Executive Suites: Gateway To Growth

As the number of new jobless claims continues to rise, the number of newly formed businesses is also increasing. But for many new entrepreneurs and small-business owners, image is everything and finding a way to establish a professional image in a hyper-competitive marketplace can seem like a daunting and expensive proposition - but it doesn't have to be.

Traditionally, start-up firms have had two choices when deciding where to "set up shop" - 1) Turn a spare bedroom at home into an office, or 2) Lease commercial office space.

Unfortunately, neither option presents a particularly attractive business case. Although convenient and cost effective, the home office can be wrought with distractions, such as kids, pets, the television, lawn work or your dirty laundry. Furthermore, a home office is not typically the most conducive place to host important client meetings. There can also be security issues involved when giving out your home address and personal phone number to every person that you meet.

The common alternative to working from home has been traditional office space and conventional leases, but this type of space also presents a host of challenges for the small business owner. Commercial office leases can be expensive and oftentimes they lock a business owner into a three, five or even ten year committment.

For a small business that is just getting started, committing to an office for this type of time frame can be next to impossible. What's to say that a new business doesn't hit it big and add on 20 or 30 employees in the first five years? Or conversely, how can a small business owner guarantee that they'll even be in business five years from now - after all, 50% of businesses fail in the first year and only 10% of new businesses make it beyond year five.

More and more commercial leasing agents are becoming willing to shorten their term lengths on their office space, especially given the current economic woes. But even if a small business owner is able to negotiate a one year lease on office space, she'll usually be required to take at least 1000 square feet and equip the office space on her own. So, while the long term risk may not be there, the up-front capital expense still is, making a traditional office lease less than ideal for a small business owner who's boot-strapping it.

So what's a small business owner to do? Stay at home and lack the professional image that your competitors have? Or shell out big-bucks and hope for the best by signing a commercial office lease? For years, this is the trade-off that many small businesses have had to wrestle with, but there is another way.

For small businesses that want to limit their start-up costs and effectively grow their business, an executive suite or office business center can be the ideal solution.

For a fraction of the cost required to set up and maintain a full-time traditional office, small-business owners can rent an office space from an executive suite or office business center and have immediate access to a fully-furnished and professionally-staffed office suite - complete with a receptionist to answer company phone calls, conference rooms for client meetings, state-of-the-art telephone equipment, high-speed internet access, and other amenities that allow small business owners to instantly have a more professional image and a highly productive office space.

Essentially, an executive suite becomes and instant office for a small business owner, where all they have to bring is their laptop and a desire to get work done... the executive suite takes care of the rest.

With thousands of executive suites throughout the world, this growing niche industry provides a cost-effective option for the small business owner who is looking to establish a path to prosperity.

For further information about executive suites and office business centers, please visit the website for The Office Business Center Association of Colorado (OBCAC). OBCAC is an industry trade association representing more than a dozen executive suite and office business center provides along the front range of Colorado.