Anyone who owns a business soon learns that it is with you seven days per week. And it’s 24/7 if you work from a home office, which I did for nearly a dozen years until Nov. 1.
That’s when I moved Goulet Communications’ global headquarters from Derry Township to a leased office at 439 Walton Ave., behind McGuire & Associates. (You can read Pennlive’s take on our move here.)
Jeff McGuire, my landlord, told me he worked from home for a brief time. He put it perfectly: You can’t beat the commute or the price. The latter was of particular concern in 2003 when I started with one client (Keystone Baseball, the company that started the Lancaster Barnstormers and York Revolution baseball teams) and an old kitchen table for a desk.
I have been blessed to work with many great clients, none of which ever made an issue out of my home office. They cared about the quality of the work, not where it was produced. Working from home also offered an incredible amount of flexibility, particularly when our children were younger.
Bustling neighborhood
But there were drawbacks, to be sure, beyond the constant proximity to work. Namely, it’s really easy to operate in a bubble when you’re not out and about and when you can’t hang your shingle for the world to see. Out of sight is out of mind, and that’s particularly troublesome when your business espouses the importance of being known.
It was feeling like the right time for a change, and a confluence of events this fall culminated in The Move. For the most part, I go to my clients when it’s time to get together, but I started working with a client who didn’t have an office. We were fortunate to have the Cocoa Beanery for our meetings, but it wasn’t how I wanted to represent Goulet Communications after all of these years. Meanwhile, my wife noticed Jeff’s for-lease sign.
The bottom line for me is that it’s great space — Jeff renovated it after his long-time tenant moved out — in a bustling neighborhood in Hummelstown’s east end.
I can walk to the post office — and chat about hockey with clerks Joe and Jim. I am across the street from Linda and Mike, who own Hoageez, one of a half-dozen dining options near me. (I mostly pack a lunch and have lost five pounds since moving, proximity to our home pantry no longer being a temptation during the work day). I can walk across the street for a haircut at Clipper Chx. My doctor is a block away.
As I noted in the news release I sent to announce our move, it increases our visibility and is consistent with our goal of working with more companies in Hummelstown and Hershey. Existing clients with ties to these communities include Royer’s Flowers & Gifts, Drayer Physical Therapy Institute, Advanced Insurance Solutions, and The Lewis Co.
I want Goulet Communications to be the place to which Hummelstown and Hershey businesses and organizations turn when they need help telling their stories.
Thanks for indulging mine.
