Insurance Journal Forums

I'm in Ohio and I was wondering if there are any laws on where an office
Can be setup? For example can you rent office space in a building where a
Car lot is? Any help would be appreciated thank you.

JM, your only limitations will be:
1. If the landlord will rent the space to you
2. If you will sign the lease.

Ok thanks was just worried about it being considered a controlled business

I have heard of no laws regarding agency location, provided that your agency is domiciled in that state you are licensed in. In the past, Insurance Agencies needed spacious offices to handle staff, file cabinets, supplies and a number of other items. Thanks to the Internet age, this has all changed. Once you go paperless, you will no longer need file cabinets. A desk drawer file cabinet should be enough to store those important hard copies of crucial documents.

It’s truly a different world from 15 years or so ago, when an agency needed tangible items for communication and storage. Today, the cost to run an office has become very inexpensive. Also, more and more employees can work from home or telecommute — another space-saving factor.

Can you operate a totally virtual office from home? This is actually very possible, yet it has both pluses and minuses. It will save you money and it keeps you close to your office, and both are helpful during the start-up phase. If you do have a virtual office, I would recommend associating yourself with an executive suites agency that offers the services of a receptionist, office address, mail and other office needs that will bridge the gap of your home office. On the minus side, working from home can be distracting. For some, it can be unproductive. It’s up to you to decide if working from home is truly your best bet.