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working from home Archives - Business E Suites

First Impressions Count: Mastering Client Meetings Without an Office

By | Tips

In the age of remote work and digital nomadism, not every entrepreneur or freelancer has access to a dedicated office space. However, maintaining professionalism during client meetings remains paramount. This blog post offers practical tips for conducting professional client meetings without an office, highlighting how Business E Suites can be your ace in the hole.

1. Choose the Right Environment

The location of your meeting can significantly impact its outcome. Cafés and public spaces may work for casual catch-ups, but they can be distracting and unprofessional for important business discussions. Business E Suites offers access to professional and well-equipped meeting rooms that can be booked on demand, ensuring you make the right impression in a controlled and conducive environment.

2. Leverage Technology

Make use of technology to enhance your meetings. Utilizing video conferencing tools for remote meetings can be effective, but ensure you have a reliable internet connection and a quiet, professional-looking background. Business E Suites provides high-speed internet and technology-equipped spaces, making it an ideal setting for both virtual and in-person meetings.

3. Prepare Thoroughly

Preparation is key to a successful meeting. Have a clear agenda, know your material inside and out, and be ready to answer questions or provide further details as needed. This level of preparedness shows respect for your client’s time and demonstrates your professionalism.

4. Follow Up Promptly

After the meeting, send a timely follow-up to recap the discussion and next steps. This not only keeps the momentum going but also reinforces your professionalism and commitment to your client’s needs.

5. Use Virtual Office Services

For those without a physical office, virtual office services can provide a professional mailing address, phone answering services, and access to meeting rooms as needed. Business E Suites offers virtual office packages that can enhance your business’s professional image and support your operational needs.

Conclusion

Meeting with clients without a dedicated office space doesn’t have to compromise your professionalism. By selecting the right environment, leveraging technology, preparing thoroughly, following up promptly, and utilizing virtual office services, you can conduct successful and impressive client meetings.

For entrepreneurs and freelancers looking for a professional setting to meet with clients, Business E Suites offers the perfect solution. Book a tour today at businessEsuites.com and discover how our meeting rooms and virtual office services can elevate your client meetings to the next level.

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A Sanity-Saving Guide to Working From Home With Young Children

By | Tips

As a mother with young children, working from home is both a blessing and a curse. You can spend more time with your little ones, avoid the daily commute to and from work, and save money on childcare, but you’re also faced with constant interruptions and distractions that make working seem close to impossible. And due to COVID-19 concerns, you may not feel comfortable hiring a babysitter or sending your little ones to child care — even when you’re desperate for a break.

To help you juggle it all, the team at Business E Suites is here to share some sanity-saving tips and strategies to make working from home with young kids much more feasible. Read on to get started!

Work While the Little Ones Sleep

If you’re a sleep-deprived mother of a newborn, you may be tempted to catch up on some sleep whenever your baby goes down for a morning or afternoon nap. However, nap times are the perfect opportunities to power through your important work tasks — even if you only have 20- to- 40 minutes to yourself. The same goes for napping toddlers and young children!

In addition to working while your little ones nap, you’ll accomplish more if you aim to work when your children are at their calmest. For most children, this usually means immediately after waking from a nap or eating a meal.

Share Responsibilities

If you and your partner are both working remotely during the pandemic, try splitting your parenting duties between the two of you, and scheduling childcare shifts throughout the workday. If your partner has deadlines, phone calls, and meetings in the morning, you could care for your little ones in the morning and your partner could take the afternoon shift. If each workday looks a bit different, however, you’ll want to sit down with your partner every evening to plan out the following day’s activities.

Try Virtual Babysitting Services

To keep young children entertained so you can focus on your work, you could turn to online games and activities — or you could enlist the help of a virtual babysitter. To find a virtual babysitter to engage with your little ones via Zoom, Skype, or FaceTime, Kelsey Hurwitz of Woman’s Day recommends:

  • Obtaining referrals from friends and family.
  • Visiting websites such as SitterCity and Care.com.
  • Asking for recommendations on Facebook.
  • Looking for virtual sitters on NextDoor and other neighborhood platforms.

As another option, you could check with your friends and relatives to see if they might be interested in a virtual visit with your little ones. Grandma and grandpa, for instance, can read stories to your young children, draw and color with them, and play fun virtual games like I-Spy and Mad Libs.

Preserve Your Sanity

When you’re at home with your young kids all week long, some days may test your sanity — and you may start to feel as if you’re on the verge of losing your mind. However, this is where self-care comes in. Even as a busy work-from-home mom, self-care is a must!

Here are some simple self-care strategies to keep you happy, healthy, and sane:

  • Try a coworking space. One day a week away from home could be a boon for your productivity. If you can work it out with your partner, plan to use a coworking space for a whole workday. You may be able to work ahead to lighten up the rest of your week.
  • Dress comfortably. Skip the tight jeans and business clothes and opt for comfortable yet stylish leggings, tanks and joggers. When you’re chasing toddlers and young children around all day, comfortable clothing is a must.
  • Remember to breathe. Try a meditation app like Insight Timer, Calm, or Omvana — even if you only have a few minutes to spare.
  • Drink plenty of water. Nourish your body and mind by sipping on water throughout the day, and aim to drink at least eight glasses of water daily. If you’re breastfeeding, however, you’ll need to increase your water intake by about four glasses.
  • Do something for yourself. Extra time at home may have sealed the deal for you on future plans. For example, if you aspire to become an entrepreneur or finally want to get your MBA, you can join a program that fits your busy schedule but allows you to advance your career. You owe it to yourself.

The Bottom Line

Whether you’ve been working from home for years or you’re still adjusting to remote work amidst COVID-19, the challenges of being a work-from-home mom are vast — especially when you’ve got young children to feed and care for. However, focusing on the many advantages of working from home with your children will help to keep your sanity and remind you of how fortunate you really are to be given this opportunity.

Some days will certainly be tougher than others, but in time, you’ll fall into a routine that works for you and your little ones. Before you know it, working from home with a baby or toddler (or both!) won’t seem so impossible after all.

Are you looking for an affordable office space away from home? Look to Business E Suites for a monthly membership that allows you the opportunity to work in a professional environment so you can be more productive.

Image via Pexels

Article by: Janice Russell

El antídoto para adaptarse en el nuevo mercado

By | Business, Industry, Tips

Si bien la tecnología de la comunicación nos permite trabajar desde casa, existen dificultades que podrás experimentar al trabajar en casa y analizamos los beneficios que te brinda el mantener una correcta división entre tu trabajo y tu casa. Existen alternativas para poder trabajar de una manera eficiente, adecuada y por bajos costos como las oficinas compartidas, existe el alquiler de cubículos u oficinas y con ellos los beneficios de mantener tu empresa conectada con otras, permitiendo así la expansión en el mercado, mejorando tu carta de presentación ante tus clientes y mantener absoluto control sobre tus resultados, algo que están haciendo los empresarios profesionales con estrategias eficientes y dirigidas a la productividad, rentando espacios económicos que ayudan en la imagen de tu negocio, controlar tu agenda y múltiples beneficios extras.

  1. La balanza productiva.

Te habrás dado cuenta que trabajando desde casa, existe mayor comodidad y se reflejará en tus resultados. A esto se le conoce como la balanza productiva, cuando la distracción aumenta, el rendimiento disminuye y viceversa. Supongamos que te llaman a una junta urgente y sigues en pijama, o debes cerrar un trato con un cliente potencial y a tu alrededor se escucha mucho ruido o imagina presentar el reporte de fin de mes al dueño de la empresa, mientras tus hijos corren por la casa.

Es aquí donde separar tu hogar de la oficina cobra sentido, respetar los espacios es clave para el correcto desarrollo de tu organización, recordemos que el propósito de todo negocio es avanzar al siguiente nivel. No importa a que industria perteneces, todas las empresas buscan aumentar su cartera de clientes, expandir su mercado, incrementar su capacidad de producción y con ello formar equipos de trabajo competentes, numerosos y estables. Siguiendo con esta visión, tu valor en el mercado también se beneficiará, creando una red de contactos más sólida y por ende las recomendaciones profesionales.

  1. En la unión está la fuerza.

Si eres del tipo de persona a la que le gusta trabajar solo y con métodos específicos, amarás el trabajar aislado desde casa, pero debemos recordar el proverbio africano que dice “Si quieres ir rápido camina solo, si quieres llegar lejos ve acompañado”, mismo que siguen las empresas reconocidas a nivel internacional. Sabemos que en el mercado actual es más fuerte la competencia, por tal motivo es importante transmitir confianza al cliente, tu corporativo debe proyectar experiencia, seguridad y profesionalismo.

Si apenas estás comenzando, te recomiendo buscar una oficina compartida, te incluye diversos servicios como internet, servicio postal, recepcionista, cafetería, entre otros más por el mismo precio. Además de esta gran ventaja, el alquilar un espacio de coworking te permite estar en contacto con otros profesionales, encontrar inspiración, perspectivas, hacer relaciones laborales y obtener recomendaciones. Es muy común que un cliente nuevo o antiguo de la persona que se aloja en el cubículo de enseguida necesita del servicio que provees y de manera directa llegan a ti, sin necesidad de buscarlos.

  1. El ahorro intangible

Por supuesto, no podemos dejar a un lado la economía, quizá piensas en el ahorro que representa trabajar desde casa como en transporte, la comida rápida o incluso en vestimenta. Pero seamos realistas, no hablamos de un gasto masivo y se puede comparar con la energía eléctrica que antes no usabas en tus horas fuera, notarás que el garrafón del agua se termina más rápido que antes, gastarás en café, etc. Es cierto que el gasto no es algo grande, pero tenlo en cuenta: para trabajar en casa necesitarás más que una computadora, una mesa y un sofá

Cuando trabajas mucho tiempo sentado, es importante tener un mueble diseñado para trabajar en una posición cómoda, misma que un espacio de trabajo te brinda. Además, según sea el ramo en el que te desarrolles, es posible que necesites impresora, escáner o muebles para archivar información importante. Por otro lado, si tienes una vivienda pequeña, ten en cuenta que tener una oficina en casa afectará el espacio de todos, lo que afectará no solo tu comodidad, sino también la de ellos.

 

 

 

Why Business Professionals Want to Go Back to the Office?

By | Business, Industry

Being in the local business community you get to hear a lot of the current experiences other business owners are going through, what it’s like to work from home and run their business from what once was a comfortable, relaxing, end of your day spot.  I got to speak to a handful of business owners in the local Sugar Land community, one of them particularly is an accountant and I ask her, what it was to work from home and how did she feel about taking her professional life back to the office?  She came up with 2 challenges that I myself and some other business owners, all agreed were the same kind of struggles they were facing.

  1. Working from home is really a nightmare – the main reason to this statement was the amount of anxiety individuals face when working from home, we tend to play two or more roles in our lives and some of these roles can’t mix at all, sure we can be wives and husbands alongside being mothers and fathers but we cannot be a loving mother or father and at the same time a ruthless businessman or woman – although ruthless might be a little out of hand, you get my point.  This feeling of not being able to mix both roles in the same environment creates enormous anxiety among our family and colleagues – if you add as well the beautiful fact that our little angels are actually not little angels and we realize how assertive were the teachers – we were in denial the entire time!!!  Now we get to struggle with the not so little angels and the day-to-day professional challenges all in one place.  Sure we get to perhaps walk around in our pajamas for a little bit longer but is it worth all the other nightmares we are facing while playing mom or dad PLUS director of operations?
  2. The business’ capabilities are forcibly and significantly reduced – the second reason to why professionals can’t wait to get back to the office is to bring their business back to normal, having to take your business to a still-mode and taking your entire operations remotely not only creates a new way to adapt you and your employees but also your customer intake.  Many businesses get their business from actual customers visiting their office, socializing, and networking with these potential customers are the key to growing their business.  Plus, the collaboration between the team is crucial to growing the business as well, and let’s face it so little can be done behind a webcam.

I highly recommend checking out the workspaces at Business E Suites – they aren’t only affordable but accommodating to any business platform and the best part, you take it as you go, so if things go south again with the pandemic, you can always reduce your space intake and go month to month without long term agreements.