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Does anyone work out of a coffee shop?

H

hooneyrob

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 29, 2011
78
0
United Kingdom
I'm about to start working for myself and cannot quite afford office space right now and kids make too much noise at home to make the calls I need to..

So, I'm planning on working from the local Costa coffee - prob 3 times a week for around 3 hours a time. Will probably use the iPad and Skype to make the calls.

Question is, do you think this is acceptable or will the manager take exception? Anyone else work out of a coffee shop?!

Thanks.. Rob.
 
I misread the title and thought it said "Does anyone work out IN a coffee shop?" So I had to read the thread to find out why anyone would exercise in a coffee shop!:confused:

I don't think it's my glasses.

I'm afraid it goes much deeper than that!:eek:
 
Probably depends on what type of work it is. I can see it as being good for somethings and bad for others.

I get distracted easy, so it wouldn't work for me, unless it was light emailing. Or things that weren't time sensitive.
 
hooneyrob said:
I'm about to start working for myself and cannot quite afford office space right now ....
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I would be concerned that in trying to save money you would be moving to an environment (coffee shop) where it's easy to spend $300 per month on beverages. Might consider allocating a space in the house, have a sign when it needs to be quiet time (on a call) and use a head set for calls. Just a thought
 
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LFMNX said:
I would be concerned that in trying to save money you would be moving to an environment (coffee shop) where it's easy to spend $300 per month on beverages. Might consider allocating a space in the house, have a sign when it needs to be quiet time (on a call) and use a head set for calls. Just a thought
Click to expand...

You make a good point, just don't always want to be telling the kids off because they may well ignore the sign.
 
hooneyrob said:
or will the manager take exception? Anyone else work out of a coffee shop?!
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I've read some articles in the past where managers do take exception to this. The problem is you're setting up shop taking away a booth or table for 3 hours not really buying a lot of coffee and consuming bandwidth.

Plus I'm not sure how professional you may sound if you're on a call when some starts being loud, i.e., babies crying, kids being kids, etc.
 
maflynn said:
I've read some articles in the past where managers do take exception to this. The problem is you're setting up shop taking away a booth or table for 3 hours not really buying a lot of coffee and consuming bandwidth.

Plus I'm not sure how professional you may sound if you're on a call when some starts being loud, i.e., babies crying, kids being kids, etc.
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Yeah, my main concern is not to take up their tables where they could be earning more revenue. I think people accept the kid / baby noise if it's in context with other background noise because we all work on the move. It's when it's from home where everything is quiet other than a child making a shed load of noise!
 
There are some establishments that will expect you to purchase a drink every 30/60 min you're sitting there. If your coffee shop has such a policy and they enforce it, you might find it a somewhat expensive option.
 
hooneyrob said:
I'm about to start working for myself and cannot quite afford office space right now and kids make too much noise at home to make the calls I need to..

So, I'm planning on working from the local Costa coffee - prob 3 times a week for around 3 hours a time. Will probably use the iPad and Skype to make the calls.

Question is, do you think this is acceptable or will the manager take exception? Anyone else work out of a coffee shop?!

Thanks.. Rob.
Click to expand...

I honestly wouldn't be able to concentrate because a coffee shop will most likely get even loader than your kids- unless they have some sort out shouting competition. Maybe ask your wife or somebody to go out with the kids when you work or figure some other arrangement out and work at home.
 
hooneyrob said:
You make a good point, just don't always want to be telling the kids off because they may well ignore the sign.
Click to expand...

This is a key concern which further discussion might lead to sending this part of the topic off into the Social Issues forum. There is a disciplinary issue here.

Anyways, have you considered executive offices?
 
In a coffee shop you should be fine. Only if it gets really busy and you are taking up too much space will the manager say anything. ;)

I could concentrate in a busy coffee shop no problem, Hooters on the other hand.:eek:
 
hooneyrob said:
You make a good point, just don't always want to be telling the kids off because they may well ignore the sign.
Click to expand...

Like the above poster I think this is a key point. Use this as a teaching opportunity for the kids and establish a rule in the house that this room is off-limits because parents are working, and that they need to learn to be quiet when in its vicinity.

Yeah, it might be a rocky start, but it's a better solution for all involved, especially once the kids have learned, essentially, that there is a time and a place for being loud and rambunctious: anywhere in the house is OK except for here.

It's a better all-around solution than trying to "escape" the issue into a coffee shop.
 
Is an iPad and Skype on coffeehouse internet at all conducive to a good working environment? I almost think that a coffeehouse would come off as completely unprofessional and Skype off an iPad may not work as well at a free wifi hotspot. Someone can perhaps chime in better.

You should have a dedicated line for the call, not Skype. Maybe your business will appreciate your use of Skype, I do not know.

Additionally, I realize a screaming kid in the background is no way more professional than the background noise from the coffee shop, but if you're going into business for yourself then you need to work out an environment that is conducive to an at-home business, don't you think? Can you use your bedroom?
 
Fazzy said:
Unless you have reeeally young kids, you could just work at home whilst they're at school?
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Better yet - drop the kids off at the Coffee shop with $20 - and pick them up in 3 hours after you've gotten your work done. ;)

In all seriousness - if you have to make to with your business for a while before you can afford office space - a home office is probably the most practical. So, you're going to have to figure out some boundaries at home where the children are concerned.

A coffee shop may seem like a good idea - but I can't imagine it would be any less distracting than a child knocking on the door now and again.
 
It can work, but you'll need to pick your coffee shop carefully......don't be the guy hogging a table so that other customers don't have a place to sit.....don't be the guy talking loudly on the phone all the time

Maybe you'd be best rotating among several coffee shops instead of haunting just one
 
Shrink said:
I misread the title and thought it said "Does anyone work out IN a coffee shop?" So I had to read the thread to find out why anyone would exercise in a coffee shop!:confused:

I don't think it's my glasses.

I'm afraid it goes much deeper than that!:eek:
Click to expand...

I've done some "heavy lifting" in a pub but never worked out in a coffee shop. I tend to add more pounds there than lose them.
 
dukebound85 said:
Library? Local community college?
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I would second this. Maybe not ideal for making calls, but that could be done somewhere else. Unless you're planning to spend hours on your calls.

My company leases a large amount of office space but we have 5 unused offices. Somewhere between leasing the space, retirees, and the economic downturn we have some extra space. We're currently subleasing an office to a 1 man crew that comes in once a week for a couple of hours. He gets his space, a little storage space, internet, phone, coffee, ability to print. Pretty good deal for him. When you can afford it, I'd suggest going this route. I suspect there is some filled space that is in fact, not completely filled.
 
There aren't really any community colleges in the UK. Libraries could work. I'm trying to imagine what I had around Loughton, to visualize where you could use. One thing maybe would to check out craigslist and gumtree to see if any local businesses are subletting a desk? I understand that other people's children making noise isn't the same as your own children making noise, you wouldn't even have to hear anyone's children.

If you're using Skype with a local dial-in number, I see no problem using Skype to conduct business, plus you're just starting out.

The other thing is you must have somebody else at home if you're considering leaving it, so maybe closing your bedroom door is enough.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I think I'll maybe just try it once or twice and see what happens. I feel guilty telling kids to be quiet since it's their home as well and don't want them to feel like they cannot enjoy their time around the house.

I was curious to see if any users to work regularly from a Starbucks etc.

Thanks again, Rob.
 
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