The first step in establishing any business is getting a primary business address. A business needs an address to receive a license, have an SEO presence, and accept mail. You have several options such as using your home address, purchasing a P.O. box, or getting a downtown business address.

The Home Address

Option 1: You could use your home address, but who wants customers stumbling up their front steps at all hours of the day. Homes should be private sanctuaries to get away from work. What if you have a disgruntled customer or someone trying to serve your legal documents banging on your front door? Now, they know where you live! Finally, Google is no longer accepting home addresses as the business address for SEO listings.

The P.O. Box

Option 2: In some cases, a P.O. box can be used as a business address. However, your business may require a physical office to be inspected to receive a license. Additionally, you can only pick up your mail during the scheduled hours of your US Post Office. That is crazy and inconvenient with a business owner’s busy schedule! Finally, Google is no longer accepting P.O. boxes as the business address for SEO listings.

Is There A Better Business Address Option?

In today’s society, a business’s livelihood can hinge on its SEO presence. The costly solution is to go sign a commercial lease for office space that is going to lock you in for 5 years. Furthermore, it may not be in an ideal area due to budget constraints. This is where Officense saves the day! We offer a prestigious business address in a downtown location right along the Inner Harbor. Our primary business address package provides an SEO approved address, registered agent services, and 24/7 access to your mail.  Finally, we offer at gratis a fully staffed reception desk from 9 am to 5 pm to greet and assist your clients. This is all without you being in the office. Click to receive your quote for a business address today!
 

Anyone that starts a business obviously wants to see it grow. So have you taken the time to really think about how beneficial networking could be? I understand that finding the ability to network in your overly-flooded schedule can be challenging for any business owner. It requires a decent amount of free time – and money too – to go to networking events, schedule dinner meetings, or even to stop by a potential partner’s workplace. Co-working is the new networking!

Imagine this scenario:

You have to get A, B and C done for your company by the end of the week – on top of finishing X, Y and Z. You have a few meetings in the mix and now something else goes wrong along the way too. Maybe employees got sick so everyone thinks they have the coronavirus, or maybe people just show up not wanting to work. Now you have a plethora of tasks, and definitely no time for a networking meeting. Sounds about right for any company at any given moment.

You’re frustrated while heading home, so you bring it up to your family at dinner. Then you bring it up again when you go out for drinks with some friends. And now your buddies, who struggle with business issues themselves, are also talking about the downfalls for everyones companies.

But what if you found something that would alleviate at least half of your current problems? What if it freed up some extra money for your business too? What if you had a mutual place to meet for networking discussions? Or better yet, what if you worked in a coworking office with some of your potential partners?

Now imagine this scenario:

You and your employees work in a coworking space, which is a shared office that would allow individuals from various companies to work independently or collaboratively. Coworking environments could really be a beneficial factor in a company’s expansion, and overall success rate. Like I said, it takes time and money to go out of your way for all of these networking meetings. If you relocated your business to a coworking space, your rent would be cut back pretty tremendously. In turn opening up funds for more business moves you want to make, such as making investments in networking campaigns.

Coworking spaces themselves also give the opportunity for networking, because you are in a space with people you otherwise wouldn’t meet in a regular workplace setting. As you are working in the same office suite as these other companies, you come to build a relationship with them. After all, you’re seeing them on a regular basis and learning what they do. Some business owners feel co-working spaces can be counter intuitive to what they are trying to accomplish. They feel employees will either be talking too much, or keeping headphones on all day, avoiding interaction with eachother in general. While that sometimes is the case, it’s not always true.

Officense is the answer:

Luckily, here at Officense we have a coworking space with individual offices. When you have your own office inside a coworking environment, it provides a sense of privacy you otherwise wouldn’t get in other open-floor plans to complete your work without distractions. All while still encouraging coworkers and other business owners who work in the space with you to step into your office and discuss collaborations and business opportunities (hence, the networking aspect you’ve been craving).

If you are meeting with a larger group, we have 2 conference rooms, equipped with a monitor for video conferencing as well. Even if you didn’t need a full-time office, you could always make it a part-time solution, as we have very cost-effective day rates for renting the conference rooms and offices only when you need it. Officense also offers around the clock access to the space we have provided for you. So even when your company doesn’t run 24×7, those late night conferences can still continue if you wish.

Another benefit to our coworking space at Officense is the ability to utilize our team of executive assistants to handle your receptionist work. You wouldn’t have to hire employees who don’t want to work anymore. Instead, you’d have us here ready to help you out with whatever you need. So stop being overwhelmed with stress and things to do! Don’t discuss all the things going wrong over drinks tonight, talk to your group about the perfect solution: contacting Officense!

Contact Us Today:

We’ll be ready to help with your coworking needs, so you can focus more on networking, and growing your business to it’s full potential. For more information, call Officense at 410-814-7500, email us at info@officense.com, or stop in for a visit. We are located at 300 E. Lombard St., Suite 840, Baltimore, MD 21202. We’ll look forward to meeting you!

FAQS:

Officense has been partnering with and assisting financial advisors for over 10 years, providing professional communication and administrative solutions. Our professional business address, private offices/conference rooms, call handling, and mail processing services lend instant credibility to any financial advisor. For example, customized scripts for phone answering provides full-time support while matching your call instructions. It gives you time to focus on your job’s additional responsibilities. And the best part about Officense’s services – you only pay for what you use.

PHONE ANSWERING AND MORE – ALL AROUND THE WORLD

Whether you work from home, or have to travel for business, important calls shouldn’t be missed. By choosing an office assistant with Officense, you get our exclusive, customized phone answering services. For instance, they can either run during regular business hours, or 24/7 with Officense’s HiLivePro. This means that we’ll forward calls according to your instructions anywhere in the world. For financial business leaders, assistants with phone answering services from Officense is the best solution for your business administration needs. We provide courteous, professional, customized services to maintain the corporate image you’ve built. Whether you need live call handling, consultation scheduling, custom call screening or more, we are the company to connect with.

While we offer outstanding phone answering services to financial advisors, Officense has many more solutions to assist your company in its success. Some additional services offered to business-owners are: on-demand admin support, appointment scheduling and management, bookkeeping and data entry, we even offer business consulting to those interested. To learn more about Officense’s phone answering and other custom business solutions offered, check out our page on Personalized Solutions for Financial Advisors.

REACH OUT TO US TODAY

Don’t hesitate anymore about this decision. Unlike other market trends, our Officense’s services remain constant. Email or call to speak with an executive assistant or sales coordinator at info@officense.com or 410-814-7500. If you’re thinking about dropping in to learn about our phone answering services firsthand, Officense is open Monday-Friday. Our office is closed on weekends, but you can submit a contact request or chat with us anytime via the link on our website. Officense is keeping everyone in our thoughts during this pandemic, and will be here ready to help your business along the way.

No morning traffic. No rush out the door. At the office, it seems like everyone is focused on their computer, talking on the phone or online anyway. Using Officense, you can work from home with ease! Working remotely is a growing trend in the business world. Is traditional office space really still necessary? Let’s talk about the pros and cons of working from home to see if it works for us.

Working Remotely

With new technology and ways to communicate virtually, there has been a rise in working remotely. In America, there are more than 13 million people who spend at least part of their week working from home. Studies have been done on this new trend that share its many advantages. The article Four Ways to Make Working from Home Work for You discusses how “workers tend to be more productive, take less sick days, tend to feel less stressed, and work more hours than employees who are exclusively on-site”. Plus, there are the obvious advantages. Not having to spend extra time getting ready in the morning, skipping commuter traffic, and the ability to run an errand or travel. Being able to customize your work day is appealing to everyone.

Finding the Right Balance

Why isn’t everyone working remotely? Four ways to make working from home work for you also discusses the drawbacks. Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo, explains “while there are obvious advantages to working early or being able to take [the] time to run a personal errand, it’s also easy for this to work against you. Colleagues may not know when they can reach you or may find you unpredictable”. Marissa has worked both from home and in a traditional office. She shares that when she worked from home she “made every effort to appear as if she has a ‘real office’ with a new phone line, business-sounding address, and corporate feel”. It is important to find the right balance for you and your business when deciding how to work.

How to Make Working from Home Work for You

Together, you can find the perfect balance between working from home while having all the advantages of a traditional office. You can bridge the gap by getting a virtual office assistant, office space when you need it and a professional business address. You have the ability to grow your business from the comfort of your home. At Officense you will have a team of executive assistants, both in office and virtually, who tailor services to your needs. You will gain a fully trained and professional staff that will make working from home work for you.

Our executive assistants answer your calls, handle your mail, greet your clients, follow up with leads and schedule appointments, providing a corporate feel and impressive business address. We provide high-end business facilities with fully furnished dedicated and a la carte office space, as well as conference rooms by the hour. An instant office when you need it, professional phone service to give your home office a corporate feel, and an impressive staff to help you with all of your administrative work. Give Officense a call at (410) 814-7500 to meet your new staff and tour your new business location, today!

Understanding Resident Agent Services

What is a Resident Agent Service and why does your business need one? A resident agent service allows your business to appoint an authorized person or entity to act as the official point of contact between your business and the state. Your appointed resident agent must be located in the state where your business primarily operates. A resident agent is responsible for accepting and forwarding legal documents such as summons, complaints, annual report notices, compliance notices, and tax forms. A P.O. Box cannot act as a resident agent because someone must be able to physically accept legal documents during regular business hours.

Simplifying Your Business Obligations

For Maryland businesses in need of a reliable resident agent, Officense delivers a secure and professional solution. At Officense, we have administrative assistant who are in the office from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, and are able to physically accept legal documents. After receiving your legal documents, we can forward them directly to you. You also have the option to access them instantly through a scan, with an email notification sent to you so you can stay up to date. If you prefer, you can pick up the documents at a time that works best for you or have someone you authorize collect them on your behalf. Let us handle your legal documents so you avoid missed deadlines, penalties, or business risks.