The initial creativity of your business idea should be maintained throughout and there should be nothing that should interrupt this momentum that could lead you to your dream house in some quiet Indonesian island and retiring young. While this is an ideal, I believe that the core of the business should be - well just business but the problem with start-up companies is that they have so many administrative and set up issues that they often come across a huge wall of red tape – even before they can get their idea up and running and making them money. Why should valuable time be wasted on setting up an office, applying for the various permits, budgeting, hiring office assistants and managers, cost evaluation, rental, space allocation – anyone who has ever tried to set up a business should know about the list of bogging activities that can happen. Profits and the success of any business should not be easy, but its should not be anchored down by the nitty gritty of business setups anymore, not in this day and age of virtual real estates and the gaining popularity of the virtual office worker.
The industry has responded with services that help new and start-up companies gain the extra added advantage with a virtual office. What a virtual office gives you is all the benefits of a physical office but its setup only takes a few days. Some of these companies offer virtual boardroom services, your very own personal assistant who will take your calls and sort through your faxes. Even a prime virtual office address will be provided for your clients to mail you. Anything and everything is granted at a fraction of the cost of setting up a real, physical office. There is no setup on your part and there is no hassle. The ‘rent’ that you pay is simply a fee that upkeeps all the digital systems and pays for things like the shared receptionist and fax/mailing services. Even the most expensive virtual office providers charge an amount that is a fraction to the costs you will incur if you decide to rent or buy an offline real estate space to conduct your operations. The world is changing, and working at home doesn’t mean one is lazy – but one is being prudent, working in an environment that is tactile, comfortable and increases your productivity level.
The only thing you must understand that there is a higher level of discipline to ensure that operations within the business are run smoothly. The virtual distance means that responsibilities can be overlooked and there must be constant communication to ensure that there is as little hiccups as possible when it comes to the daily ins and outs of the business. Create rules and regulations that everyone can agree to – and most of all meet up once in a while. Sometimes there is nothing like a physical handshake and a warm smile of your business partner as you discuss the latest success over a hot cup of coffee.
