Remote working standards have become the norm, but when running a home business, you may wish to have some kind of office space that you can welcome others you work with into. Not only does it welcome everyone into a tangible space in which they can be productive and collaborate (even if it’s part of your converted garage) but it improves the social connection of your employees. It also provides a place to keep your designs safe, and to meet with clients or customers who may need a more focused conversation that isn’t online.
However, a home can’t particularly match the might of a larger office. You may wonder if renting or investing in a starter space like this could be appropriate for your brand once it begins to become more successful. But we believe you can do a fair amount with only a little bit of work, and sustain a smaller space at home with the general mod-cons we might expect to see in a dedicated space.
Let’s consider how that might work.
Set Up Basic Kitchen Amenities, Even On A Side Table
A side table or a small counter can go a fair way, even if you don’t have a full staff kitchen like an office would have, and of course, you may not wish clients to use your actual kitchen. A coffee machine, microwave, and a mini-fridge for snacks or drinks can really improve the daily experience if you’re consulting or meeting with local part time hires you have, because it helps to provide a place for employees to take a quick break and refresh even if the meeting is generally informal.
This can also act as a natural meeting spot if you have a couple of chairs. You can also invest in a nice dining table round by CFS or a coffee table and chair set if you need to have those more formal discussion with guests, but not force them to sit at your kitchen table where your family might come in and out.
Consider An Additional Desk Space
You might be remote working, but if you’ve hired a designer locally, or you wish to talk through someone heading up your manufacturing of a small product, you may have an employee coming in and out during the day. Flexibility is a good priority to have in that respect, especially if you have room for an additional desk.
Setting up a surface space they can easily sit at, work on their laptop with, show you designs and match them to your color requirements, they you don’t have to worry about solely being online and can curate more in-depth conversations when needed.
Rent Meeting Or Studio Spaces When Needed
There’s no shame in having a small office, but if you’re meeting a big important client you may wish to impress them, and avoid the home space. If you take time to rent meeting rooms when you need them, as many companies do now, that can be a nice middle ground. This allows you to have a more professional setting for client meetings, presentations, or major event planning sessions, without necessarily having to bring a big team to your home or your more specialized and cosy home office room in the outbuilding, garage or spare room.
While you might have a green screen space and lighting set up against one side of the wall for photography, if you need custom lighting then you can usually rent hourly sessions with local studios too. It’s a nice bonus on top of the design and sustainability of your home office.
With this advice, we hope you can more easily make that office space work.
