In today’s virtual world, it seems as if almost every business can ditch the real office and instead opt for a virtual office.
Some business owners have already made the switch, and some are still holding on tight to their real storefront or office. Some aren’t sure. There are many benefits to having a virtual office that you should consider to determine if you too should make the switch for your business.
Virtual offices = Less Cost.
In most cases, a virtual office is less expensive to operate. You don’t have to pay rent on a building, or utilities (and their deposits) either. Also gone are maintenance fees to upkeep or remodel a building. Instead a virtual office is something you can do from anywhere, whether your home or on the beach. You only have to pay for the services that you will need such as Internet connections, address and mail services, phone answering, conference room use and this adds up to real savings.
With a virtual office, you can still collaborate with your team. Video conferencing, cloud-based software and other state-of-the-art technology can ensure that your business still runs just as smoothly as it would if you and your team were constantly face-to-face.
Virtual offices allow you to impress clients.
With a virtual office space, you have access to conference rooms, meeting rooms, a business address, and all the amenities of a physical business without having to pay for one. All located in a prestigious, Class-A office building.
Virtual offices increase employee morale.
Your employees will enjoy not having to endure a commute to the office every morning. All team members can work together to accomplish the same goals but in an environment that’s more conducive for them. This not only increases production, but it can reduce turnover as well.
In today’s virtual world, it seems as if almost every business can ditch the real office and instead opt for a virtual office.
Some business owners have already made the switch, and some are still holding on tight to their real storefront or office. Some aren’t sure. There are many benefits to having a virtual office that you should consider to determine if you too should make the switch for your business.
Virtual offices = Less Cost.
In most cases, a virtual office is less expensive to operate. You don’t have to pay rent on a building, or utilities (and their deposits) either. Also gone are maintenance fees to upkeep or remodel a building. Instead a virtual office is something you can do from anywhere, whether your home or on the beach. You only have to pay for the services that you will need such as Internet connections, address and mail services, phone answering, conference room use and this adds up to real savings.
With a virtual office, you can still collaborate with your team. Video conferencing, cloud-based software and other state-of-the-art technology can ensure that your business still runs just as smoothly as it would if you and your team were constantly face-to-face.
Virtual offices allow you to impress clients.
With a virtual office space, you have access to conference rooms, meeting rooms, a business address, and all the amenities of a physical business without having to pay for one. All located in a prestigious, Class-A office building.
Virtual offices increase employee morale.
Your employees will enjoy not having to endure a commute to the office every morning. All team members can work together to accomplish the same goals but in an environment that’s more conducive for them. This not only increases production, but it can reduce turnover as well.
You’ve decided that it’s time to start your own business. You started with a great idea, assembled a winning business plan and now it’s time to launch the business and let it fly.
One slight hang-up remains, however. In order for your plan to succeed it is imperative that your business does not appear to be a newbie. You will be competing against entrenched vendors who have something similar to offer and you know that in business credibility is key and that new clients are wary of committing their time, assets and/or money to a vendor that looks like they just opened their doors yesterday. If your competition is based in a traditional bricks and mortar location then you need to be as well. If for no other reason than to just level the playing field. A traditional bricks and mortar facility implies that a business has been around for a while and has staying power. It implies size, and strength and an attitude of professionalism.
But if you’re just starting out there’s a good chance that the money to get your own building and possibly hire staff so that you look in the eyes of your prospects to be as professional as you know you are, is not in the budget. So therein lies the problem, how does your business appear to the outside world to be established and professional without breaking the bank?
The answer is an executive office suite like the ones you will find at Executive Suites at Lakewood Ranch. With an executive suite you get one or more fully furnished offices, you get a staff you don’t have to hire, you get an address that reflects a business location instead of a residential location or P.O. Box. You get someone to answer your phone in a professional manner, you get access to business tools such as copiers, scanners and fax machines, and you get professional meeting rooms instead of Starbucks or a fast food place. And you get cleaning service, electricity, water, sewer, HVAC without having to contract for these services or pay deposits on them. You are not responsible for ongoing maintenance, if something breaks it’s someone else’s problem, not yours. And you get all of this for a short time frame and very little cash out of pocket.
In short an executive office suite validates your new business as a professional organization that is just as qualified as the other guys.
If your new business needs validation and you are located within Manatee or Sarasota counties then you should be talking to Executive Suites at Lakewood Ranch. We’ll have you looking professional and established in no time.
It’s the beginning of the year, a time for resolutions and one resolution you can make is to make yourself more productive in 2015. The following tips from Lara Galloway and Erin Babbler should help.
At any moment in a given day, we have push notifications, text messages, email alerts, phone calls, tweets, and even real humans vying for our attention. Not only are we busy in the present, but also our minds are often consumed with the future and all of the decisions we have to make.
While your to-do list is more likely to grow longer than disappear, the key to reducing exhaustion is to spend the time you do have productively.
Before we share some tips that will help, let’s first look at some of the things that get in the way of your productivity:
LACK OF BOUNDARIES
Most people aren’t great at establishing strong boundaries around their time, and they’re even worse at observing them. It’s important when you’ve scheduled time to do something to actually do it. Resisting answering phone calls, checking social media, or agreeing to have coffee when a friend stops by can be difficult, but also worthwhile.
DISTRACTIONS AND INTERRUPTIONS
Distractions happen for one of two main reasons: Either we fail to limit our exposure to them or they are an indication that we need a break. You need to learn to notice the difference, enforce those boundaries we just mentioned, and allow time to rest and rejuvenate when necessary.
DOING IT ALL YOURSELF
We have many responsibilities and multiple roles in life and work. One of the biggest drains on productivity is that we take on more than we are capable of accomplishing.
It can be hard to relinquish control, but doing so gives us the opportunity to work on what matters most while allowing someone else to handle the rest. In addition to delegating, what sorts of things can you automate or, at the very least, create a streamlined process to handle?
Set yourself up for success by creating and sticking to your boundaries, minimizing distractions, and getting over the idea that you’re the only one who can do what must be done. If you only apply these three principles without adding in any of the tips listed below, you will see a definite increase in your productivity.
If you want even more productivity, though, here’s how to get it:
CHUNK IT
How long can you stay focused on a task or project? Whether it’s 20 minutes or two hours, break your day into chunks of time and schedule tasks that can be completed in those chunks. Take short breaks between each chunk.
MAP IT
Project mapping is a great time management technique in which you plug tasks from a project into the available time slots on your calendar, just as if you were scheduling an appointment with a client. We get so overwhelmed when we have a massive project and a looming deadline. By mapping the project tasks out on our calendar, we set aside specific time to work on them so they get done.
CALCULATE IT
The Pareto principle, or the “80/20 rule” as it’s commonly referred to, says that 20% of whatever you are talking about is vital and 80% is trivial. Apply this to your task list: 20% of what you do will yield 80% of your progress. Out of all the tasks that must be done, can you pick out the 20% that will move you closer toward your goals?
QUARTER IT
On a sheet of paper, create a to-do list. Make this list as inclusive as possible. Divide a separate sheet of paper into four quadrants. In Quadrant 1, write down all of the tasks from your list that make you money. In Quadrant 2, write down the tasks on your list that make it possible for you to make money, like marketing activities. Quadrant 3 should include tasks that don’t make money but most be done. These are your business operations like email administration, managing the team and meetings, paying bills, etc. In Quadrant 4, list all of the activities from your list that are truly tasks that could be delegated to someone else or simply deleted from your to-do list altogether. Always challenge yourself to put at least 5 items in Quadrants 1 and 4, and spend your time focusing on doing the tasks in Quadrants 1 and 2 as much as possible.
TIME IT
You are likely more productive at certain times of the day than others. Schedule your hardest and most important tasks during your most efficient times of day, and save your easier/less important activities for your low-energy periods.
QUESTION IT
If you notice that certain tasks on your list never seem to get done, it’s time to question whether it’s worth doing at all. Can you move these tasks to Quadrant 4?
MAXIMIZE IT
Maximize your time by grouping together tasks that are similar. For instance, if you have client meetings, plan to run errands while you’re out. Then schedule multiple tasks you can do on your computer for another part of the day or a different day.
PLAN IT
Planning impacts your productivity in so many ways. Set yourself up for success by taking time to prepare for the next day. Study the time you have between appointments and deadlines and make a plan the night before for the tasks you will accomplish.
BREAK IT
As counterintuitive as it may seem, taking a break is actually a very effective way to be more productive. Take a shower. Go for a walk. Get lost on Instagram for 15 minutes. You’ll be refreshed when you return to your work.
FOCUS IT
When you’re overwhelmed with to-dos and need to get back on track, sometimes it helps to focus all your energy on the tasks you have to complete. This means letting go of some things you normally do to maintain life as usual. Housework, your favorite TV shows, or your weekly night out with friends might be a worthwhile sacrifice for the short term to allow you to focus all your energy and be more productive.
No matter how fast you knock things off your list, use your precious time on the things that matter most and you will feel more productive.
Lastly, and this is probably the best tip of all, locate yourself in a productive environment such as you will find at Executive Suites at Lakewood Ranch where productivity abounds.
This is the last in a multi-part series of success tips from Sir Richard Branson. These tips are from his book, “Like A Virgin: Secrets They Won’t Teach You at Business School.”
Cut ties without burning bridges.
Business ventures with another person, be it a friend or a partner, don’t always work out. If this is the case, successful entrepreneurs know when to part ways.
But just because you decide to go in another direction doesn’t mean things have to end badly, especially with a friend, says Branson. Handle any problems quickly and head-on, and end the relationship as amicably as possible.
Pick up the phone.
It is great to be tech-savvy, but don’t text or email when you should be calling. “The quality of business communications has become poorer in recent years as people avoid phone calls and face-to-face meetings, I can only assume, in some misguided quest for efficiency,” Branson says.
Problems are more difficult to solve by text or email, and “there is nothing efficient about allowing a small problem to escalate,” says Branson, when it could have been easily addressed with a phone call.
Change shouldn’t be feared, but it should be managed.
“Companies aren’t future-proof,” says Branson, and nothing lasts forever. An entrepreneur should be prepared to adapt, and avoid being nostalgic about the company itself.
“Sometimes you have to take your company in a new direction because circumstances and opportunities have changed.” If this is the case, Branson advises that you should “find ways to inspire all employees to think like entrepreneurs … so the more responsibility you give people the better they will perform.”
When it comes to making mistakes, bounce back, don’t fall down.
Your decision will not always be the best decision. Everyone makes mistakes, but the best thing you can do in the face of a mistake is own up to it.
Honesty isn’t just the best policy, it’s the only policy, notes Branson. When a mistake is made, don’t let it consume you. Uncover the problem and get to work fixing it.
Be a leader, not a boss.
Branson sees the classic image of “the boss” as an anachronism. Being bossy is not a desirable trait in a manager, he says. A boss orders while a leader organizes.
“Perhaps, therefore, it is odd that if there is any one phrase that is guaranteed to set me off it’s when someone says to me, ‘Okay, fine. You’re the boss!'” says Branson. “What irks me is that in 90 percent of such instances what that person is really saying is ‘Okay, then, I don’t agree with you but I’ll roll over and do it because you’re telling me to. But if it doesn’t work out I’ll be the first to remind everyone that it wasn’t my idea.'”
A good corporate leader is someone who doesn’t just execute his or her own ideas, but also inspires others to come forth with their own.
Base Your Business at Executive Suites at Lakewood Ranch
No, he didn’t really say this but he should have. 