Thread: Regus Business Centers

I am a huge believer in Regus Business Centers.

First, if you are just starting out in something, you're not ready for Regus. It's more expensive than some cheap, bootstrapping offices you could have. Home offices are cheap, outfitted with a Craigslist fax machine, a free file cabinet, and a cell phone. Your job when you first start out is to keep expenses at next to nothing. Refer back to MJ's examples in the book for how to bootstrap a company. The concept of fancy business cards also applies to your work area. No need to spend money on furniture - spend it on building a business.

I've had home offices. I have had an office in a warehouse space I rented (that was really great and really cheap - my warehouse and office were one and the same, with a desk in my warehouse). Externally, nobody knows or cares where you office. I have also had a few cheap office spaces for multiple employees, with the goal having that space functional but CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP. Cubicles from craigslist. "C-tier" real estate. I'm not interested in spending money on classy offices... I will do things today nobody else will do so I can live tomorrow like nobody else can live. You haven't MADE IT when you have a nice office. You have MADE IT the day you can leave the office on your own terms. The goal is not the corner office suite. The goal is to ESCAPE the corner office suite.

That being said, if you have a few extra bucks available, my company has been at Regus for a few years. I needed an office right in the shadows of one of the world's largest retailers, but didn't want all of the bullshit of a regular office. We have a few offices at Regus. They provide the phones, furniture, internet, file cabinets, fax machines, high speed copiers, shared receptionists who answer your phones, mailing services, conference rooms, etc...

It's a fraction of what it would cost me to build it out on my own. It's a variable cost. I have none of the bullshit of the startup expenses... even the "receptionists" that answer my phones are someone else's problems. When I pick offices at Regus, I go for the interior, small offices with multiple work stations. I want the CHEAPEST solution to access their services. I actually pay less for my current office than I did for space I was renting elsewhere with zero amenities. I don't care what the "view" from our office windows, or lack of windows, is. I'd just as soon have a boiler room with conference room privileges. The boiler room is cheaper.

In less than 30 months, what office I have today is NOT going to matter to me. My goal is not to build the nicest office I can. I'd just as soon have an exit event that requires me to have no office whatsoever. Meanwhile, I have found Regus to be a decent solution. I don't own office furniture, file cabinets, or phone systems. All I own is my business. I simply use their tools (and their people, and their coffee...) to "get 'er done."

they are great, they give you a central address (good for google searches), real person answering service, mail hold or forwarding, conference room, etc. It's impressive for visitors too

I was looking into it last year but finally moved out of province.