Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/365665
sharing commercial space Sharing space can be a terrific way to reduce costs. Unless you plan on working seven days a week, it's possible to share a single office with another massage therapist. Or you could work in a group setting alongside other health-care practitioners. In addition to sharing costs, this allows you and your colleagues to refer clients to one another and develop a supportive, professional rapport. In this scenario, you may decide to sublet an office from a business owner who holds the master lease on the overall space, or all of you may be cosigners on a single lease. If you decide to share space, it's vital to communicate clearly about expectations, rights, and responsibilities. Be absolutely sure to get everything in writing, and ensure it is signed and agreed to by all parties. This is also true if you lease office space on your own and are negotiating with your potential landlord. Do your homework and research your potential officemates. Do their practices receive strong reviews? Have they shown patterns of high professional integrity and responsibility? If you are going to share a lease, you may each wish to provide references for the other parties to call. Here are some questions you will want to answer before everyone signs on the dotted line: • Will the rent be a fixed amount for the term of the lease? If not, how much can it be raised yearly? • What is the term of the lease? One year? Month to month? If you want to get out of the lease early, or sublet part of the space, are there penalties? • If your office is in a shopping center or office complex with multiple businesses, you may want to ask for a noncompete agreement from your landlord to ensure no other massage therapy business will lease space within the same center. • Will you have complete freedom when it comes to painting and decorating the space? Will you be able to bring in fixtures? If so, will those fixtures remain your personal property or will they become part of the space (and owned by the landlord)? • If you will be sharing space, how will you decide how that space is decorated? For the sake of client comfort, as well as your own sanity, you and your colleagues will want to clearly communicate and approve each other's design choices. • Who is responsible for utilities such as air conditioning, electricity, garbage collection, heating, Internet service, laundry, and water usage? Are there common expenses such as janitorial or reception services? Are these expenses fixed, and if not, how much can they vary? The better handle you have on what your true expenses will be, the better you can budget. Take the time to introduce yourself to your potential neighbors if you are renting a commercial space. They can provide much insight and give you firsthand, unbiased information about the property. How long have they leased their space? Are they happy there? How easy is it to deal with the landlord or property manager? And, of course, they are potential clients, too. If things go south, what does the worst-case scenario look like, and what is the solution for that scenario? For example, if you rent space with another practitioner who pulls out of the lease after a few months, how long can you afford the rent on your own? If you become ill or injured, or otherwise unable to work, will you be able to afford the costs or be able to get out of your lease?