How to Create a Great Startup Office Space on a Bootstrap Budget
Four weeks ago The Resumator outgrew my home office and “forced” me to look for office space. I am beginning to bring on part-time help and needed an office space so we could collaborate, plus the business needed to feel more “real”—this is a hard concept to explain but what happens in your house can sometimes feel more like a hobby. Now let me tell you, I do not have some big VC investment to dole out for Aeron chairs and a sheet metal version of our logo for the wall. Hell, I wouldn’t even want to spend that kind of money even if I had it. This all said, I come from a design background, and that means I am used to energetic work spaces that fly in the face of the conventional cubed world that corrals so many corporate employees worthy of our sympathy. A great space is a great recruiting tool. Here’s how I created what I feel is an energetic office space for basically no cost at all.
7 Lessons from My AlphaLab Experience
From Black Web 2.0
I thought I’d share a few things that I learned during my time at AlphaLab to hopefully encourage you to apply to participate in one these programs. The experience is incredible, and the knowledge you gain will be invaluable.
Lesson 1: Even a small amount of operating capital from an investment can be extremely useful.
Outsiders often look at the $15-$25,000 provided by startup programs as being no where near enough money to get a business off the ground. They’re wrong. You sure can’t live off $15,000, but if startup capital was purely for living, it would be called “welfare”. While you may use some of the investment to live a “Ramen noodle” lifestyle, its primary purpose is to support the development of your business. You have no idea how many things creep up that need to be paid for when starting a company. You’ll need to lease a server. You’ll need to buy computers or software manuals. You’ll need to pay contractors to do some dirty work. You’ll even need to pay an attorney to look at the document that GETS you the investment. If I had to pay $2,000 out of my pocket simply to incorporate, and get legal documents produced, I probably would have never started my business anytime soon. Or at least it would have stalled so I could first convince my wife I had a good idea, and then allow me to spend our money on that idea. Being able to chip away at a small five figure bank account to support the business operations is extremely helpful.
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