Entrepreneurs Reveal The Type Of Office Space Their Companies Call ‘Home’

The future of office space is changing rapidly. Where entrepreneurs choose to work has evolved.

Finding the right office space is one of the biggest challenges for fledgling and growth-stage entrepreneurs, alike. Today’s office space alternatives include a home office, co-working space, leased office space, flexible office space, local coffee shops and more. With the sheer number of workspace options available to entrepreneurs it is often hard to find your company a home that “fits”.

So, here’s a behind the scenes look at twenty-one entrepreneurs as they reveal where their companies prefer to call “home”:

1. Find focus at your kitchen table.

   “After running my startup for nearly five years, I’ve tried working from just about everywhere in NYC – a handful of co-working spaces, a members only club called The Soho House, coffee shops and even sometimes at a bar! I’ve found the most focus at home, at my kitchen table. I find a great Spotify channel, put on imaginary blinders and buckle down for hours on end. I save so much time in the day because I never have to get ready, commute and leave for coffee or lunch because they’re always at arm’s reach. There’s always reliable WiFi and no one is around to distract me.”

   Years in business: 5

   Lori Cheek, Founder and CEO of Cheekd

2. A home office is convenient.

   “I prefer working out of my home office and have done so for several years. But a few years back my company decided to investigate the possibility of leasing an office space. We looked at a smaller space located inside a large office building, but we ultimately decided that the convenience for our team to be able to work from home was too important to give up.”

   Years in business: 7

   Andrew Schrage, CEO and Co-Owner of Money Crashers

3. Coffee shops, tea rooms and cafes work for location-independent founders.

   “Since leaving our 9-5 jobs in 2014, we’ve made coffee shops, tea rooms and cafe’s (where ever we may be in the world) our primary work place. It’s good to separate home and work. Getting out of the house removes the majority of distractions that may otherwise affect your productivity when relaxing on the couch. You’ll be surprised how much sitting on an uncomfortable chair in a cafe helps you focus!”

   Years in business: 1

   Paul McCann, Co-Founder of Tea Witty

4. A dedicated work space is efficient.

   “Our company must have its own set of desks and work space. I like this approach because someone else handles the housekeeping, phones, Internet, security, etc. so I don¹t have to spend precious time on it. Also, co-working spaces are generally more cost effective for small groups and startups. Flexibility to grow is also a huge benefit as you are not paying for space you are not using or committing to a lease that you could soon outgrow.”

   Years in business: 5

   Jayna Cooke, CEO of EVENTup

5. Sharing leased office space offers personalization and savings.

   “I work from a leased office space that’s shared with another startup. The benefit of leasing space is that you get to make it yours: we designed the office and the property owner built it to spec as part of our contract. So, it’s exactly the way we want it and that feeling of personalization makes it inviting to come into every day. Sharing space with another startup is great. We got to lease a bigger, cooler space because we had more resources pooled together. Even though our startups are in different markets, there are many things in common about growing a startup, and we often learn from each other.”

   Years in business: 4

   AJ Shankar, CEO and Founder of Everlaw

6. Couplepreneurs benefit from home and leased office space.

   “My wife and I work from home and our leased office space. We love the office because it doesn’t have the distractions of home, plus the face-to-face interaction on a daily basis improves the efficiency of everything we do. On the other hand, we work from home sometimes too… because home doesn’t have the distractions of the office (those same face-to-face meetings). Plus, as entrepreneurs, we don’t simply turn off our business at 5pm. I do a lot of work, even customer service work, at weird hours.”

   Years in business: 5

   Steven Sashen, CEO of Xero Shoes

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