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