It’s not about the size. It’s how you work it!

One of the things I get asked the most when I exchange business cards with someone is why I don’t have an address on it. It’s quite simple, really: since I work from a home office, in a neighborhood that doesn’t really encourage commercial traffic, it wouldn’t really make sense for me to print my home address for all the world to see. As a freelance writer for many years, it never really occurred to me to provide one to a random person I meet at a networking event or conference. My editors and clients, of course, always saw the address whenever I submitted an invoice, but otherwise, I never really saw the need for it.

I imagine that since I now operate not as a “freelance contractor” but rather as a “business owner,” folks are more likely to ask that question. I also noticed that there’s a generational divide reflected in the question: folks younger than 40 are far less likely to ask me that question than those older. In fact, I can almost guarantee you that anyone younger than I won’t even think about it. Instead, they simply ask me what city I’m based in, and leave it at that.

I went back and forth on the issue of getting a post office box or even — gasp! — a real office, or at least one of those increasingly popular “virtual” offices that give you an impressive-looking corporate address to put on your business card and other marketing materials for often less than $75 a month. Hard to beat, and considering the dismal state of affairs at the US Postal Service, much more practical and reliable.

More than a few people have counseled me to get just one of those offices, or at least a “virtual receptionist,” one whose sole purpose is to answer my redirected calls when I’m unavailable or unable to answer them myself and thus “make you seem bigger than you actually are.” It sounds awfully tempting, especially when I’m surrounded by small business owners at networking events who have just those office suites–and really, many of them are probably virtual–and maybe even a dozen or so employees. When you’re vying for the business of a large company, and I sometimes am, it would be nice to be able to say, “Yes, my office is actually at Williams Square in Las Colinas.” (And yeah, did you know that one of those virtual office companies offers that most prestigious of Irving addresses, Williams Square? And for less than $100/month!)

In fact, I even have one client who I’ve known for years and whose business address has a truly high-falutin’ 2nd line: “2nd Floor.” As in, Holy smokes, his company takes up an entire floor! Er, no. Actually, it’s his home address, and his home office happens to be on the second floor of his two-story residence. Clever man.

After thinking about it further, though, I’ve come to the decision that having a virtual office simply for the sake of appearances makes little financial or business sense, especially in this modern world of remote working, telecommuting and 24/7 staffing availability. It’s the age of the Internet, a time when I can’t even really legitimately claim that my office is in my home. Rather, my office is in my laptop. It’s where I do nearly everything for my business: project management; accounting and bookkeeping; invoicing; hiring, evaluating, communicating, and managing contractors; writing; editing; web developing; graphic design; even faxing. The only other tool I use that I consider indispensable to my business is my cell phone, and yes, even that is with me wherever I go. There’s almost no reason to have a stationary office, especially for someone as technically-tethered as I am. My office is nowhere and everywhere.

I do work most effectively at home, where I have ready access to my printer and reference materials and I can take a quick power nap or lunch break whenever I want to. There’s no commute, no grinding noise of an industrial-strength espresso machine, overly-loud satellite radio system, no faulty public wi-fi. More than once I’ve popped into a Starbucks or La Madeleine to do some work, only to find the Internet unavailable.

When I need to meet with clients, I either meet them at their office or at a coffee shop. I’ve since learned that, yes, Starbucks is an awful place to meet clients, but three- or four-star hotel restaurants and cafes are excellent. Libraries are iffy, especially if you want wi-fi, but some Chambers of Commerce allow free or low-cost access to their conference rooms to their members. Ideally, I meet with clients at their office, but sometimes it’s equally nice to get out of the everyday and chat over a cup of coffee.

The bottom line is, the flexible office solution works for me and lets me be a leaner entrepreneur without the hassle and stress of maintaining even a virtual office. I’m the kind of person who never answers her mobile when she’s driving, in a meeting or having dinner with my husband, but as far as I know, it’s never prevented me from landing a client. I’m as accessible as my schedule allows, but hey, sometimes calls go to voicemail. It happens to me and happens to everyone else. In fact, most of my client communications now happen over email, which they seem to prefer, and allows both of us to answer when it’s convenient. (I even had one client I’d never actually spoken to on the telephone–it was all by email–and it worked quite well for us.)

Not everyone would be comfortable with this solution, of course, and I totally get that. I’m not saying that a “virtual entrepreneur,” so to speak, will work for everyone, even for those who have that option available to them. The virtual office option is an increasingly popular one simply because businesses have traditionally always had the “official” address, and that perception (dare I say “bias?”) isn’t going to go away anytime soon. Indeed, as my business grows, I imagine I’ll probably break down and get one of them myself, perhaps even upgrading to one that gives me access to a conference room. (Talk about the big time!)

Right now, though, I rely on my professionalism, expertise and hard-earned credibility to woo potential clients, rather than any fancy-sounding street address. It does mean occasionally having to explain the “situation” (no, I never lie about having a home office, but I don’t volunteer the information unless they ask), but I suspect that as business evolves and technology advances to the point where nearly everyone can do their entire jobs online, eventually even virtual offices will become obsolete, and we’ll all have business cards sans that one outdated line: Address.

Photo credit: 200904-mw2009-058-2 by smannion on Flickr.

Tagged as: Entrepreneurship, Small Business