How a Virtual Office Could Benefit Your Side Hustle
By Bruntwood
What is a Virtual Office?
Offices have evolved dramatically over the years. Where once you were destined to spend your day working from the same cubicle, under the direct supervision of a manager - in 2023 working life looks vastly different. Not only has remote work skyrocketed, so too have coworking and hot desking. At Bruntwood, we know the value of employer’s trusting their employees to work independently, with a greater degree of autonomy than workers have enjoyed in the past.
Virtual offices are addresses to register your business at, without actually having to pay for a physical office space, and can be considered part of the evolution of modern work spaces we’ve seen in the last decade alone.
We outlined what a virtual office is in greater detail here.
Is A Virtual Office Worth it? 4 Key Benefits for Side-Hustlers
1) Building Your Reputation
Virtual offices can directly bolster your businesses’ reputation by being located in high-prestige areas - reinforcing the relationship between your business and industry leaders. Should you be operating from a rural location, but prefer to associate your business with a city, a virtual office can provide the perfect solution. Conversely - you might want to create the impression of a countrywide franchise - necessitating a regional address.
2) Keeping Work and Home Life Separate
Whether you’re just starting out, or running a fully established business, virtual offices allow our customers to benefit from the traffic and gravitas of city centres. They can also be an integral part of separating your home life from your professional sphere - abolishing the need to give clients your home address, for instance.
A virtual office receptionist can be a savvy investment for budding entrepreneurs who are juggling a full-time job and a side hustle. Chances are you don’t have the time to field calls, especially during working hours, so having a designated call-handler who can keep your customers happy and represent your business in a professional manner while you concentrate on other things can be hugely valuable.
3) Keeping Costs Manageable
One of the fundamental factors of virtual offices is the fact that they require none of the costs of maintaining a bricks-and-mortar space, including an office lease, utility payments, and cleaning fees, amongst others. This crucially allows businesses to conserve funds - boosting profit margins and enabling greater investment in clients.
4) Minimising Risk When Exploring New Markets
One in 12 Brits have adopted a side hustle since 2022, reportedly contributing £72 billion to the UK economy every year.
Virtual offices giveoffer people the opportunity to establish their side hustles properly, creating a formal channel to be contacted through. In some instances, people spot opportunities to grow their business within specific regional markets, and the natural move would be to set up a physical office in the heart of their preferred location.
This can be risky for small businesses as they attempt to find their feet in a new area. However, setting up a virtual office mitigates these risks, allowing side-hustlers to secure an online presence in their chosen location without accruing big overheads. Once they have gained a better understanding of the nuances of their chosen market, they’ll be in a stronger position to commit to a bricks-and-mortar location.
Virtual Office Services
All of Bruntwood’s virtual offices, available across six regions, come with the additional options of telephone answering, message-taking, and a registered business address on Companies House.
Should you choose to opt into our mail and call handling service, you can also expect a meeting room hire discount - allowing you to book a physical space should you need to present to clients in person, or want to host a team meeting.
Whether you’re a start-up business looking to establish a professional presence, trying to find a more cost-effective solution to expensive office overheads, or formalising your side hustle, a virtual office might be the best option for you. Explore our virtual office services today, and find the prime address for your business.