This month marks the official start of fall, and with the end of 2014 just a few months away, a number of seasonal businesses are ramping up operations as they prepare for their busiest time of year: the holidays.

According to a recent CareerBuilder survey, one in four companies plan to hire seasonal employees in the fourth quarter, with 42 percent planning to transition at least some seasonal staff into permanent positions.

While some companies that experience dramatic fluctuations in business from one season to the next may be prepared for these changes, others can run into unexpected challenges if they decide they need to hire additional staff to meet demand from clients. Finding the right people to fill temporary positions is difficult enough, but making room for short-term employees can be an even bigger challenge, especially for smaller businesses with more modest budgets. Even if additional space is available and a company can afford to rent it, most landlords are reluctant to lease space on a month-to-month basis, leaving businesses with excess square footage after their busy season is over.

One solution for businesses with less predictable real estate needs is shared office space, which can be leased on a monthly or annual basis. In addition to offering back-office services and amenities like conference rooms and lounges – great for small businesses that need temporary “assembly line” space – shared office centers enable companies to maximize flexibility while minimizing cost.

Specific benefits include:

1. Scalability: Shared office centers make it easy for holiday decorators, personal shoppers and other businesses that are more seasonal in nature to add space during their busy months – either at their existing location or, if necessary, another center owned by the same provider – and reduce their footprint when business slows down. If they require more space than initially expected, most shared office providers will be able to accommodate their needs with little advance notice.

2. Better locations, cheaper rent: Shared office centers allow businesses to lease space in the best locations at a fraction of the cost of traditional office space. For example, a corporate event planner who spends much of their time on-site with clients, especially during the holiday season, would likely want to be close to the central business district where office rents are high, making a short-term shared office space the more economical choice.

3. Networking: One of the biggest perks of a shared office space is the built-in networking opportunities. It’s very common for tenants to use each other’s services and encourage their personal and professional contacts to do the same. This allows tenants to easily and quickly expand their customer base to get the most out of their busy season.

While shared office space can be a smart temporary home for seasonal businesses as they add clients and employees, others view it as an economical long-term solution that allows them to avoid the headaches that can come with leasing or owning a space of their own.