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Grow Your Home Business: Is Virtual Office Space Right for You?

Susan L. Reid

One of the biggest obstacles keeping home-based business owners from expanding into the marketplace is the cost factor:

• Renting office space
• Hiring administrative staff
• Purchasing equipment

This doesn’t even include the cost of expanding products and services. It's enough to make any home-based business owner shy away from expansion and, instead, stay small.

I'm here to tell you it doesn't have to be this way. Previously, you've had very few choices when it comes to expansion. Now things are different. You don't have to settle for staying small when virtual office space provides flexible service that can fit any budget.

If you are ready to grow your business and want to save money, virtual office space is worth considering. For a monthly fee you can get as many or as few virtual office services as you need, from conference rooms and receptionist services to remote-access voicemail, high-speed Internet connectivity and tech support.

Five Reasons to Consider Virtual Office Space

1. You want to expand your business without increasing your overhead.

Virtual office space is a low-risk alternative to renting a conventional office. Not only that, virtual offices come fully equipped with meeting rooms and private office time. You no longer have to worry about missed calls or missed opportunities. Your virtual office becomes a seamless extension of your home business with dedicated administrative support services.

2. You want to protect the privacy of your home and personal phone numbers.

Having your home address and telephone number on your business cards when you were just starting up was okay. Now your business is expanding and your home needs to be safeguarded. Your virtual office comes with its own contact number and a high-profile business address that protects your personal privacy while making it easy for your clients to do business with you.

3. You're tired of being distracted by calls and administrative tasks.

When you were just starting out, you needed to do it all. Now you can't do it all yourself. It's time to streamline your efficiency and increase productivity by turning over your administrative tasks to someone else.

Virtual offices come equipped with a professional, full-time receptionist, trained to answer calls, screen them, and forward them to you. In addition to phone reception, your virtual office assistant can do data entry, copying, printing, and faxing. He or she can also handle your scheduling, reservations, and order fulfillment, as well as collect your mail and forward it to you.

4. It's important to you to project a professional image to your clients.

Virtual office space is a great option if you are a home-based business owner preferring to work at home while maintaining a business identity at a professional address. A virtual office is an easy, cost-effective way to enhance your business image and make an impact at a fraction of the cost of renting office space.

5. You want to be able to live and work anywhere in the world cost effectively.

Most virtual office providers are located in major cities around the world, giving you the maximum amount of freedom and flexibility to do business just about anywhere.

Services vary, depending on which plan you choose. Costs range from $100 to $350 per month for a standard package to $10 per hour for a la carte services. If you want or need to have a global base of operation, look for yearly specials for as low as $350 per year in select major cities. The following links will get you started:

• www.regus.com/virtualsolutions.com
• www.davincivirtual.com
• www.intelligentoffice.com
• www.officefinder.com/VirtualOfficeSpace.html
• www.officesuitesplus.com

As a home-based business owner, you no longer need to shy away from expanding into the marketplace. Virtual office space provides an affordable, hassle-free alternative to leasing space or hiring administrative staff, allowing you to save money and continue to work from home easily and effectively.

If you are ready to grow your home business, virtual office space may be the perfect solution for you.

Copyright © 2008 by Susan L. Reid

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