Practicing Out of Your Home

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Permalink Reply by John Cerbone - The Trance-Master on July 23, 2008 at 7:06am

I have hosted Private sessions out of my home here for years, and in the past, have shared office space in other locations at times as well.
Here on the south shore of Staten Island, NYC, NY, there's a lot of newer amd older homes, and comparatively speaking, very little infrastructure. While in Manhattan years back or over in Brooklyn, there is office space available, but much of the affordable locations are run down, fire traps next to the train stations, some of which have burned down, . . . . just imagine, (with every screech of the train breaks, with every whistle blast, you are relaxing deeper and further, I don't think so!) - other places I've seen or worked within, noisy, slamming doors, people speaking loudly in hallways, waiting to see someone on the next office, cell phones outside going off, loud conversations there, other clincians barging in w/o knocking due to a weak door-lock, which the landlord didn't want replaced, loud traffic, and other difficult circumstances which can interfere with session success.
Around here of late, there a few brand new Medical Arts buildings, I could most likely rent space on Park Ave. in Manhattan for what they want for a few square feet w/o windows. Many Medical, dental, chiropractic, etc., facilities are in converted homes. As the people around here are aware of the lack of affordable and even existing office space, I have worked out of my home and most people expect that and have had no problem with it; they are most interested in high impact results. I live next to a woodland area, it's usually pretty quiet.
It does help to sign the UPS leave it at the door waiver, and to post a magnetic sign, QUIET PLEASE -- HYPNOSIS SESSION IN PROGRESS. . .

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Permalink Reply by Roy Hunter on July 23, 2008 at 8:09am

There are pros and cons for having an office in your home. A friend of mine, who was once a state senator, had his office in his home; but it had a separate outside entrance. He practiced both hypnotherapy and family counseling. Should you choose this route, you need to check on the legality in your area of doing so (zoning laws, etc.).

I prefer to have my office in a business location. Although it costs more than practicing from home, there are some clients who are more comfortable going to a business location. Also, you can justify charging a higher rate to help pay for the added expenses of a professional office location.

Roy Hunter, M.S., FAPHP
www.royhunter.com

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Permalink Reply by Paul Duncan on July 23, 2008 at 11:54am

Good topic...

I'm an absolute newbie, just starting to get my first clients. I'm setting up my home office now - I've got some baseboards to install, a couple other odd touches to finish, and I'm done. The whole job (sanding and finishing floors, painting, furniture, etc.) has yet to cost me $1000, and it looks great. I live alone with no pets, and most of "my" stuff is in the basement, which is where I spend 90% of my time when I'm home. The upstairs might as well BE an office environment.

I have a "cute" little house in a very quiet neighbohood, very near many main roads and highways. People will walk in and have a straight shot to my office, with a clean bathroom just a few steps off to the left. I've got the doors to my other rooms and my kitchen closed off. I keep the place tidy. I have an odd sense of style (for instance, I was really excited the day I brought home my new acrylic see-through toilet-bowl with little fishes floating inside), but I simply moved that stuff downstairs into "my" area.

I think many of you are overly obsessed with this "professional" issue. Yes, you need to behave and present yourself professionally, have your codes of conduct and standards, and do the work you've promised, etc. But after that, I think alot of what I read on this site amounts to a Penis Envy of the medical establishment. Instead of worrying about all that, I'm going to trust my own judgement, and my own intuition. Which tells me that I'll have no problem both getting clients, AND getting their respect. Even in my home office. I've just got to pay some dues and put some time in.

Will this approach bite me in the butt? Possibly. But, if that happens, I can change my tack, cause I'm the boss, which is the whole point of starting my own business. I'm already expecting to be out of the office a decent amount, for instance when working with dental and medical issues, etc.

I'm nobody right now. Once I start making some headway, getting some referrals and name recognition, etc., then it may indeed be a good idea to get an office space - ideally, I'd like to share space with someone *NOT* from my area, so that even though I might have to drive to the location once a week, that will be a greater radius of prospective clients that I can cover. But I'll always keep the office at home. It honestly seems wasteful not to, given my personal situation.

At this stage, I'd rather pump that money into getting my act together and getting some good advertising, than renting an office for appearances sake.

And you know, if it turns out that my opinion is completely idiotic and unhinged from reality, that's okay, then I'll adjust. But my gut tells me its not.

Just my personal take. I'm eager to find out whether I'm right or not...!

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Permalink Reply by Tianna Roser on July 23, 2008 at 1:11pm

I am enjoying the responses and hearing about people's own experiences. I agree Paul, that we can experiment with it and see what works best. Another advantage for working out of home is that if it doesn't work well, we can always look for office space. But many times if you start first with leasing office space, you get locked into a commitment that can be expensive to get out of prematurely.

Again, I don't think there's one "right" setup for everyone. We all have different preferences and clients. That's what makes this field interesting. I don't want to be stuck in a box, the way some professional fields tend to be - a slave to insurance companies or to the opinions of professional peers. If we want to be seen in the same light as doctors and lawyers, aren't we setting ourselves up for the kinds of regulation that both of those fields must comply to? I suppose I'm getting off topic.

Anyhow, as others have said, I compose and present myself professionally and ethically and these are in my opinion, the key factors to client's perception and satisfaction with my services. Ultimately, whether I work from home or an office will really depend on the places we see. I still don't know Austin well. I am doing research online but I tend to go more with the feeling I get when I'm at the physical location.

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Permalink Reply by Sanna Carapellotti on July 23, 2008 at 5:22pm

Hello Tianna,
I work out of my home (since 1993) I have not had one problem with any clients here or even on the phone. Not one has ever called late. I use a beautifully decorated office and my living room as a classroom. It is set up very elegantly and comfortable. It is quiet. No distractions. Family have strict rules and they follow them. I charge a competitive rate, live in an upper class neighborhood. My clients are poverty to millionaires. I am highly regarded because my presence and environment reflect my high professionalism. I am quite comfortable working at home. My space works.
I have never had a client not come because I work at home. Clients comment how fortunate I am that I can discipline myself to not be distracted. It has been very positive for me. It works.
Sanna

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