Preparations to Jump Ship

Well, of course we are not talking about ships but jobs. 

During the recession many people have been working in jobs that they find unfulfilling or dissatisfying as they should feel 'lucky to have a job'.  Having a steady income and keeping safe during the recession were the priorities.  But now the water has calmed this could be the moment to set a new course by launching a business of your own.

There are many people who are fed up with their unsatisfactory jobs but have always harboured the idea that they could become their own bosses.  This need for independence and the opportunity to control your own destiny is the desire of many.

Unfortunately, with banks making loans unattainable it is difficult to propel yourself into a successful new venture that stands on its own two feet.  You need to continue earn money from your paid employment, whilst you moonlight and generally toil to get your new enterprise up and running.  Equally you may need to prove your concept before handing in your notice.
As Paul Brown of Forbes.com says, entrepreneurs are by nature risk adverse.  They accept risk 'as part of the game and then work extremely hard to reduce it to a minimum'.

We created the Virtual Office® in 1992 for the express purpose of helping budding entrepreneurs start up and succeed in their new enterprises.  We always knew that many start ups fail but our experience over the years has been that by investing in a Virtual Office service most of our clients have gone on to be successful

Why is this?  Because these people looked at what they needed to succeed and paid for the service to make this happen.  The Virtual Office enables people to work in full time paid employment and yet effectively run a parallel operation without distraction during working hours.

Just to be clear a Virtual Office service typically includes the use of our address, all post arrives at our office and is handled as directed.  It is possible to use our rooms for meetings at the same address. This is very discrete and any potential customer will always feel assured that you are a real and trustworthy.

But above all it is our telephone service that makes all the difference.  We have a highly trained group who answer a physical London number in your name (the name of your company).  They also know when you are calling in, and look after you!  Prospective clients feel reassured when a business has more than just a mobile telephone number.  A mobile is a direct link between an individual and another.  The key is that enterprises must show solidity and the reality of a proper organisation in order to grow and succeed.  Of course once contact is made everyone uses their mobiles to talk to each other.  However, the initial experience must be a proper receptionist who knows all about your company when she answers the telephone.

We revel in new start ups.  We want to help new companies succeed and our experience is that we do so.  Over the years we have helped thousands of companies succeed and prosper.  It seems that the key to success is your commitment to building a successful business and being determined to put the right infrastructure behind it from the beginning. Of course we delight when these fledgling enterprises take wing and go off to establish themselves in their own offices.

Author: Richard Nissen, Chairman

© The Virtual Office September 2013

The ongoing Flexible working debate

There has always been resistance to flexible working with the majority of businesses preferring to keep employees within their sights.

Earlier this year a ban on remote working at Yahoo reignited the flexible working debate.
The arguments are the same but the strength of opinion is different. With the explosion of social technologies and the ease of remote working many are anxious about losing creative impromptu moments between colleagues. Charlie Mullins, founder of Pimlico Plumbers, feels that in a fast-moving, entrepreneurial society, we cannot afford to live without the face-to-face interaction that drives business.

However during preparation for London 2012 many companies decided to embrace flexible working as a viable option for their business. Telecommunications company O2 have moved their teams' working week away from traditional offices.
According to employee Darren Farmer people from all areas of the company are now working away from the office at least one day a week. In his article 'Flexible working one year on' he states that the biggest thing that any company looking at flexible working needs to consider is a behavioural change. I have discussed in the past the level of trust required by an employer to commit to home working. It is not just investments in technology to ensure you can still be collaborative and productive. It's about encouraging a feeling of ownership in your employees. As Darren says 'it’s all about output, not where you are. I know what constitutes me doing my job, and it’s up to me to make sure it’s done wherever I am'.

SMEs are more likely to encourage autonomy. They have entrusted their business dream to their staff so have developed more personal relationships. The result is a belief that the work will be produced speedily. Staff in return want to produce the best quality output possible to ensure the trust remains.
Essentially flexible working should be just that. Flexible. It doesn't mean always working at home with no face to face interaction with colleagues or suppliers. It means working in a flexible way to benefit the business.

Increased employee motivation and reduced premises costs are beneficial. However, ultimately, the biggest benefit is the business reaching optimal quality and productivity.

What is the etiquette of mobiles in meetings?

A new article on BBC News discusses the ethics of using your mobile phone in meetings.
It makes you think - if you're growing your business it is likely you'll be attending more client meetings so do you excuse yourself and answer your mobile, potentially upsetting your client, or let the call ring to voicemail and risk losing the new business?

There is another option.

The Virtual Office is designed for predicaments like this.

For example with a VO Response service you can choose from programmed call options and divert your calls to the receptionists as you enter your meeting and back to your mobile when you finish.
The team of friendly receptionists will know that when they receive calls you are in a meeting and can relay this to your caller.

Or you can divert them to your colleague.

Alternatively you can choose for all calls to answered by the receptionist in your company name, allowing you to screen out sales and provide diaries to prevent disturbances during meetings or times when you just need to concentrate.

The options are virtually endless.

Find out more at www.voffice.com/virtual-office/