How to Create the Perfect Home Office Meeting Space

Guest post by Tina Martin

As an entrepreneur running a home-based business, you may have cause to regularly host meetings with your clients. Consultants, designers, and many other types of business owners can benefit from speaking directly to the customer. Whether you invite clients into your home office or conduct conversations through virtual meetings, it is important to prepare a professional and welcoming atmosphere. You can utilize a few helpful tips from Home Office Wellness that may serve to amaze your clientele and keep them coming back for more.

Know the Importance of Staging Your Home Office

Staging refers to the process of decluttering a space and arranging items to present the room’s appeal, usually for the sake of selling property to a buyer. This same methodology can be used when preparing your home office for business meetings. When you invite a client for a meeting, you are likely trying to “sell” them on your business in much the same way that a real estate agent would attempt to sell a house.

With this in mind, it is clear that proper decoration can be a powerful tool for boosting a customer’s opinion of your business when they attend a meeting in your office. The same can be true even in a virtual meeting when you have staged your office space as an effective video call backdrop.

Design Your Home Inside and Out

The focus of your staging efforts will of course be on the office space where client meetings will occur. However, maintaining your curb appeal is also a priority for making that all-important first impression. A well-trimmed lawn is a must, and an eye-catching garden can be a huge bonus. If you foresee many client visits in the future, you might decide to hire a local landscaping service to shape and maintain the exterior of your home-based business.

Once inside the premises, your client should have a clear route to your office or meeting space. Consider installing interior walls in your home’s entryway that unquestioningly guide your guests to the appropriate room and separate the personal areas of your house. You can also use modular walls to achieve a similar effect.

If your home currently lacks the space you’d ideally like for hosting your clients, a renovation or expansion project may be necessary. If you lack the cash on hand or the room in your budget to afford such a project, you may want to consider refinancing your mortgage. If your loan to value ratio has fallen in recent years, you may be eligible for a lower interest rate on your loan, which could free up budget space. Alternatively, you may want to cash out some home equity when you refinance to cover the cost of the project all at once.

The overall decor of your meeting space should be clean and professional, and it should match the established brand identity of your business. You might even tastefully display your products around the room so that they catch the eye during in-person meetings and virtual visits. Creating a memorable logo and labels for your products is simple with online logo and label maker tools that allow for creative customization of your brand’s representation. Finish off your interior design vision by utilizing as much natural lighting as possible to help create a positive, uplifting ambiance that will also translate well through video meetings.

Take Personal Safety Into Consideration

Health safety is an increasingly common concern in the modern business world. Potential guests in your home should know that they are entering a safety-conscious business environment. To that end, you make certain provisions to promote personal wellness and minimize contact. A few ways your home-based business can protect your client’s health may include:

• Contactless payment methods
• Digital invoicing
• Complimentary masks
• Appropriately-spaced furniture
• Ultraviolet lights for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system

With a thoughtfully decorated home office, you will be ready to invite customers into your space for productive business conversations. While some experts advocate for the advantages of virtual meetings, this does not negate the need for proper staging of your home’s meeting room. Welcoming your clients with an air of professionalism is a necessity no matter what format you use to communicate.

For all your home office needs, visit Home Office Wellness today!

Image via Pexels

How to Turn Your Garage Into the Perfect Home Office

Guest post by Tina Martin.

How to Turn Your Garage Into the Perfect Home Office

Many people like the idea of working from home but they are hesitant to do so because they don’t think that they have the space to set up a suitable office. However, if you own your home, then you might have a chance to transform your garage into a great workspace. At Home Office Wellness, we want everyone to be comfortable and productive in their remote position, so we have some tips for how you can modify the garage so it is suitable for your work.

Clean It Up

The first thing that you will want to do is clean out the garage as best as you can so you have a suitable space. Remove the power tools, lawnmower, landscaping products, and any other items that don’t absolutely need to be in the area. You can put the things you still use in a shed and donate what you no longer need. Next, sweep and dust the area to remove all of the filth.

Insulate the Space

Next, you will want to insulate the garage so you can keep cool during the hottest summer months and keep out the bitter chill during the coldest months. There are several steps that you can take to insulate the space, starting with sealing all cracks along the exterior walls so that you aren’t leaking any energy. You should also add waterproof sealant to the perimeter of all external windows so you are protecting the space from both sides. If your garage isn’t insulated at all, then add fiberglass insulation in the spaces of the walls between each stud. If necessary, also add insulation to the ceiling and the garage door. Once you are done, install the drywall over it.

Fix Up the Walls

Now that the space is spotless, you should spruce up the walls so it looks less like a garage and more like a traditional room. You can start by adding a coat of paint to all of the walls. You can either go with white or try a more soothing color like light blue or gray.

Another great idea is using woven grasscloth wallpaper for your walls, which will create an elegant look that will impress clients and anyone else who walks into the space. If you go with this option, then it is a smart idea to choose a peel-and-stick option that is easy to apply and remove if necessary. 

Add Natural Light

While you should at least have an overhead light to help you to see your work, you will likely need to find other ways to add natural light into your garage. Natural light will allow you to see your work while also cutting down on utility costs and it will also improve your productivity. While you do have the option to add a window, you can also add light by replacing the garage door with one that has windows already built into it or you can install a skylight.

Furnish the Space

Even though you are working out of a garage, it doesn’t mean that you should be sitting in a cheap chair and working off of a folding table. Instead, it is important that you make your garage space official by finding a suitable desk and also spend a few extra bucks on a quality chair that provides the ergonomic support that you need to work your eight-hour day without feeling pain in your back or neck. If you ever entertain guests in the space, then consider adding an extra chair or a couch to really complete the look.

As you can see, there are many ways that you can transform your garage into a perfectly suitable office space. Try these tips and you’ll be amazed by the final product. If you would like to know more about the services offered by Home Office Wellness, then contact us at 866-876-1791.

Photo Source – Unsplash

Working From Home? Don’t Let The Office Invade Your Life

Guest post by Tina Martin.

Working from home can be just as stressful as punching a time clock at a cubicle each day. Although you no longer have a commute, it can feel nearly impossible to break away from work, even when you’re supposed to be attending to yourself and your family. Keep reading for a few tips on how to ensure a separation between your personal and professional spaces, even as they intertwine.

Small Space? Try an Office Pod

We all have distractions. Our children, pets, spouse, and even the mailman can all take our time and attention away from work. A great solution: Home Office Wellness’s TalkBox Single Booth Home Office Work Pod. This will help you eliminate visual and auditory distractions and is the perfect dedicated workspace when you don’t have a great deal of room in your home. When positioning your work pod, face the door toward a window or other natural light source.

Add Plants

Speaking of natural things, it’s time to decorate your home and plants. According to Redfin, there are many indoor plants, including garden mums and spider plants, that won’t require hands-on attention. But, they will have a positive effect on your brain. No green thumb? While not as effective, even artwork featuring plants and natural scenery can help.

Reconsider Your Color Scheme

Bright white, red, and yellow are great colors to have in your office, as they can invigorate you and keep your eyes wide open, even during the post-lunch slump. But, for the rest of your home, consider colors that keep you calm. Lavender, blue-gray, and pastel shades of purple and pink are all great for the bedroom, living room, and other areas where you just need to relax.

Keep Yourself Fit

When you work outside of the home, you probably get more physical activity than you do when you stay home. Look for ways to keep yourself physically active. This might mean investing in an under-desk bike, a yoga dome, or a standing desk. You can also plan to use your lunch break as an opportunity to take a walk around the block or play a quick round of basketball with the kids.

Separate Your Spaces

For many of us, working from home means setting up shop in the bedroom, kitchen, or dining room. As such, it can be tricky to let work go at the end of the day. However, you must make a point to separate your spaces. If possible, and ideally, turn the untapped potential of your garage, attic, or spare bedroom into a home office. Alternatively, you can also build a room divider screen – you can find ideas on DIYToMake.com. 

A Permanent Office

If you run your own business or if your job has moved to a fully remote situation, this might be a great time to consider adding a permanent, but separate, home office. The cost to build an outdoor structure can easily hit $30,000, but you may pay more or less depending on where you live and the types of amenities you need. There are pros and cons to this arrangement as well. On one hand, your office will physically be apart from your home. On the other hand, you’ll have to walk to and from your desk in the rain and snow and every time you need to take a bathroom break or fix lunch.

Your home is your safe haven, but it may have also become your workplace. This can be a conflict of interest for you and your family, but it does not have to be. The few tips listed above, from installing an office pod to using color to change the mood room to room, can help you work, play, and relax all at the same address.

Image via Pexels