Do you need to rent a consulting room?

Do I need an office space?

I was asked recently how to raise money to find an office.

But the question really is: Do you need an office, or a consulting room as some call it?

When starting out, you need to conserve your cash. You shouldn’t buy anything you don’t have to. So don’t rent an office unless you absolutely have to.

If you have a quiet room in your house or apartment where you will be undisturbed, that’s the best place to be. If you have the luxury of a garden, you might have a garden room or shed in it.

Apart from saving you money on the rent, it will also avoid commuting costs and wasted travel time. You can see more clients. And it avoids you needing to put your fees up to cover the extra costs.

These days, clients are used to people working from home. If your house is noisy with children running around, schedule your sessions at times when the house is quiet.

I live in a terrible neighbourhood, it is always noisy, and my clients would get mugged.

OK, maybe you need to move house? No, you say, that’s not possible.

OK, so you need to rent a room. But do it on the cheap.

Spend several weeks investigating office space. You only need one room, and possibly a waiting area. Put an ad in the local newspaper or online classifieds, to see if someone will sub-let you a room.