like a 45 min drive across the city. I'm gonna be looking for something no more hten 5-10 minute drive away but in the city so that when i hire its easier for workers to get there.

I rented a larger house.... work at one end and live at the other... it's working very well. after 'work' I shut the machines off and walk away. best of both worlds. no traffic, 'cause out here in LA a 1-2 hour commute is pretty common.

I had a small office outside of the house for a bit. It's pretty cheap to get a small office suite here where I live.

I was actually looking again recently and found some about 3 minutes from my house for under $500 a month. It was one large room with two small offices. They also had one in the same building for $250 a month that was a bit smaller.

If you have people working in the office make sure it is a multi-room or big enough to make cubicles for your workers.

Rentals
 

I once had a small retail store I rented from an electrician that had several rental houses & commercial properties in a small town. Turned out he was a deadbeat and I could never get him on the phone to fix anything. When I moved out, he never returned the deposit, despite the fact I moved out early to satisfy the next tenant, and they wanted to gut the building, so anything I had done (paint) was immaterial. At court, idiot judge ruled 50% in his favor.
I then moved my store to a strip mall, run by a professional real estate management company. Besides the lease, there was an initial walk through document, for any damages, etc. When I closed out the lease there was another walk through document. That way both parties were protected against damage claims.
I'm easy going, but after the first guy, I learned COVER YOUR A**

going to an office can be very productive.

we put ours in the middle of both of us, to make it fair.

make sure you can get to your office during rush hour etc

Just as long as you have a co-worker with you there, which sounds like you will.

Stay Home
 

An office does make sense to avoid the TV, family wanting you do fix something, but unless you can walk to your office for exercise, the cost of commuting, and time aren't worth it. Best is to make the attic, basement or special room an office to work. In your case, new employees really demand an off-site office. But if you work alone, work at home and tell everybody, including the person that shares your bed the for 8-10 hours a day, you are work and there are to be no interruptions, just like you had a job for a big company that did not tolerate personal interruptions in the work day.
But I've worked for small companies where the boss showed us appreciation for working Good Friday by giving every employee a bottle of wine and opened wine for all to drink. You have to go with the flow. Work your home office on strict instructions not to be disturbed, but if she wants to surprise you once a week with a blow job or other treat, go for it.
As for a separate office, I also loving working in a big office building in a major city. Biggest treat was the amazing amount of different places to eat in walking distance for lunch. Also there was an upscale grocery store with the best salad bar I ever saw. About once a month, they had wine tasting about 6 pm. I'd work until 5:30, walk to the tasting, then walk back to the parking garage. No hassle of finding a parking space like everyone else.
Oh yeah, we'd go clubbing downtown, same parking space was great for a quicky before heading home.

haha man no shit.. It can take over huh

Go park some place where you can see the hiway in the morning or around 5pm. See all of those people in traffic?

You'll be joining them when you get an 'office'. You'll get tired of that shit real quick. It keeps me motivated to work at home for 14+ years now.

true, most people here work out of their bedroom or moms basement when they get home from school/work. and by "work" i mean post on GFY beating masturbation sessions :1orglaugh

seriously tho, I rented office space years ago when I lived in LA to separate work and home and was well worth it. for the last two years I have been working out of my home. seems great and all, but when Im putting in 10+ hour days, I feel like being in my house is always work.

the company Im working for now is dicking me around about getting an office space, but until then, its a spare bedroom now office.

here is what I suggest... find something close to your home, no more than 15 minute drive. some days you'll wake up a little late and think "fuck it, im working from home" and before you know it, your just leasing a place that you dont remember what it looks like.

look for a place thats close to restaurants and food, NOT a bar. look forward to going out to lunch or taking a break during the day to walk around. My old office was on Venice beach and was the highlight of my day to go outside and see what I worked so hard for.

lastly, dont buy something bigger than what you need because you think you will need it. most places require a 3 year lease, you can talk smaller places into 1 year with options to move to a bigger unit. a few guys I worked with in LA changed offices 3 times in 2 years.

Yeah I'm definately not signing longer then 1 year lease. I might want to move up to a bigger office. I will be looking for a place no further then 10-15 minutes from home in areas that i can get to and leave in rush hour without encountering much traffic

my office is in walking distance and my flat and my office are connected via wireless. so it doesnt matter where i work, i am always in our private network. where i work i decide spontaniously, but i am getting more done when i am at the office

not sure how things are where you live, but places here in the states LOVE to charge for shit like parking. one office I looked at charged out the ass for water, waste and sewer charges, some $100+ a month. They would charge you for internet access which was slow as shit and was $150/mo PER computer :1orglaugh

most large commercial complexes dont give a shit and you just pay for what you use, but smaller "mom and pop" rentals like to go beyond rape :2 cents:

working out of the house for me gets a lot more done.

Also I have a dedicated office with a kitchen, bathroom and its own entrance from the rest of the house. Day is done, the door is closed and no reason to be in there other than maybe stopping in to get something I needed last minute.

Save the costs and also its a tax write off ... well, at least here in the states.

My advise for a first time office is:

1. No more than 10 minute drive, 5 is much better.

2. Never more than a 6 month lease, 3 would be better.

3. If there will be one person, then get one room, if there will be 2, get two rooms Max. Never get more office than you need, it actually helps if people are in closer proximity, it helps to bounce ideas off of each other, and get energy and focus from each other. When you bring on more people, then you can move to a bigger office, (because you have a short lease, see point #2)

4. Don't be persuaded to get expensive places so that you look more important or successful, the only person you are impressing, 345 days out of the year, is yourself... Why waste the money? If you need to have meetings with clients, do it outside the office, perhaps over lunch somewhere.

5. Walk around the building and knock on doors. Ask to speak with other people that are leasing there. Find out what issues they have, how responsive is management to problems, how fast do things get fixed, are there any strange smells, etc...



Good luck!


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It should be at least 10 min of drive away from your home. An office very near or at walking distance makes you less disciplined.

well, I found the perfect solution for me: I live in a building and my apartment has several bedrooms, one of them I use as an office. However, I had an external office since 2002 or so, usually pretty far from home. Last year I found a small yet comfortable apartment in the building next to mine, so I rented it and now I can have my people there and I can choose to be there or at home, as I wish, and I can share internet connections and even phone line :thumbsup

Of course, it takes some luck and it took me several years until I could do this, but if you can, I really recommend it :)