by Michael Felts

Created on: April 28, 2008

For small home based businesses, making a first impression in a corporate world can be overwhelming. You have studied the market, found a product or service that you have a passion for, and have opened for business ... but now what do you do? Most individuals who create a home based business must support that business by working a part-time or full-time job elsewhere to make ends meet until their business takes off. Small business owners find that they don't have enough time to answer phones, fill orders, meet with clients and still work their regular job. The solution, a virtual office.

Virtual offices offer several services that home based and small businesses can utilize to make a big impression. To start, most virtual office companies are in large office buildings in major cities giving you an address of distinction. It looks much better to have a suite on your business card than your apartment number. These companies will answer your phone with a live receptionist in your comapny name, have meeting space and small fully furnished offices available to meet with clients, and will even sign for packages and forward your mail to your home address. The best part is that these services start from $150 - $250 per month in most cases making it not only affordable to do business but more convenient.

Once your small business starts to grow and expand, virtual offices will allow you to use their "Network Access" to take advantage of business centers all over the world. You can set-up and test new markets in new cities as the need arises without the expense of renting office space, buying or renting furniture, and if business does well, you can even rent a permanent space in the same building in most cases, all fully furnished.

Being a small home based business doesn't mean you have to look like a small home based business anymore. You take pride in the product or service that you are marketing, so you should have a place that showcases that product or service. A company of one now can look like it's a major corporation, and after all, that is what it's about. Evening the playing field.

Learn more about this author, Michael Felts.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.