Old-school businessmen kept an office with a secretary and a cleaning lady – costs that new businessmen recognize as needless. While some business models necessitate such a presentation, others can be just as profitable without ever renting a physical place.

Following are some options you can use as alternatives to a physical office space.

Your House

This is the most popular form of office for businessmen who do not have allocated commercial space to rent. The most basic configurations include only a home pc and a land line, while a more complex setup might include refinishing the garage and installing a separate entrance. Do you need help setting up your home office? Check out some guides online

• Advantages: Staying at home – the cost base is low – Tax advantages.
• Disadvantage: Children answering your work phone – There is no conference space.

Coworking Spaces

Some specialist office buildings have conference rooms that are shared by all tenants. In a similar manner, you can hire coworking desks, office, cubicle, or suites by the day, week, or month. These are fully equipped and typically have complete networking. Some full-service joint offices also have a receptionist who is shared by all clients. This is an excellent choice for those who want to present a professional appearance while dealing with clients but do not need to meet with them often.

• Advantages: Flexibility, a separate work area.
• Disadvantages: You cannot personalize your room – people can tell it’s a temporary location.

Subleased or Shared Space

You can rent a portion of an office if you know someone who has a commercial space or if you have a friend who has needs close to your own. This type of transaction can also be found by looking at younger or older companies – ones that have leased more space than they really need right now, or signed a contract on space they once wanted but can’t fill now in a contracting environment

• Advantages: A professional look, resources are pooled.
• Disadvantages: You have a companion, which comes with its own set of problems.

Anywhere You Want

You can complete virtually all of your everyday tasks from anywhere you want with a desktop, a mobile, and a FedEx/Kinkos checking account. This is a preference of ‘lifestyle design’ guru Timothy Ferris, who states that it allows you to work from a coffee house, a public park, or even a small boat.

• Advantages: The place is adaptable – ‘Gadget factor’ is high.
• Disadvantages: There is a risk of ambient noise – There is no meeting space – There are many distractions.

Outsourcing

This non-traditional approach focuses on the employees rather than the physical environment and is suitable for any office setup.

Many business owners already do this by contracting a cleaning service instead of employing a full-time maintenance man. With today’s technology, you can outsource accounting, phone systems, writing, accounting, and almost every other job you don’t want to do yourself – without getting someone into your workplace or lawfully into your workforce.

• Advantages: You only bill for what you require, subcontractors are exempt from paying payroll taxes.
• Disadvantages: Communication can be difficult, particularly when exporting to another country.