For any business, large or small, the customer is everything. This is true for Amata, too. So we know it’s important to show our customers – or in our case, our shared office tenants – how much we appreciate their business in creative and valuable ways.
Does your kitchen table double as your desk? If you’re having a hard time separating your personal life from your professional life, it could be time to find a new space for your home-based business. While home offices are often a good fit for startups, allowing entrepreneurs to save on rent and other expenses, they present challenges once a company starts to bring on employees and land its first clients, according to this recent article from Mashable.
With everything from barking dogs to crying babies, home offices can be full of distractions, making it difficult for small, start-up businesses to maintain a professional image. A living room isn’t the same as a conference room, and a bedroom isn’t the same as a private office. Home offices also lack the professional exposure of a commercial office with street traffic and, due to their isolated nature, don’t facilitate collaboration with other entrepreneurs. Additionally, heavy foot traffic from employees can be a red flag to homeowners associations and possibly affect your homeowners or renters insurance, creating unnecessary headaches at a time when you’re trying to grow your company, according to the article.
If you aren’t ready to commit to traditional office space, shared office providers like Amata Office Centers are a great, affordable alternative. In addition to offering you private, professional office space, our facilities feature a variety of common areas like state-of-the-art conference rooms and on-site cafés that are ideal for face-to-face meetings with clients, who may be uncomfortable talking about business deals in your family’s dining room. Another less visible perk of shared office suites is the built-in professional network that comes with each center, making it easy for entrepreneurs to work together to solve common problems.
But a shared office suite isn’t the only way to boost your professional image. For those who want to take a smaller step, a virtual office could be a good starting point. Our virtual office solutions provide professional mail and phone answering services that serve as an extension of your brand, allowing you to have a downtown address while continuing to work from home. You can also rent conference space on an as-needed basis. If you ever decide to move to one of Amata’s Chicago office centers, your company address and phone number will stay the same, making the transition from home to office seamless for you and your clients.
Are you a home-based entrepreneur looking for shared office space in Chicago? Head over to our website to find the plan that’s right for your company. And be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook andLinkedIn for updates about Amata and additional tips for growing your business.
Until next time,
Ron Bockstahler,
CEO & Co-founder
Image By: Tammy Strobel
Discover our offices for lawyers in Chicago.
If you’re considering marketing your business through social media and don’t know where to start – or how to continue once you’ve begun – then this post is for you. I’ve compiled five quick tips from marketing pros, entrepreneurs, and even some of Amata’s own best practices to share for successful social media marketing for your small business or practice.
Forget cool office perks like ping-pong tables, Friday happy hour and employee gym memberships. According to a recent Harvard Business Review article, the No. 1 key to increasing employee productivity is giving employees control over their work environment, which helps boost their overall happiness, motivation and performance in the workplace.
If you’ve been looking for office space for rent in Chicago, no doubt you’ve heard about the growing trend in virtual office space. Whether you’re a solo practitioner, small business owner or decision maker for a national or international company, there are fiscal as well as social benefits in working with an office suites provider of flexible and/or virtual office space. But, before signing on the dotted line, you shoud know that not all virtual office suites providers offer the same services and amenities.
Every customer relationship begins as a lead. And like a seed that becomes a tree, a lead must be nurtured under just the right conditions to grow. Marketing, the first phase in the lifecycle of the customer relationship, must keep a steady stream of leads coming in, and then build the relationship until those prospects are ready for sales.
At Amata Office Centers, we understand that no matter how large or small the industry type, establishing a new office location can be time consuming, costly, and frustrating. At Amata our aSuiteOffice provides the much needed flexibility to react to ever-changing market influences requiring a business to expand, contract, or relocate. This kind of flexibility cannot be achieved through traditional long-term office leasing. Our aSuiteOffice agreements are simple and straight forward. The result is the quick establishment of your office, allowing you to take advantage of your new space immediately.
So, you’ve made the decision to move your growing business to a center of business. You’ve researched all your options with office space and the benefits of leasing. You’ve decided which building offers the best mix of ease of access and parking options and you drive up to take a meeting with a leasing consultant for your first choice of address. What are the questions you should ask to guide you in making the right choice?
Amata is the largest privately owned executive office suites provider in Chicago. In just a decade, we have gained some of the most valuable space anywhere in the Windy City whether it’s in the Loop or in Naperville. Each space is state of the art and a prime mailing address to associate with your business.
Starting a law office can be very risky, especially in huge city like Chicago. Chicago law offices are everywhere you look and some of those firms have been practicing for decades. First things first, don’t get intimidated! When you’re starting the process of finding space, do your research. Read below for some helpful tips when it comes down to finding the perfect space for your own practice.
