Home based Vs. Storefront

Which are you?

  • Home-Based

    Votes: 110 88.0%

  • Store-front

    Votes: 15 12.0%
  • Total voters
    125
HotShot_Anthony

HotShot_Anthony

Greaser of the Year
I'm curious what you guys think about being home-based versus having a "shop" or "office". I don't have a huge company (yet) and I run my day-to-day operations from my house. While there are great benefits to this, there are also a few drawbacks. Sometimes when I need to make or take a business call, I need quiet. That means that everybody including the dogs need to be quiet while I'm on the phone or it seems very unprofessional. I'm a pretty organized guy but there is still clutter that I can't get rid of simply because I need it out and handy.

In Barstow I can get a small office-type place for around $300/month. I wonder if it would be worth the cost to have the office type setting that I "think" I need. I understand that there would be lots of other costs as well...extra phone lines, dsl, insurance all that...I realize this. But if it's zoned right, I could also use it for storage of chems and other things like filters, grease containments things like this that junk up my sheds at my house.

I dunno, just weighing the options. What do you guys think? What do most of you use?
 
We explored having a store front a couple of years back. My brother-in-law (financial genius BTW) posed several questions to me:

1) Can you afford the expenses associated with the other space? If rent, etc.. = $500 a month, you will need to gross an additional $700+/month to justify the cost.

2) Can you generate the additional $700 you would be spending on the storefront?

3) Can you generate that same $700 without the store front? If so, why would you spend the money on someone else's property? Take the money & build yourself a better garage or add an office to your own home, increasing your property value.

Now, with all of the above in mind, if you have PERSONAL reasons for wanting to have your business outside of your home, you can't use the financial reasoning because unless you cannot afford it, you cannot place a dollar figure on your personal desires & justifications.

Celeste
 
I run our office from home also - the trailer and the chems take up our entire garage. I use the spare bedroom up stairs as the office, and I shut the door when I am in there. I also have my 11 month old daughter at home with me most of the time, on the days that I have to do bids she goes to one of the grandparents house. As for my dog I let her in the office with me, becuase if she is laying at my feet she usually doesnt have any reasons to bark. We have weighed the options of having an office - but it is just a waste of money if you can do it from home. Offices out here with an 1000 sq ft warehouse run$1500. That is the same amount as my house payment - so I would rather just use my spare room - or move into the basement.
Also if you are on a call - I sometimes just go out to the car and shut myself inside of it - it dampens the sound pretty well.
Just my 2cents
 
Maybe the best thing about an office would be going home from work. I do not mean this as a joke. It may be the best $300 you'll every spend.
 
RCBill said:
Maybe the best thing about an office would be going home from work. I do not mean this as a joke. It may be the best $300 you'll every spend.
Click to expand...

Isn't that the truth. When I'm home, I'm working basically. It's hard to get away.


I see your guys' points and I have thought about them. My house is kinda small but on 2 1/2 acres and I have definetly thought about building a nice big garage with a loft and making that "The Office". Celeste, you are right, it would increase the value of my property and that is definetly something to consider. With the new addition on the way, I guess that I'm just trying to think of ways to make space in my little domicile :)
 
Thanks Nickel, I really do appreciate it. I don't know if that will fly with my wife though :D

"uhm....yeah, honey, I'll be out in the office. I gotta a lot of work to do heheheh

Hey dad, listen to my new exhaust I just put on my truck....

Anthony, why do you keep revving up your truck? I thought you were working...


I can see it now. I guy and a garage and a whole bunch of tools...arararar...sounds good to me. :p
 
Office Space

Just starting out I decided to build a building that I can store my truck & trailer and all my chemicals as well as other items. My office is in the house though. I have a room with a desk to sleep at. Hugh Copgib
 

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Office Space

Thanks for the nice words. I would like to say that Pressure Washing bought me the house, but that would be a lie. Serving 20-years in the Navy and 13-years as a Deputy Sheriff helped get that house. Now I need to get some work so I look like a sucessful businessman. They just poured the cement floor in the building today, so I will be able to start using it with my truck and trailer next week sometime. My house and building is on 10-acres, so I have room to spread out alittle. Hugh
 
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Hugh, that is really nice. My advise would be when you build your shop dont build it right next to your house. As your business grows you dont want to have your employees cars parked all around your house(looks tacky), when the wife is having a get together with friends or your having a family funtion. Also if your guys are working third shift you may not want to be woke up everytime they get back in at 4 am.
 
Anthony,

Another thought to consider when thinking of building onto the property is this: what is your sell-out plan?? How will it affect the value of your biz if it operates from your home......you sell it, then they have to find a place to run it?? Will that be good or bad for value?? Another thing--do you want all of your workers knowing where you live, coming to your home every day, seeing your family, etc?? And my biggest reason for passing on this idea is---what if you get sued by an employee/homeowner/client/etc. for all you have, and you lose?? Guess what---your biz owns a nice big shop. Obviously, you could own it and lease it to your biz, but if you are guilty enough the person/lawyer will be coming after where the $$ is........sure would be nice just to hand them the keys/lease to your office space instead of your own property.

These are the kind of twisted thoughts my mind is constantly conjuring up:)
 
Office Space

I appreciate the advise but I plan to stay a one man operation. My office is out of my house and my 42' X 45' building will be used for storage of chemicals, workshop and parking for my truck & trailer. If I ever do decide to hire more than one assistant, I would consider renting office space somewhere. Worst case senerio, I could utilize the additional 5-acres behind my house for parking or more building if needed. Hugh
 
Nice Trailer Hugh. Also nice house and good to see your are finally there.

Anthony and anybody working out of a home. You need to check your codes for your city on chemical storage.Federal, local, and fire. Many do get surprise inspections from fire officials and even DOT. You are still a business and fall under guidelines for chemical storage and labeling and then when this stuff is kept at a house it is sometimes against a cities code or law. Also don't think you will never be searched. We know of a friend that lost his house due to a fire and many chemicals although not flammable but when the containers melted and certain cleaning chemicals mixed. Well you know what happens. Needless to say his insurance did not cover anything due to what he had in the building that was not even hooked to the house, and also let alomne the Hazmat cost and evacuation of a certain mile radius of the neighborhood. Now I have another friend who has this but has to have a full suppression system in his garage. Just food for thought when thiniking of what type of home based business you may get away with and materials. I for one wouldn't want an employee seeing my family in their full glory during the morning and at night. That is my private time and I don't need employees bothering me at my place of rest with my family.
 
Office Space

If you think out these things before you go in business, then they would not be a problem. You see as a corporation I don't have my house or building listed under it. So if I was to ever get sued where a great loss would happen, of course this is after they get my 2-mil insurance, the only thing listed under my corporation is my pickup and trailer. Like I stated earlier, I have no intentions of expanding my business larger that what I can do myself. Hugh
 
..Yeah but

....Worst case, you kill some kid or something. 2mil, etc. isn't enough. And LLC, Inc. doesn't offer 100% protection like we are all led to believe.....besides, you can sue anyone. If there isn't enough money once the LLC, etc. is liquidated, you can go after the primary shareholder(s) personally (may have to be done civil), especially if it can be proven you did something wrong/illegal (let's not even open that can of worms). I'm just fine being poor:)
 
Office Space

I understand what your trying to say. I try to look at everything in a positive note not negative. Plenty of research and taking all the precautions will hopefully keep me safe. This is one of the reasons I plan to just be a 1-man business, I will be responsible for my own actions not alot of other if I had workers. Hugh
 
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