I was going to call this post “strategic office space” but I suddenly felt compelled to cock one eyebrow and raise a pinky to my lips a la Dr. Evil. I am, however, a big believer that your office space can make or break your private practice, as well as determine the speed of said making or breaking. So hop into your grey jumpsuit and start creepily stroking your cat- here are my best tips for choosing an office space with an eye to growing your practice as quickly as possible (warning: this post is heavily weighted towards renting within an existing wellness center as I find it to be the best way to jump start a practice):

Totally obvious things you’ll want- which I, obviously, had to learn the hard way:

• The right amount of space: When I moved my practice from Napa to Brooklyn I was pretty desperate to get things going. So desperate that I grabbed a space that just plain didn’t work. It was within a larger wellness center- so I was feeling pretty proud of myself- unfortunately it was also ridiculously cramped. I barely had enough space to squeak around the table. While you acupuncturists can get away with that without a problem- we body workers need some room to move. On top of the fact that I looked like Quasimodo while working, the floor was also strongly slanted. Since Rolfing requires a lot of visual assessing of people’s alignment this was good for a chuckle, but unworkable. This office space lasted two weeks. I should have saved myself the grief and kept looking.
• The right feel: When scoping out potential office spaces, go with your gut. It’s cliche, sure, but it works. Most of your clients will take an instantaneous gut read of the vibe of your place and treat you and your services accordingly. Is the space a touch shabby? Then they’ll always be talking your fees down. Is the space full of perky, attractive massage therapists? Then you’re going to learn the meaning of the phrase “special release” really quickly, and it’s not so… special. My first very first office in Massachusetts-yes I briefly had a practice in Massachusetts- was full of well intentioned practitioners who had lots of letters after their names. However, it was in a strip mall, next to a Subway sandwich shop, in a small Massachusetts town. This meant that clients questioned the validity of everyone’s training pretty vigorously- no matter how many letters followed the practitioner’s names . Not for nothing, but I’d do the same in a space with that location.
• The right sound and privacy level: What continues to be my most fab office of all time- the one in Brooklyn- had one flaw: sound. I had a wonderful group of colleagues that I shared space with, a beautiful spacious set up, and  a great location on the main drag in my nabe. However,  we also had very thin walls and an old school salon sharing a wall with us. When I say old school- I mean capital O capital S. This place had been in business for 60 years, and I don’t think the clients had ever changed. This meant that we had a group of-ahem- older Italian women who were constantly gossiping at decibel one million about their ungrateful sons and husbands. This is only funny when you aren’t working on a client. When they start screaming about the curse of Viagra in the middle of an emotional session- it’s a little grating (true story).  
• The right price:I’m constantly amazed how many of our fellow providers are willing to gouge each other when they think about renting out space. It’s like they get giddy about the idea of passive income and lose their sense of decency. Needless to say, it’s not ok for anyone to take 50% of your session, and it’s not ok for you to pay the equivalent of the rent for the entire center when you rent out only one of the rooms.

The make it not break it thing you’ll want:

• Other practitioners: As with all good things, the people make a situation. More than the light, more than the amount of space you have for storing sheets- you need to make sure you dig everyone who shares space with you. The reason why I haven’t addressed the needs of someone who wants to rent a solo office in this post is because I’ve found that most practitioners feel lost in space with this set up. If your goal is to get your practice happening quickly, my best advice is to focus your office hunt on seeking out space with other practitioners who are rocking it and who complement your practice. Within a thriving wellness center that includes complementary practices there’s already energy circulating and you don’t have to do all the lifting- so to speak.

Looking over this post I realize I’ve had a lot of crappy offices. I’ve also some wonderful offices where I was honored to work alongside other amazing practitioners- many of whom are now some of the people nearest and dearest in my life.

As many of you know, I’m heading into practice number three and I’ve just scored my new office. I couldn’t be happier- the light is good, the room is spacious, the noise level is low, and it’s a two minute walk from my house. However, the thing I’m most looking forward to is sharing space with three other highly talented practitioners- a massage therapist and personal trainer, nutritionist, and Pilates teacher. At the end of the day, it’s all about the company you keep.

Tags: office space, private practice

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 16th, 2009 at 7:19 pm and is filed under Practice Building in the Tangible World, Starting From Scratch. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.