Guest Post by Focal Point Member Alyssa Phillips, Owner and Graphic Designer at Amp’d Designs
Every entrepreneur owner knows the value of relationships in building and growing a small business. Meeting a client in-person in a conference room offers such a great opportunity to personally connect with the human behind the screen and take a break from Zoom fatigue.
When you work for yourself, it can be difficult to schedule in-person meetings with clients that feel professional, especially when most of your work is done from home. If you have a home office, renting an office space often doesn’t seem practical. But renting a conference room at a coworking space as-needed is a great solution! Here’s why:
It’s quiet
Meeting a client at a coffee shop or brewery might seem fun, but you have no control over the environment. It could be crowded or noisy, which makes it difficult to focus on the meeting. That may be uncomfortable for your client, as well.
In a conference room, you’re assured that you’ll have completely undisturbed time to focus on your meeting tasks with your client.
It’s accommodating
At a coffee shop or other public space, you might have to get there early to be sure you can secure a table next to a power outlet. And if you end up with a tiny table for both you and your client’s laptops, you’ll just have to make it work. Plus, the wifi might be slow or the lighting might be problematic.
With a conference room at a coworking space, you can be sure you’ll have enough power outlets, table space, chairs, and wifi for everyone.
Most coworking spaces also provide complimentary coffee or tea, which you can offer to your client without having to wait in line to order anything or spend extra money.
It’s professional
This is one of the most valuable reasons to rent a conference room for client meetings.
Holding business meetings for projects at a public space—like a coffee shop—can feel DIY and communicate that your business doesn’t have a “home.”
As a freelancer or entrepreneur, you are a business owner. Having a designated professional meeting space communicates to your client that you’re professional, prepared, organized, and serious about what you do.
Most coworking spaces also have large TVs with HDMI adaptors in their conference rooms, which allows you to give presentations formally and bring up visuals for your clients to look at. This is a huge advantage over squeezing your clients around your small, potentially-smudged laptop screen.
As a one-person owner of a service-based business myself, renting conference rooms at Focal Point Coworking has made a world of a difference. My clients are constantly complimenting the space for its beautiful design and lovely large windows in the rooms. I work out of my home office daily, and it is great to have an opportunity to build that personal relationship face-to-face with clients, and get a change of scenery for meetings in a professional space. If you’re ready to step up your meeting game, I can’t recommend it enough!
Alyssa Phillips owns Amp’d Designs in Asheville, working with passionate small businesses and entrepreneurs to help them amplify their voices through branding, web design, and brand strategy.
