MSPs: Before You Sign That Office Lease…
During my flight to the Ingram Micro Cloud Summit in Dallas, I struck up a conversation with the passenger seated next to me. At first, he wanted to know all about my iPad. But 10 minutes into the conversation, I wanted to know all about his business — which offers virtual office space to small businesses. The more I heard, the more I wondered why really small MSPs would ever sign a full-blown office lease. Here’s a recap.
Matthew J. Maroney owns an Intelligent Office franchise on Long Island. The franchise (www.iomelville.com) offers virtual offices, receptionist services, a professional mailing address, executive suites, conference rooms, virtual assistants and more to its clientele. It’s basically an office time sharing service for business professionals. Plus, it doesn’t require long-term financial commitments.
I realize shared office space and virtual office space isn’t new. But I wonder: Are more MSPs — especially small MSPs — starting to take advantage of shared/virtual offices?
Here’s why I ask: I’ve spent many years covering small businesses and entrepreneurs who rent run-down office space. And I know plenty of SOHO business owners who work out of their homes but need the occasional executive suite for strategic business meetings. That’s where franchises like Intelligent Office enter the picture.
By day, Maroney and his wife are attorneys. But by night, they’ve invested in the Long Island Intelligent Office franchise. It sounds like local small businesses are signing up. But that’s not all. International businesses that want a New York address are also signing up, Maroney says.
I wonder: Are small MSPs signing up for this type of shared, pay-as-you-go office space as well.
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Things may have changed in the past 5-10 years, but when I needed an executive office in Orlando (because all our staff was in Dallas at the time) the 100 sq ft space was $1,100 and came with substandard shared Internet connectivity, no way to hook up my VoIP phone with our SIP servers in Dallas, etc.
It was by no means a deal.
-Vlad
Vlad: Thanks for the healthy reality check. I plan to visit the Intelligent Office franchise on Long Island and check in with Maroney to get a better feel for the services, financial model, etc. I suspect I’ll post a follow-up blog in a few weeks on this topic.
-jp
As you say, not a new idea, but certainly one gaining poularity. A virtual office is the way to go for small businesses who want to avoid the cost and hassle of renting amp; running your own office while still having the right details for your business and access to meeting/conference facilities.
It may not be new, but it is currently very active. My center which is just 4 years old posted 40% growth in our virtual office building over the past 12 months. We offer a very sophisticated telecom and technology platform to our full time and virtual clients.
Chuck Boyce, owner
Brandywine Executive Center
Wilmington, DE
http://www.bwecenter.com