Written by Liam Murphy | 20 January 2010

So you're starting a new business. You have a business plan (or maybe just an idea) , the motivation and maybe even some capital. You don't really want to spend lots of money renting office space and you don't think you need it just yet, but at the same time you still want to look professional to your potential clients.

A virtual office can mean different things to different people depending on what requirements they may have. With a virtual office, technically, the actual office is wherever you are and with the ever evolving new technology that is available now, you can run your business from just about anywhere. So your office can be your house, car, in an airport, by the swimming pool or at the beach.

Usually, your office would be based at home and so to make this work you need to have a great environment set up. This could be a quiet study or room where you aren't distracted. I used to work at home on a regular basis and I would tell people that the decisions I made ended up being whether to watch television or play Playstation. Needless to say, I didn't have a good environment that was conducive to work.

But what about your business address?

You probably don't want to use your home address as your business address because after all first impressions can mean a lot. There are a few options available including renting a post office box or using the address of a virtual office provider. Using a virtual office provider would give you access to a nice sounding CBD address, but is definitely a more expensive option than the PO box. In the end, it's up to you what you need for your business.

Communications are vital

So having a business phone number is also very important. Some people choose to use their cellphone as their business number but that has a lot of drawbacks. You never know where you'll be when you receive that important client call, and I don't think cars or crowds in the background  screams  professional company. Also, people know what a mobile number looks like and if I have to call one to purchase any type of good or service, I get quite nervous. Luckily, there are many options available for this, ranging from a local Skype number (more about this in a future post) to getting a company to answer your calls and take messages. Once again, you need to pick the right choice for you.

Hopefully, I've given you some insight into what the components of a  virtual office are and how they can help you to run your business from home. I'll be examining some of these options in more detail in future posts, so look for them soon.