Need temporary office space? Someone to professionally answer your phones? Let us introduce you to the world of serviced offices. Professionalism is the word when it comes to running a business out of your home, but with limited resources and space, projecting a professional image can sometimes be tough. By offering a variety of services on a temporary or virtual basis, serviced offices allow you to reap the benefits of a full-fledged office without incurring the high costs.
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Lyle Maul, for one, founded eVirtual Suites in Los Angeles last November as a way to meet the demands of the growing homebased business community. "We wanted to level the playing field and give the small guy the same advantages the big guy has," he says.
EVirtual Suites offers packages priced from $165 to $399 a month that include a variety of services, including 24-hour access to their T1-enabled Byte Café and technology-equipped conference rooms; a professional business address and phone number; administrative support; and your very own "telereceptionist" to answer your calls, in the flesh, and patch them through to you, wherever you may be. "A lot of businesses can't afford to advertise, or they advertise in limited places, but everyone has a phone," says Maul. "The more professionally your phone is answered, the more impressive you are to clients and prospects."
Scheduled to open 10 offices over the next two years in Southern California and nationally, eVirtual Suites, which expects to have 300 clients by the end of June, is making its mark on a growing industry. "[Serviced offices] take advantage of all the trends going on in the marketplace, like trying to have a higher quality of life, spending more time with family and avoiding costly commutes," says Maul. "This gives you the ability to be on the run, make more money and be more efficient."
For homebased entrepreneurs who may only need a conference room once in a while or who can't afford to hire a staff of assistants, companies like eVirtual Suites can mean a more professional image and less time spent on time-sucking administrative tasks.
This story appears in the May 2001 issue of Startups. Subscribe »
