Should I consider Executive Office Suites?

I currently work from home and I need to hire a full time employee. Should I consider renting an executive office suite? I just don't want to take on the additional monthly expense, but I also don't think it's feasible to have a new employee work from my house...advice would be appreciated.

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Small Business

Office Suites

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Doug Martin

asked on Feb. 9, 2010

Samson Media

Posted on Feb. 10, 2010

Very relevant question for me since I JUST went through EXACTLY what you're describing. It became a little bit of "the chicken or the egg" --- you need the employee but you have no place to put them so you you a place in order to hire the employee. This winds up adding overhead on to a salary -- a double whammy. This is what I wound up doing: I found a place where I could rent an office space just one day a week. I meet with all my freelancers (employees) there that day and the rest of the week they work from home. My business is website design so that lends itself to this arrangement. Not sure if that works for you.

Chris Haug

Founder, Managing Director, L.C. Haug & Associates

Posted on Feb. 10, 2010

Doug, is your only requirement to provide a space for your employee or do you have other needs that may be met by an executive office? Do you also want to project a "professional image" to clients/meet with clients? Do you want to "get out of the house"? etc.

If you think you have multiple reasons then it may be worth the expense risk. If not, I might suggest that you search for an existing small business in a local and convenient office building/office park who might have some vacant space that you could sub-let. The small business would probably welcome the rent and you could negotiate a rate that keep your overhead as low as possible.