This is probably one of the questions people ask me most frequently: how do I find office space?
The truth is that there are millions (okay, maybe slight exaggeration) of underutilized office spaces out there. Many businesses would love to have another practitioner, even part time, to work out of their office. After all, if they’re not utilizing it, wouldn’t it be great to make some money from the space?
But we hold out the “I need office space” thing as another excuse to not get started. We say things like “well, once I have office space…then I can offer my services/put myself out there/start networking/etc.”
But you know…it’s really not true. You can find an office space. And you can even find hourly office space. You just have to be willing to ask.
So while I’m going to offer up some specific places where you can ask about office space, I also want to invite you to start by finding clients, and THEN the office space will magically materialize. (Because, um, it has to, right? Now you have to take someone there!) It’s usually a lot harder to attract clients to us than it is to actually find a place to put those clients.
Also know that you might have to visit a few different spots before you find the exact right place. As long as you are continually putting the energy out there, the right space will happen.
Make a list of your friends:
This might be a huge list, might only be twenty people, depending upon how you define it. But try to think of at least fifty people that you would consider a friend or at least an acquaintance. Then, get in touch with all of them (individually, not via a mass email) and let them know what kind of space you need and simply ask “Do you know of a space that would work, or know of someone who would know of a space?” That’s it. Doing that will yield SOMETHING.Use your intuition.
2. Use Your Intuition
The next time you’re driving by a business, even if it’s a totally random, unrelated business, and you see a sign that sparks your interest, or you even just think, “Hey, I bet they have office space,” pull over, right there, go inside, and ASK THEM if they have space you could rent. (Often you’ll have to dig a little bit in order to get to the decision-maker. That’s okay. Add them to a list and then create a calendar reminder to follow up.)
3. Ask on social media for help
Post in groups that you feel comfortable in (and are local) and ask if anyone knows a space like the one you need.
4. Try coworking spaces
Maybe this one’s a little obvious, but coworking spaces will allow you to rent office space from them, often on a monthly basis. You don’t even have to have a national one (like Roam or WeWork); there are many smaller coworking spaces that are looking for people to fill them!
5. Look into massage, chiropractic, and healing arts practices:
This should be one of your first points of call. Name every practitioner you know, or even do a google search for your zip code + any type of practitioner. Just call them up and offer to get to know the owner/landlord through a coffee or virtual coffee. (Most likely your friends have already offered this up, if you have done #1!)
6. Your home or a friend’s home:
This is such a lovely one, and often so underutilized. I think many of us worry that our home won’t be up to par, or that we’ll have to clean it, or it will be too much work, or it’s too small, however people honestly don’t care about those things. They are usually very happy to be invited to someone’s home (I know I am) and really happy to be in a cozy, inviting atmosphere with their practitioner.
7. Do it online!
Almost everything can be done through a video chat now. I recommend Zoom’s paid version, but FreeConferenceLine.com also has a free version that many people recommend.
Would love to hear what you’ve tried before in the comments!
