Renting an office is such a big waste of money, especially for startups. There are other options available besides renting an office.

Let’s together face an ugly truth: renting an office is such a big waste of money, especially for startups.  Yeah, you may have got the fund necessary to run your business, but that does not mean you can straightly rent an office space downtown. Hold that wish although it seems cool. There are other options available besides renting an office.

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Home Office

Let’s say your startup has two founders and it takes a few more employees to run. If one of you has a house that is big and proper enough to be visited by 4-5 people everyday, consider a home office.

When you have limited capital, home office is a good choice since it saves a great amount of money.  It is simply a matter of agreement with the house’s owner: how you are going to split the bill and everything.

Worried about your credibility? Have meetings at coffee shops and enhance your digital presence. Trust me, your consumers won’t mind as long as you have a kick-ass website and are able to sound professional on the phone.

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Co-working space

 

Co-working space is trending for a reason. It would make a great and cheaper choice than renting an office–if home office isn’t for you– especially if you still have very few employees (like, only you and your co-founder).

Co-working spaces usually have all the things you need: printer, scanner, photocopier, and fax machine. Some co-working spaces also provide free flow drinks, which will free you from the guilty feeling of not ordering another cup of coffee. You can also use a meeting room when you need to (because sometimes pulling off a meeting in your kitchen won’t work).

Best thing is, co-working spaces provide you a bunch of valuable networks right in front of your eyes. They even hold networking or community events from time to time. Now that Indonesia has some cool co-working spaces like Comma in Jakarta, Hubud in Bali, and HackerSpace in Bandung and Yogyakarta, there is no reason for startups not to try this tempting alternative.

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Shared office

Who says one office space is meant for one company only? You are not the only one with a tight budget out there.  Try to find other struggling startups or entrepreneurs and split the bill. You can also reach out to other startups or small to mid-sized businesses in case they have empty desks at their place.

Sharing an office is often as simple (or as complicated) as finding a roommate. But don’t worry because as long as you keep the place neutral and you communicate with each other, shared office would make a great, cost-saving choice. It would be refreshing, anyway, to have lunch conversation with someone outside of work.

Now, think again, do you really need an office?

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