Danielle Keister of The Relief — Virtual Assistance provided me with her take on the home office. First of all, Danielle provides a great service that anyone running a professional practice out of their home should take a look at. Her website at the above link provides information about her services. Here is her guest post. Danielle also started a Virtual Assistant Professional Association earlier this year called the Virtual Assistance Chamber of Commerce. One of its stated goals is to help connect business owners with only the most professional VA’s.
I hated working in an office, especially a corporate one. I hated having to wear uptight, stuffy clothes. I hated being interrupted by noise and coworkers and everything else when I simply wanted to work and concentrate on what I was doing. And being in an office, the temptation and distraction for me were other people because there was always someone to gab with about something.
I have a home-based office, but that’s not something I emphasize or promote. The fact that my office happens to be in my home, to me, is of absolutely no relevance or consequence to the services I provide to clients. In fact, I believe it helps me deliver more value and service to clients. I’m much happier, more focused and more productive in my own environment than I ever was having to go to an office. I, personally, don’t find it a challenge to be disciplined because I thoroughly enjoy my work, and the experience of working from my own office, and look forward to it each day. My home office also helps keep overhead costs low.
If I was forced back to anything resembling the constrictive, inhibiting, soul-draining grind of commuting and working in an office 9-5, I would have to give up being a business owner (or more accurately, shoot myself), because a large part of the reason I wanted start a business was more control over the quality of my life. Here, I can sit looking out at the water (we live on waterfront property) as I happily work with nothing more distracting than the waves bouncing against the shore when the tide is up.
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Grant, this post is great! I never would have known a service like this even existed. It sounds like Danielle is doing some awesome work that helps more professionals (like yourself) work from home. I envy you; although, perhaps I can one day work from home as well. But I suppose that requires me to actually graduate from law school first.
Bitacle Blog Search Archive – Working from a Home Office
[...] Danielle Keister of The Relief — Virtual Assistance provided me with her take on the home office. [...]
Bitacle Blog Search Archive – Working from a Home Office
[...] Danielle Keister of The Relief — Virtual Assistance provided me with her take on the home office. [...]
Great post. Like Danielle, I live on the water, too, and am really looking forward to toting my laptop out to my back deck to work on a set of pleadings or a bankruptcy petition in a month or so!
One thing I'd like to see addressed on your blog – as it seems to be *the* best venue for this discussion: how do home office workers arrange client conferences? Beyond the ubiquitous "house call" what other options are there? Subleased space? Renting a virtual office w/ a conference room "timeshare"? Drawbacks, advantages? What say those who've been doing this for awhile?
OK, everyone, this is a great place to keep the conversation going. I do not have available to me conference rooms or other attorney's offices to use. I make house calls, use the courthouse law libraries or confernece rooms. I have never had anyone say they would not hire me because I don't have a "downtown" office. In fact, I get more comments to the fact I actually make housecalls.
Thanks, Grant! I'm planning on using home visits mostly – focusing on employment, bankruptcy, and consumer law helps because clients in those areas feel more comfy at home and that's where the documents are, anyway. But I am worried about clients who have frenetic family lives and the privacy factor. I don't think coffee shops or restaurants work (two other recommendations I've received) because conversations there are too easily overheard. My courthouse is 40 minutes away by car (it's a BIG county). I am going to see how it goes but am thinking about potentially subleasing space from a noncompeting attorney – maybe a criminal defense lawyer? – on a weekly basis and having "office hours" there for clients for whom home visits just won't work. I hope others chime in here – I'd love to hear what other options there are.
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I just thought that I would address Sheryl's question regarding client conferences. Here in Beautiful Prince Edward Island we have a business that is specifically set up for this type of problem. This business offers office space for meetings and they also offer recording/transcription services. They are VERY busy. I am sure that if you look around there are places nearby that would rent you space on a daily basis. Some hotels have small conference rooms for meetings of 10 or less people. Your virtual assistant can arrange all of this for you. Just some thoughts.