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I’ve outgrown my current space and am in need of taking the business out of my home. I’m stepping through the process of trying to rent an office and places seem to want vendor/client references – not personal references, which is a different requirement. I don’t have any!
I can get “creative” with some willing friends but I’d like to hear if anyone else has encountered this. I’m more than willing to talk to the property manager directly and level with them, but I dunno how that looks in a professional context.
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Do you have a local bank where you have a savings or checking account, maybe a mortgage?
Do you do regular business with an auction house where they have your information in their computer and they know you by sight? Maybe an estate sales company?
Can you show them your feedback on eBay? Could they call up eBay and ask about how good of a seller you are?
I have not had to do this myself. Just throwing some ideas out.
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I’m thinking prepay a couple months rent would be a great ‘reference’.
Just a thought if you can swing it. I’ve also never had to do this.
Every business has to start somewhere. You just need to talk to the landlord and hash it out. If you can’t hash it out, then that is not a landlord you want to do business with anyway – landlord isn’t the only party who should be pre-screening.
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they might mean credit references or references to other people you pay bills to. when we sign up to have food or linens delievered to the cafes, they ask for references, and they mean other business that we have credit or net payment terms with to make sure that we actually pay our bills.
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Thanks for the input everyone. I decided to approach them directly and we worked out an alternate means of meeting the criteria they were looking for. The process is more flexible than I thought, and it’s not as rigid as renting residential space where you need to meet X, Y, and Z requirements or you’re rejected. They seem pretty eager to go back and forth on things so far.
Thanks again!
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Update: I got the office!
Yes, it took a bit of in-person negotiating, but ultimately they were fine with the lack of traditional references and took my eBay feedback and one personal reference into account.
The space I locked in was larger than the one I initially expressed interest in, which was already approx. double my current square footage. However, it was within my budget and the layout felt better, so I’ll have room to grow. One of the things I was trying to solve was a lack of distinct areas for testing/repair, shipping, and processing inventory, which I’ll now easily be able to do.
Making the move later this month. Thanks for the help!
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Congrats! Business must be doing well to expand. Have you hired anyone? Or do you just need more space?
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Space is the #1 issue at the moment. Initially my girlfriend and I were planning on renting a house together (ideally with a basement or third bedroom that could be converted into a place to keep inventory) but we started to entertain the idea of moving her into my place and taking my business to a dedicated office since we like my apartment so much. Going that route of halving nearly all living expenses frees up enough money to cover rent for the office, so a win/win in my book. Also, no more fussing around with a home office deduction.
I’m definitely ramping up inventory acquisition and have started to dabble in larger items, so the added space for all these crazy new items will definitely be appreciated!
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