Lexington, KY - Self-employed, telecommuting, starting a new business, outgrowing existing space - there are any number of reasons someone might want to rent office space for a few hours, weeks or months. People who work out of their homes (or cars or computers) sometimes just want a quiet, professional place to conduct business. Startup owners with limited budgets would like to test the waters before committing to office equipment, phone lines, support staff and a ton of overhead.
Enter the business center. Lexington has several such centers, each with similar offerings but different personalities.
Awesome Inc (www.AwesomeInc.org) opened in April 2009 on East Main Street. Co-founder Brian Raney calls it "the epicenter for technology, creativity and startup." The company is building a community around entrepreneurship. There's no private office space at Awesome Inc, but the open concept, starting at $150 per month, has desks and seating areas, wireless access, printing services and free coffee and donuts.
"When you're renting, you are a tenant," said Raney. "You have a key and access to the space whenever you want, 24/7."
Current tenants include graphic designers, video producers, a dance studio and an attorney. Some have been with Awesome Inc since the beginning; other tenants have rented for just a month or so before moving on to their own office buildings. Venue space is available to rent for seminars and other events.
Infinite Office (www.InfiniteOffice.com) is locally owned by David Slone, whose slogan is "We have a program for that." The center opened in April 2010 in Hamburg, offering workstation space, executive offices, meeting rooms and a la carte services. The phone and mail package starts at $49 per month.
"You can sit at home in your pajamas, and we will handle your mail receipts, telephone answering and office support," said Lisa Hendricks, vice president of sales. The Infinite Office business lounge is a 2,000-square-foot space for customers to use during regular business hours, with wireless access and a coffee bar; it can be rented by the hour, day or month. The training room area is available during the day or evening, and as of July 1, it will have audio/video and web conferencing capabilities. Furnished offices can be rented at Infinite Office on a short- or long-term basis. This appeals to businesspeople moving to town or starting a new company because "they don't have to worry about trying to figure out what they will need six to 12 months down the road," according to Hendricks. "They pay for what they need when they need it."
Eric Lynn, co-owner of The Capital Manager real estate investment firm, recently moved back to Kentucky. His business partner is on the West Coast.
"I was looking for low overhead, a good location in Lexington," he said, "with a team in place to give quality service. Infinite Office has met and exceeded all my standards."
Office Suites PLUS (www.OfficeSuites Plus.com) opened in 1999. CEO Norwood "Buddy" Cowgill's concept now has 38 locations in the Southeast and Midwest. The Paragon Centre location offers furnished office space with utilities, janitorial and phone service included. Most offices are around 100 square feet, but the largest is 600 square feet, with its own restroom.
"You can come for a week or 10 years," said Lee Shaw, general manager. "Everything's so mobile; people may not need what they originally thought they needed for office space."
Office Suites has three meeting rooms that can be rented by the day. There's also a notary on staff. One package, starting at $99 per month, is for mail receipt plus two days a month of guest office space. There are also packages with live phone answering and voicemail, using a customized script.
Your SMARTOFFICE Solution (www.YourSmartOfficeSolution.com), locally owned by Coleman Group, opened in April 2010 on Main Street. The center has packages starting at $100 a month for live telephone answering and reception service, mail receipt, wireless access and telecommunications services, business lounge and meeting space. Furnished offices at roughly 150 square feet are available with 24-hour access, starting at $200 per month.
Office buildings in general are nothing new, but business centers tailoring services and space to entrepreneurs? As companies get smaller, this industry is getting bigger.
Kathie Stamps posts grammar tips at www.facebook.stampscommunications.com.