Any solo entrepreneur is always in juggling mode. You’ve got bills to pay, people to invoice, clients to make happy, phone calls to answer, etc.. Making any changes to your current system would be just be too much to handle. Besides it’s working well so far. This is the way I used to think.
Then I became pregnant and began to realized I may want to take a day or two off. Not joking. My husband had joined my real estate business when we got married and he had been working in the field and doing the bookkeeping. He wasn’t licensed to perform any real estate and he wouldn’t have known what he was doing even if he was licensed. All of this may seem short sighted to you but we were very busy at the time. My motivation to sustain my level of income was to be sure I could continue to afford 24/7 home heath care for a disabled parent. So it wasn’t to maintain lots of fancy toys (not that there is anything wrong with neat stuff, I support it, hope to get more of my own).
Fortunately my in-laws came in from out of town and with their help I was back working from home within a few days after my C-section delivery. Now this was a few years ago and email wasn’t was all prevalent as it is today. Most agents and buyer still called first when making an inquiry. My voicemail by full and overflowing. Someone wrote a bad review about my office on a local company business review site as I found out a few months later. I was desperate for an affordable solution. I hired a long time part time agent who an older lady and always short on cash. She was happy to come in and work in my office. However after a few days I noticed if I didn’t constantly give her a task, she would began working on her Avon sales business and such.. I fired her after a few weeks.
It was during this phase that I began searching on line and came across a virtual office service. I met up with them and signed up right away. Heck they would answer my phones for around $300 per month all day long and also allow me to use their address as my physical business office address. I maintained my commercial leased office space but switched over my business address to the virtual office. This was I wouldn’t have to worry people dropping off contract, package deliveries, etc.. since I was frequently in and out of the office. Finally I had a real life receptionist who would answer my phones at a price I could afford.
It’s been over 4 years now and I am still with same virtual office company. I have transitioned out real estate due to the recent death of my disabled father. However now am using the executive office in the same virtual office company to work on my new business venture. I learned a lot and share my lessons in Insider Tips to Selecting Virtual Office Services.