Should I Keep My Office, or Work From Home?

Last week I blogged about a client who has faulty expectations. A number of you made some great comments, and for that, I thank you (here’s an example). Should I fire him or not?

I believe that will be inevitable, but for now I will take the "wait and see" approach. There is always a potential downside when you fire a client. However, in this case the client is 600 miles away and not closely connected to my local area. Therefore, any sour grapes he may develop over this will likely not cause negative repercussions. I will probably allow more time to pass before making this decision. Let's move on.

Another issue has surfaced recently, at least in my mind. Should I maintain an outside office or move it back to my home? I have had an office outside my home for about two years now. It occurred to me the other day that I only spend about two to three days a week there. The rest of the time I work from home. Basically, all I need to conduct business is an Internet connection and a desk. Having an office separate from the home does add a level of credibility, though.

This is not a cash-flow problem as the business is strong enough to support an outside office. It's more of a matter of utility. Am I getting the maximum utility from my office? The answer is clearly no. Moreover, I have no employees at this time so the decision is one which affects myself, my clients, and, of course, future clients. I decided to "poll" my existing clients and here's what they've said.