Page 6 - 2018 - Houston - Spring/Summer

By: Jenny Justice-Newymyer

o-working and shared workspace has skyrocketed on the Houston scene in the last couple of years. For the majority of
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established companies, gone are the days of cubicles and 8-5 schedules, thanks in part to Google’s influence within the
workforce. This culture shift is comprised of a more laid-back environment with open airy spaces that invigorate the
senses. I could totally live in some of the co-working spaces I have seen.

Yet, many small business owners who are unaware of what opportunities are represented by this new growth have
requested more information. So I set out to visit as many office spaces as I could, accompanied by my husband, who also
finds this new way of doing business intriguing. Here are my findings.

DEFINITION Let’s start with the terminology and break down the difference between Virtual Office,
Coworking, Shared Office, Hotdesking, and Private Office Space.

VIRTUAL OFFICES exist primarily in cyberspace. If you rent a virtual office, you do not have a physical space in which to
work every day. This suits entrepreneurs who work from home, coffee shops, or client locations but need an official
business address to maintain the professional, established image of a legit office building without the high cost of such.
Services range by location but generally include some of the following*:

• Use of Business Address • High Speed Wifi
• Receipt of Mail and Packages • Access to your virtual office’s “community
• Live Phone Answering and Message Taking workspace” for you to have a place to work that
• Live Receptionist is not a coffee shop*
• Some companies allow branding • Access to community workspaces at additional
• Conference Room Usage/Rental options locations*

COWORKING SPACES are usually in an open plan layout with multiple members sharing the open community workspace.
Coworking spaces have the main focus of creating a sense of community and collaboration. This option is good for

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