Entrepreneurship Archives - Office Space for Rent in Raleigh, Garner, Cary & Sanford

The Heartache of Working From Home

Office Ours, Inc. — Fri, 14 Feb 2025 14:41:10 +0000

“Honey, can you help me with the groceries?”
“The dog really needs a walk, dear?”
“Babe, your child is crying. Are you going to do something about that?”
Oh the joys of family life and working from home.
No, really. Think about it.
Supporting your family is probably one of the biggest reasons you work every day, but
separating your workday from your family time is critical and working from home blurs that line.
Ouch.
Be there. Or be square.
That’s really hard, because there will always be a part of you that really wants to be there with
your family all the time, particularly when things are going sideways and your lack of ability to be
all in anywhere leaves you feeling inadequate and alone everywhere.
The broken vase syndrome.
Have you ever been on a conference call when your dog is barking, your kids are fighting, then
there’s a loud crash of breaking glass (the broken vase syndrome) and your spouse storms up
to you and adds this charming thought, “What did you do with the car keys?”
Doesn’t that kind of thing always really help make a pitch to a new client great?
Then, of course, there are those wonderful feelings of guilt you get when you tell your kids and
your better half, “No, I’m sorry, I can’t take you to soccer, or help you with the groceries, or set
the table.”
Dinner? What’s Dinner?
That goes over just as well as, “No dear, I can’t come to dinner right now. I got a call in fifteen
minutes.” Boy, isn’t that fun?
When you’re home, you want to be home with your family, but, believe it or not, when you’re
working from home you actually are working much longer hours and are less available to your
family. How does that work?
Find your work life balance again.
Having an office at Office Ours helps you be at home when you are at home and feel at home at
work with all the benefits of working in an office. There are many.

Have you ever found yourself really opening up to your mailman? Or talking to your computer?
At least with AI, it can almost feel like a conversation. Working from home can be a really lonely
experience.
Don’t worry, zoom calls will still have a place, but nothing beats meeting other human beings in
a workplace environment. You need that to build a feeling of teamwork. Personally, we love it
when one of those green screens mounted on a chair become visible during a zoom call.
Happens even more often on Google Meet. Doesn’t that look great?
Draw a boundary. Get an office.
At Office Ours, you’ll join a network of over 150 small businesses. You’ll have opportunities to
work with each other. You’ll be able to meet with clients and other team members in your office.
You can even meet with them at other Office Ours location in a conference room. Just schedule
ahead.
You’ll even have a printer that always has toner and paper. Plus, you’ll have a team of people
helping you with any tech issues that pop up. That includes if the internet goes out. If you’re at
home, how long are you going to have to work from the Coffee Place this time?
You don’t have to be on your own little island all by yourself anymore. Set up a tour of a location
near you in Cary, Raleigh, North Raleigh, Garner or Sanford today. We look forward to talking to
you soon.

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The Coffee Shop Conundrum

Amy Brewer — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 16:44:13 +0000

The coffee shop will never have to be your conference room ever again.

As I usually do, I stopped at a coffee shop on my way into the office the other day. As I hurried across the parking lot, a car wrap caught my eye for a company that deals with estate sales of elderly parents who are transitioning to an assisted living facility. Wow. Heavy stuff.

My first thought was about how I went through something similar with my parents a few years back. But then, as is my habit, I noticed, “they don’t have a business address posted on the wrap, I wonder if Office Ours can help?” What can I tell you? Work is always on my mind.

I was also curious: “does the salesperson travel around the Triangle meeting with clients at coffee shops?” Hmm. I felt certain that all parties of this highly emotional, private subject matter would benefit from a private office or a conference room big time. I decided, in that moment, if I met the owner in line, I would give him my business card.

Public place. Private meeting.
Sure enough, not 5 feet from the door, a sales guy was opening a large tri-fold brochure of estate sales services to an overwrought person—someone whose parents were going through a transition. I was shocked. Such a private and emotional, human moment was being discussed in front of people walking in and out of a coffee shop. Preventing this exact type of scenario is what made me passionate about opening Office Ours.

Take the space you need. Everybody benefits.
No business should feel like they can’t afford a private meeting space, especially when they need it. But Office Ours takes it one step further by providing multiple locations around Wake County, and, now Lee County, making office space and conference room space more available to all. It’s our mission.

Why? The truth is certain industries require a place to meet; a place where they can discuss private topics with clients, conduct interviews, or have team meetings. Plus, like today, sometimes privacy is needed to respect a person’s right to be lost, emotional, sad, overwhelmed and comforted. While other times it’s necessary because of confidential information or trade secrets that will be exchanged. And still, all that just scratches the surface.

What do you need? What’s your reason?
Perhaps you just need a place with no distractions. Personally, I hate when the person across from me is slurping coffee and chomping on a blueberry muffin. Then there’s the person on my right on a sales phone call, having a conversation like nobody else is around. While the person on my left can’t stop looking at what is on my laptop more than what is on their own. Ugh.

Don’t get me wrong. Coffee shops are a wonderful thing. Love meeting my friends there to catch up. But conference room access for as little as a $5 cup of coffee every day is even better. I left my Office Ours business card under the driver’s side windshield wiper of the car wrap car. Ironically, I didn’t want to intrude on the meeting. No call yet. But here’s to hoping.

Learn more about virtual office spaces with conference room access, private offices with conference room access or a monthly conference room subscription with OfficeOurs now.

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Tips for Decorating Your Office

Amy Brewer — Mon, 03 Jan 2022 21:27:18 +0000

How you decorate your office sets the tone for the work environment, not only for yourself and your employees but also for your clients. Your office needs to give off an excellent first impression and show that your business is professional. The way you decorate can show off your company’s core values, highlight your team’s accomplishments, and set the mood you are trying to portray with your business. Not only does decor set the tone, but it can help you and your team focus and be productive. Nobody wants to work in an empty office or an office that is cluttered and distracting. If you are spending 40 hours a week there, you might as well be comfortable and enjoy your space!

Wondering how you should decorate your new office? Read on to see our office decorating tips and see how Office Ours Tenants have decorated their space. Finally, find out the answer to the most asked question at Office Ours, “Can I hang this on the wall in my office?

Declutter Your Office

Creativity won’t happen when you look around at unopened mail and boxes on the floor. Walking into a clutter-free office will set the tone for the workday and help you and your employees be more productive. This might mean taking a day or two to go through those boxes, sort the mail that has been sitting out, and filing away the paperwork. Office Ours provides office furniture like the desk, task chair and pedestal pictured below in Michelle Wareham’s office. A pedestal or filing cabinet will help you file paperwork and stay organized.

Bonus tip: Take ten minutes at the end of each day to clear off your desk, throw away the trash, and tidy up. Office Ours provides weekly janitorial services to vacuum and remove the trash from your office. You will walk into a clean office the following day, ready for a productive day.

Focus on Comfort

Your office might be used for various reasons beyond a space to sit at a desk and work. Many people have offices for their counseling, healthcare, or financial advising business. Will you have clients coming in and needing a place to sit? Find comfortable seating that will work in your office, like the picture below in Kathryn Bowden’s office. Choosing neutral tones for furniture will provide comfort and a sense of ease if you see clients for therapy or counseling. Add an accent chair with a pop of color if you want a more creative or artsy look in your office.

Make Your Office Unique

Depending on your line of business, you may want to add color or an accent wall like the one pictured below by Office Ours tenant Plush Beauty. This flower wall adds color and a unique look to her office that welcomes clients when they come in for services. Choose colors for your office similar to your business logo and theme. Your business will look unique and stand out by adding your business colors and logo.

“Can I Hang This on the Walls?”

The number one question we get asked is what can be hung on the walls in an office at Office Ours. You may hang posters, pictures, signs, art, etc., on the walls in your new office using nails and anchors. Tape, command strips, or anything sticky can cause damage to the walls and is not allowed. Consider hanging informational or educational materials related to the services you offer, like the tenant below.

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Top 5 Places You Will Need a Professional Business Address

Amy Brewer — Mon, 29 Nov 2021 16:37:42 +0000

You’ve started your new business out of your home, and things are picking up quickly with new clients and prospects. You are ready to hand out business cards at events or start getting your digital marketing campaigns off the ground. There’s only one problem. When you add your business address to your business cards, you realize you might not want people to know your home address. Securing a virtual office with a professional business address quickly fixes this problem. With an actual business address, you will be able to add it to your website and your business cards proudly. There are many places a professional business address is essential. We compiled a list of the top 5 places you will need to have a business address.

Estimates and Invoices

When you send a prospective client an estimate with your home address or no address at all, they may question the legitimacy of this business they are about to contact for a service. An estimate is that final step before a prospect becomes a paying client, so you’ll want to show them that you have an actual address for your business. After the work is done, you will send them an invoice that contains the place for the client to send their payment. Which type of address is more professional and credible, a commercial address or a residential address?

Business accounts:

When it comes to business, you must learn to segregate your personal life and business life. There are mental health and mindset reasons for this. There are also legal and financial reasons to do this. For example, you need to segregate your personal bank account from your business bank account. If you don’t, there could be tax consequences with the IRS or liability consequences with a plaintiff quickly being able to pierce the corporate veil. You’ll also need separate insurance. Your personal homeowner liability policy doesn’t cover business activities. So why would you commingle your home address and business address? You need an address you can give your bank and your insurance broker to put on your policy. When you move residences, do you want to also change all your business addresses on all your business accounts? Financial institutions will look upon you more favorably if you are using a commercial property address and a business phone number that isn’t your cell phone.

Business cards:

After meeting someone face to face and shaking their hand, the next tradition in the business world is to exchange business cards. Doing so gives each person the ability to remember your name and contact you after the meeting for a follow-up meeting. Your business card is the first impression they will get of your business. When someone doesn’t see an address on the business card, they might ask themselves, “what are they hiding?” Or, if they look up the address on Google Maps and they see a picture of a residential house, they may immediately ask, “Is this a real business?” The address of a commercial office on your business card shows that you are a professional.

Website:

For many people you haven’t met yet, your website is the first and only impression they will get of your company. When potential clients, partners, investors, and employees view your website and see that you don’t have a commercial address listed, they may ask themselves, “Do they not invest in their company enough even to have a professional business address?” This may be a reason why they decide to look elsewhere when choosing where to do their business. Having your virtual office address on your website will show that you have a credible company.

Secretary of state website:

When you file your incorporation, you have to give the secretary of state the address for your business. This address is public record. Do you want your home address to be listed as your business address on the internet? You want to separate your personal life from your business, and you don’t want anyone with access to the internet to find your home address. Having a business address to give the secretary of state for your business will provide you with confidence that your home life is separate from your business life.

While other places like business directories are important to add your address to, the locations listed above are the most visible to potential clients and partners. When someone looks you up or searches for your business, you want to be prepared to give an excellent first impression. Whether you have an office suite or a virtual office, getting your business address out there and into the world will fuel your business.

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What Is a Virtual Office?

Office Ours, Inc. — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 19:00:21 +0000

Business owners and entrepreneurs everywhere have begun to rethink if they really needed the office space they were in. As the world shifted to working remotely, many small businesses realized that this could work long term. People changed careers or decided to open businesses out of their homes. The future of where employees work and how they work has drastically changed throughout the last year.

While working out of your home makes sense now and saves you money, you don’t want to have your home address also be your business address. Also, businesses may still need access to some aspects of a physical office like conference rooms or a mailbox. If a customer checks out your business address on Google Maps, you wouldn’t want them to discover it is a home in a residential neighborhood. You will be adding your business address to your website, social media accounts, business cards and giving it out to your clients. A professional address will show the world that your business is legitimate and credible. This is when having a virtual office becomes crucial to your business.

A virtual office offers you flexibility and credibility for your business without the hassle of signing on to a long-term lease. You can continue to work from home but benefit from using a professional business address without giving out your home address. Establishing a reliable business address in an area close to your target customers is crucial and manageable with a virtual office.

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Businesses Big and Small Use Virtual Offices

Office Ours, Inc. — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 17:21:50 +0000

A virtual office is a tool that any size business at any growth stage can use to accomplish different goals. Many businesses, large and small, have found that choosing a virtual office over a home address or P.O. Box is more professional with an actual commercial location and is more cost-effective than a physical office space. From startups to established companies looking to expand, virtual offices are beneficial to a wide range of businesses.

Here is a list of the stages of businesses that benefit from having virtual offices.

Freelancers, consultants, solopreneurs, and the self-employed:

For most single-person companies, working from home is one of the biggest perks. But how do you gain the credibility and professionalism of having an office without the expense? Potential clients will see your business as more credible if your address is a commercial building. Holding meetings in executive conference rooms will also raise your credibility. Local or toll-free numbers to an auto-attendant will also make your company appear like a large consultancy.

Startups:

For startups, virtual offices are just a stepping stone to world domination. You might be a one or two-person team today, but you intend on growing the team in the future. A virtual office can help you with providing the savings you need today but also has the upgrade path to right-size your facility needs as you grow. You can start with a virtual office and grow into a single office suite tomorrow. Soon after that, you may have multiple office suites. Eventually, you’ll need a whole top floor in a downtown highrise. Until then, a virtual office with access to conference rooms for interviews for your new employees is your place to start.

An established company entering new markets:

You have an established company that provides services in another part of North Carolina, the USA, or even another part of the world. The strategic direction of your company now is to set up shop in the Triangle region. Before signing up for an expensive office in Wake County that comes with a long-term lease, you will want to test the waters. A virtual office gives you the mailing address and meeting space. Then as your success grows, you can rent a few office suites. Only after you’ve fully established your business in the new region do you go and make a long-term, expensive commitment.

These are just a few examples of businesses of every size benefiting from having virtual offices. A virtual office has something to offer all types of business, whether you are just starting, growing by the day, or already established worldwide. Did your notice your business or industry listed above? It is time to consider how a virtual office might benefit you and your business.

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Top 9 Reasons a Business Should Use a Virtual Office

Office Ours, Inc. — Mon, 04 Oct 2021 13:48:28 +0000

Over the past few years, the office industry has evolved, making strides in providing new and improved products for small businesses. Of these products, virtual offices have conceived a new era of improved remote work, with all of the amenities and features of traditional office space without the overhead and expense. Each provider will differ slightly in their offerings of virtual offices, but generally, they will give you the foundational elements needed to run a professional business; a professional business address, mail services, professional meeting space, and access to other amenities and facilities. Virtual offices can provide businesses a professional and budget-conscious solution to the evolving workforce. Here are the top 9 reasons your business should utilize a virtual office:

Foundational Business Systems

A virtual office is not just a mailbox. Many services that are foundational to any business are typically included with a virtual office to save you time and effort:

Phone Systems – Many virtual offices come with phone services that will allow your clients and vendors to call a business number, not your personal number. This provides room for growth when you finally decide to hire a second employee, salesperson, or operations manager.
Copy Center– Having your own printer may have its benefits for small printing jobs, but having access to a professional copy center will win in the long run. No need to worry about buying ink or trying to solve printer drive issues all by yourself. Some virtual office offerings might even give you free printing.
Conference Rooms-Access to conference rooms is essential if you have a business that holds weekly or monthly meetings. Conference room access also opens up the ability to do sales meetings, trainings, interviews, and classes, all while you still run your business out of your home. Instead of meeting at a coffee shop or rushing to find a space to hold your last-minute meeting, conference room access with a virtual office will bring peace of mind.

Flexible Working-At Home or the Office

One of the many perks of owning a business is a flexible schedule. Recent trends in coworking and virtual offices have made it more and more efficient to work where you want when you want. Using a virtual office will give you access to office facilities where you can go and get away from barking dogs for a while and focus on your work. Many facilities will have access to the coworking or cubicle areas.

Privacy

Many businesses make a significant mistake when choosing a business address, such as using their home address, a P.O. box, or a retail storefront mailbox. Those options lack the professionalism and credibility of the business address provided by a virtual office in case your clients or vendors decide to look you up. When someone Googles your business address, you want them to see a commercial office building, not your personal residence. Business cards, your website, and business directories will all display your business address, so you want to make it a professional business address.

Compliance

When you choose to use your home address for your business, you may run into legal and contractual restrictions.

Does your city’s code prohibit or restrict you from running a business from your home?
Does your HOA have a restriction preventing you from doing business out of your home?
Would it be a material breach of your lease if you use your residence to conduct commercial operations?

Using a virtual office address will reassure you that you are complying with all of the legal and regulatory requirements that go into owning a business.

Professionalism

An excellent first impression with a client is essential. The main thing that makes your business appear to outsiders as being real is separating the business from your personal life. This is extremely hard for solopreneurs or companies just starting out. If your business address is separate from your personal address, it signifies your business is professional. If your meetings are in a different location than your local coffee shop, where everybody knows your name because it is a mile from your house, that is professional. If your business’s phone number is separate from your mobile number, it signifies your business’s professionalism. It is essential that the business appears to be more than just the owner that is starting it. The company is its own entity with its own resources and a separate identity.

Credibility

Credibility is your client’s, partner’s, and vendor’s perception of you. Does having no address on your business card communicate to a potential partner a lack of commitment to the business? Does a P.O. Box or a retail mailbox communicate to a potential customer you are not a fly by night operation? Does asking a potential employee to do the interview at the coffee shop signal your business is fully funded and can afford payroll? If your operation is run professionally, then it will be more likely to be perceived as credible.

Savings

What if your business isn’t ready for the expenses and overhead of a private office? What if your business plan is designed in such a way it might never need a private office? A virtual office gives you most of the benefits of a private office without the expense. Undoubtedly, businesses need to be as profitable as possible to grow effectively and intelligently. This means that budgeting, accounting, and profitability are among the most important factors to consider when operating a business. Many virtual office providers will be a one-stop-shop for business services, which can save you a big chunk of change in the long run.

Rightsize your Business

Your business is thriving, revenue is growing, you are hiring more employees, and it is time for a new office suite. Most business centers will have resources available when you decide to grow into an office suite, and many centers have multiple locations from which to choose. You can start with a virtual office, but then you can then conveniently move into an office. The flexibility and futureproofing of your business address are crucial to seamlessly expand or contract to your business needs while keeping costs in mind.

Confidence

Your business is powerful no matter where you work, where you meet, and what business address you use. However, business owners often need all the help they can get. Increased privacy, savings, credibility, and professionalism will only boost your confidence, which will help your business thrive. The belief that your business has its business infrastructure needs covered will free up your mind to focus on growing your business. In conclusion, virtual offices provide your business with a competitive advantage. Imagine you are at a business networking event, and a potential customer is roaming the crowd. Your competitor hands that potential customer a business card with no business address and asks for a meeting with that customer next week at the nearest coffee shop. Then you hand the customer your business card with a professional business address and ask for a meeting next week at “your office.” Who is most likely to win that business?

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Online Business Directories

Office Ours, Inc. — Mon, 13 Sep 2021 00:52:48 +0000

As a small business owner, you may have the feeling that larger businesses have an advantage over yours because of their professional business address. A business’s address is one of the most important identifiers to a business in addition to the business name, website URL, and phone number. Owning a virtual office allows you to proudly display your professional business address on creditable directories and websites like Facebook, Yelp, and Linkedin.

One of the first goals you will want to tackle is to make sure your business address is listed on major online directories. Adding your virtual office address to these directories will drive traffic to your website, and increase your business’s SEO. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and will improve your business ranking in online search results. Your SEO improves when you do things like adding your business to online directories. As a business owner, you may already utilize platforms like Facebook, Yelp, and LinkedIn, but there may be some directories you have never heard of that can help your business.

Unfortunately, you cannot add a virtual office address on Google My Business, but there are many places you CAN use your virtual office address. Knowing where to add your business address can be difficult and you don’t want to waste your time with websites that rarely get clicks. We have compiled a list of reputable places online where you can list your business address. We built this checklist to make it easier for business owners to confirm they have added their virtual office address to all the free virtual directories listed. The more places you add your business information, the more valuable your virtual office address will be!

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Perks vs. Profits – Is this My Office or a Resort?

Ryan Rangel — Thu, 10 Sep 2020 19:23:35 +0000

As you walk through the sleek, modern, industrial-looking doors into the lobby of your office building, you are greeted by a friendly receptionist and the anticipation of an event being held later that day, “Free Beer Friday.” Free beer? Who could say no to that? “This is great!” you’re thinking as you walk to your high-end, glass-enclosed fishbowl office. Sure, the office that looks like something from a design magazine… just don’t forget to leave any papers out that can breech confidentiality and privacy laws.

Some of your colleagues are sitting on balls and bean-bag chairs sending emails while eating “free” snacks; others are in the midst of a ping-pong tournament. Deadlines can be adjusted, right?

Before you sit down at your desk, you gaze out on the beautiful cityscape. This is the life; the Ritz Carlton of offices! But then, on the 15-minute walk to your car in the spot in the parking deck that you waited for months on a waiting list just for the privilege of paying $100’s per month, reality sets and you begin to wonder: are all these perks genuinely free? Who is paying for all of this? I have dreams of starting my own company. How can I afford all of this? WHY do I pay for all of this?!

You can’t and you shouldn’t. Sure, as your business grows and succeeds, you may want to offer some perks to your employees (please, no more ping-pong tables), but first things first. As an entrepreneur, you need to focus on your business, your clients, and your bottom line. Office and meeting space, internet access, and services that help you conduct business efficiently and effectively to reach profitability is what you need.

As a successful entrepreneur you know the truth. The cost of all the “free” amenities and luxury accommodations that sound appealing from a distance are actually added into the rent you pay at a luxury office building. Maybe someday you’ll be able to justify the expense of luxury office accommodations, but maybe you aren’t there… YET!

Consider this: Would you rather have a perfect view of the city or more money to hire your first employee? Would you rather have free donuts and bagels on Wednesdays or more money to buy inventory? For new businesses, and businesses looking for the best return on their investment, there are other options.

Luxury is great when you are an employee and the company you work for is paying the bill for your office. But now you are the boss turning your dream into reality and putting your time, energy and capital into something you are passionate about. For small business owners an office is a necessity, not a country club.

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Business Continuity

Ryan Rangel — Tue, 11 Aug 2020 20:16:27 +0000

Your small business is your lifeblood. It gets you up in the morning, it is what motivates you to make a difference in the community and to provide for your family.

You have a business you love and a nice office you enjoy going to everyday. One night you turn off the lights at the end of the day to go home for a pleasant evening with friends and family. The next morning when you arrive at your office with enthusiasm and optimism only to open the door to a nightmare. Your entire office is flooded because a pipe in the wall burst overnight. You call the property manager frantically, the property manager then calls plumber, the restoration company, their maintenance supervisor, you both call your insurance company, and everyone except the national guard is at your office helping. Your office now looks like a war zone and you are not sure how long it will take for all the repairs that need to be completed. The anxiety starts to set in because you know you have important client meetings scheduled for tomorrow, and where are your employees going to work in the meantime?

Let Office Ours be a part of your team ensuring your business doesn’t skip a beat. Office Ours has an option for month-to-month leases as long as move out notices are given 60 days in advance. For a small fee, we can rush the assembly of our modular furniture to fit your needs. Our IT Infrastructure team can help you set up a connection to your IT systems and build your own private LAN so that you can enjoy the privacy and security of your old office. Our phone system allows you to connect with clients and your team. Our copy center is there for you to be able to print the contract for your client meeting tomorrow. Which works out in your favor because you can book a professional conference room at any one of our locations for any of your meetings. To summarize; you can sign a lease electronically, we hand you the keys to your office, and you and your team are back to work.

When the time comes and the restoration and reconstruction of your old office is complete we will be sad to see you go, but we will also be proud of the role we played in helping you and your clientele seamlessly make it through this unpredictable circumstance without skipping a beat.

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Future-Proofing Your Phone Number

Office Ours, Inc. — Tue, 04 Aug 2020 13:20:51 +0000

When you begin the journey as an entrepreneur starting your own business, it is natural for you to put your personal cell phone number on your business card. After all, you are in charge of sales, marketing, accounting, operations, and responsible for doing whatever it is that gives your company a competitive edge.

So over time, your cell phone number also ends up on the website, invoices, brochures, signage, and advertisements. The result is that your cell phone starts receiving all the incoming calls for sales, marketing, accounting and operations, all those different hats you wear as an entrepreneur.

But then, something starts to happen… A glimmer of success? You win your first large contract and your business is starting to feel like reality. Now you can afford to hire an employee or vendor to handle your accounting. However, there is one small dilemma; all the account payable and account receivable calls are still coming to your cell phone. That should be an easy fix as you can just switch the phone number on the invoices to your new employee’s cell phone or your accountants main phone number. On top of that, you recently hired a sales and marketing professional to lead your growth efforts. This results in the same issue; sales and marketing calls are coming to your cell phone due to all the paper brochures and the corners of the internet that have your cell phone on them. No problem, you can just make the next batch of brochures and the next revision of the website use your new sales person’s cell phone.

More time passes as your company starts to have trouble keeping up with the demand for your products and services. With the importance of your working hours increasing, efficiency becomes ever so important to manage your time. However, you are finding that your productivity isn’t increasing as you are still being interrupted and pulled in five different directions from the calls you are still receiving from all of the old advertisements, brochures, invoices, and business cards. To make things worse, your accountant is moving out-of-state to be closer to family and your sales person landed a new job and is leaving your company. So now, you have the added distraction of angry emails and calls from vendors who can’t get a hold of your accountant to get paid, because they are calling the phone number they have on file… which is your old accountants number. And for some reason your sales call volume has dropped. You don’t know that potential customers are calling the number on old brochures and outdated corners of the internet that have your old sales person’s cell phone.

The result? Your sales are down, your stress is up, and there isn’t enough time or coffee to deal with all the messes you have to clean up.

Design your business to scale and grow from day one.

You might be a solopreneur today, but tomorrow your company could be significantly bigger. A phone service is valuable to set up from day one of your business even if all you do is forward the “business phone number” to your cell phone. This gives you a phone number you can publish on any marketing, sales, accounting or operational material. It might seem like a waste in the beginning but when you hire your new accountant, all you have to do is add an auto attendant to say “Thanks for calling my business… for Accounting press 1, sales press 2, for marketing press 3, for all other inquiries press 4”. It doesn’t matter if number 2, 3 and 4 forward to your cell phone. At least accounting can be forwarded to the accounting firm you have today and it can be changed to forward to the accounting firm you’ll have tomorrow. Then, when you hire your new sales person, pressing #2 will forward to their cell phone or desk phone. If you make the decision to set up a phone system and phone number separate from your cell phone from day one, then the moment you redirect those calls to that new person/vendor you will be immediately removing distractions. You will also be eliminating the chance that people are calling wrong numbers… even when that “wrong number” is your personal cell phone.

Office Ours has rolled out a new phone system that is designed to assist small businesses in their growth and development, while also giving you the flexibility to take it with you as you grow, even if that means graduating from our office products into a standard commercial lease. To all small businesses that sign up, we are giving one of the most affordable and flexible phone systems offered on the market. No more headaches of transferring systems when you move office locations and most importantly, no hidden fees. For new members and leases, we are offering the first line and business phone number for free. Ask about how our phone system can help your business achieve growth and efficiency.

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