Recently, I have read more and more about shared office spaces and working from home. Have you ever thought of this for your business? Sure, work at home sounds like an amazing thing, but sometimes, it’s not as pretty as we would like it to be.
If you know me and have read my blog enough, you have come to learn that I love lists and research. So, I took it upon myself to look up some pros and cons to working from home versus working in a Co-op shared office.
Working From Home Options
Home Office Vs Shared/Rented Office
Cost
Working from home via a home office is essentially free. I say essentially because you may have rent on your place or a mortgage, but really, if you look at it, it’s not an extra cost. You can spend the money you save on something else. Though, you can add your office space into your tax expenses for your business. If you work from a shared or rented office, you will have to pay for the rented space. Though, it is not as awful as you might think for the price. The average rent is around $250/mo for an office space. That’s not too bad when you think of it.Access
When it comes to working from home in an office space, you have access to your work 24/7. Now, this could be good, or terrible, depending on how you look at it. It’s convenient to work during a child’s nap time, or when your spouse is watching their favorite show but is it really a good time to work? When you have rented space, you go to work and only work. You can have office hours and shut off the lights (and your brain) when the day is done.Distractions
When you are working from home there are all sorts of distractions that come into the day to day life. As a mom, I know it. There is always a load of laundry, dinner to be prepared, a dog to let outside, a mailman to answer the door to, a friendly neighbor who wants to chat, kids that need to be cared for, groceries that need to be bought, as well as a house that needs to be cleaned. Many times I catch myself changing over laundry and having to set timers if I am distracted with something to get back to my work. If you have rented space, distractions are minimal. You will always have Facebook, Twitter, phone calls, etc to distract, but I feel there are way more at home to take us away from work.Client Meeting
If you work from home via a home office, meeting clients is not ideal for face-to-face if you are at home. If you have clients, you usually have to go to lunch somewhere, instead of a home office visit. If you have rented space, it can be convenient to bring someone in to talk about upcoming projects, etc. Though, in the freelance world, it is rare for me to ever meet clients face to face. Have you ever thought of a rented space? It can help you beat loneliness if you work in one of those coworking spaces. For me, I love my office (after the makeover) and don’t see myself renting a space. Also, the tax benefits of working from home are nice because you can write off some home expenses as well.Like what you’re reading? Take a listen to our podcast called The Savvy Scribe Podcast!
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