Comments on: For a Startup, Is a Virtual Office Enough?

By: Jerry

Jerry — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 12:01:39 +0000

I completely agree that working virtually has its pros & cions,But its really important it is to keep the channels of communication open and free, as it is the biggest obstacles in my honest opinion that can hinder any form of business. With an act as mundane as communicating, steps can be taken for granted and everyone can fall off the same page. We use avanta management services for our virtual office services and have been pleased for resorting on their service.

By: Dustin Brent

Dustin Brent — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 06:56:50 +0000

All the cons that you've ennumerated are really important. Virtual tools have to be your helpers, not the only means of your communication. Nothing beats face-to-face contact. I think web-based tools like Basecamp or Wrike are really irreplacable when you need to organize your business, build a schedule, compose a plan and work on it together with your team. For example, we're using Wrike to help us keep everything in one place. It's also a great way for any member of your team to access your business stuff anytime anywhere. It means the job will be done faster, and that your business will become more productive.

By: mzslater

mzslater — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 05:15:01 +0000

I’m cofounder of two-person (plus contractors) startup that is operating virtually. My partner and I live about 130 miles apart.

In my experience, this works very well, but it depends on a couple of things. In our case, we’ve worked together in the past at another employer, so we know each other fairly well. We’re both technical folks who can do our own IT support. We meet in person for ab out one day per month. And we’re good at clear, open communication.

As the company grows, I’m not sure how it will evolve. Once we get past a few employees, I think we’re likely to have an office somewhere with most of the people in it.

Financing is an issue. For most VCs, a virtual company is a non-starter — they want everyone in one place. Most angel investors are more flexible.

As you add lower-level employees, I think it is much harder to have everyone being virtual. Some people need more mentoring and supervision than can easily be done remotely.

There’s a clear benefit to being in one location for collaboration and brainstorming. But there’s an equally clear benefit (more to the individual than to the company) to being able to live where you want. And especially if that place isn’t a major metropolitan area, there’s a clear benefit to the company in being able to recruit the employees from a wider geographic area.

By: norarubinoff

norarubinoff — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:17:09 +0000

Working in a virtual office is challenging and rewarding at the same time.

I agree with Chris Fuel that IT issues can be challenging at times. As a virtual assistant, I’ve connected with clients’ VPNs, Exchange servers, SharePoint servers, etc. Feeling at least fairly technically literate is an important part of your success.

Communication, as has been mentioned, is also very important. Since my clients don’t “see” me face to face, making sure that we stay connected through Basecamp, SharePoint, Box.net, e-mail, phone, fax, voice mail, IM, video conferencing, etc. is important. It’s also important to be clear in your communications and to clarify anything that you’re unclear about right away. I create unique secure online workspaces for each of the clients I work with, where we can collaborate and discuss tasks and projects.

Working from a virtual office also requires flexibility, creativity and patience. Every project / client is different, and needs to be worked with in the way that is most meaningful and helpful to them.

By: Fred Bates

Fred Bates — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:21:25 +0000

I completely agree how important it is to keep the channels of communication open, as it is the biggest hurdle in my opinion. With an act as mundane as communicating, steps can be taken for granted and everyone can fall off the same page. We use Regus for our virtual office services and have been happy to date.

By: stuartk

stuartk — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:01:38 +0000

I currently work for a small company where 3 of us live about 300 miles away for each other. There have been a few IT issues which have been solved with remote access, but on the whole, it’s been great.

The best thing is the freedom working virtually offers. I am about to move house about 70 miles up the road, and I don’t have to worry about getting to work. In fact if it wasn’t for kids, I could move to another country.

By: elHilario

elHilario — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:14:34 +0000

Think virtual office or home office as many will call it is absolutly cute and what more it works best if you are an excellent organiser with great time and projectt management skills. Its fun, it works well for me.

By: Khurram

Khurram — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 03:48:54 +0000

Hi
We have helped many startups assemble their teams virtually with GenITeam. While having offshore teams, we can provide an economical solution for startups because we spread the fixed cost ( like office rent, internet) across multiple customers. Startup’s dont have to pay upfront fixed cost and no long term commitments. However, key to success are proven processes and communication.

By: Plugin-Developer

Plugin-Developer — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 02:24:08 +0000

My first programming job was with a virtual team and after that I was hooked.

I worked for a startup web development agency founded by a young businessman. It was fun working from home and it was great for my productivity. I was able to work hard without distractions because of my discipline.

It was a bunch of fun and I recommmend it to anyone looking for a different experience.

By: Compumaniac12

Compumaniac12 — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:13:52 +0000

I would Say from my Brief Experience in the working World that Telecommuting or whatever you would like to call it requires a good knowledge of computers, networks, and the internet. Ive had to still get work to clients when my computers have had partially failing hard drives and network lock up, viruses, etc.
I would say to be able to succeed you can’t have long distance calls that a computer is fried and they don’t know what to do.