If you run an independent advisory or accounting practice from home, the question comes up every time a client books a review: where do we meet?
The answer matters more than it seems. Clients bring tax returns, account statements and estate plans. They judge your advice partly by the setting it's delivered in, and they notice whether anyone else can hear the conversation.
Here's an honest look at where to meet clients when you don't have an office, and when each option makes sense.
Your home office. Free and convenient, and fine for long-standing clients who know you well. The trade-offs are your home address on every invoice, family and pets within earshot, and a setting that can make a new client wonder how established your practice is.
The client's home or office. Clients appreciate it, and it works well for older clients or anyone with mobility needs. But you give up control of the environment, travel eats into your day, and back-to-back meetings become impossible.
Coffee shops. Neutral and easy, but the wrong place for a portfolio review or a conversation about someone's debts. Noise, strangers at the next table and public Wi-Fi all work against you.
Library study rooms. Free and quiet, but often first-come or limited in booking time, with no screen for walking a client through a plan and little sense of occasion.
A private meeting room gives you the privacy and presentation of a real office, only on the days you need it. At Business Lounge in Oakville, each suite is booked by one client at a time and fully soundproofed, so nobody else is in the room, the lounge or on your Wi-Fi.
A screen for walking through plans. Suite 206 has Logitech video conferencing on a 65" screen, ideal for presenting a financial plan or bringing a client's spouse in by video.
Room for families and other advisors. Suite 206 seats up to 6 for couples and family meetings. The Suite 207 boardroom seats up to 14 for estate planning sessions with several generations, lawyers or other advisors at the table.
The details clients notice. Coffee and refreshments, free parking at the door and a quiet arrival with no shared reception.
Great host. Fantastic experience. Beautiful space. Convenient location
...One thing I really appreciated was the privacy
Business Lounge redefines luxury, privacy, and comfort in a workspace setting.
Day bookings are $600 for Suite 206 and $730 for the Suite 207 boardroom, with no commitment.
Most advisors meet clients in clusters: quarterly reviews, year-end planning and tax season. A membership fits that rhythm. The annual plan is $3,600 a year with 10 private days included and extra days at $360. The quarterly plan is $1,440 with 3 days included and extra days at $480.
If you meet clients six or more days a year, the annual membership costs less than booking by the day. We break down the numbers, including what a leased office would cost, in our guide to office space costs in Oakville.
Join a membership online, or compare membership plans first.
Business Lounge is at 3475 Rebecca Street, between Bronte and Burlington and minutes from the QEW, with free parking right outside. It's an easy drive for clients across Oakville, Burlington, Milton and Mississauga.
You can also add a virtual mailbox and use a professional business address on your letterhead and invoices instead of your home address. Set up a mailbox online.
Planning your next round of client reviews? Book online, join a membership, or contact us to block recurring days ahead of tax season.
Working alongside lawyers? See our mediation rooms with private caucus space. Need a base for focused work days too? Read how members use our private office space, or browse the FAQ.
Common options are your home office, the client’s home, a coffee shop, a library study room or a private meeting room rented by the day. For confidential financial conversations, a soundproofed private room booked one client at a time gives you the most privacy and the most professional setting.
For a casual introduction it can work, but it is a poor fit for reviewing statements, tax returns or financial plans, because conversations can be overheard and public Wi-Fi is not private.
At Business Lounge, Suite 206 is $600 per day and the Suite 207 boardroom is $730 per day, with screens, refreshments and free parking included. Members pay from $360 per day.
Yes. Business Lounge offers a virtual mailbox at 3475 Rebecca Street in Oakville, so you can put a professional business address on your letterhead and invoices.
Yes. Suite 206 has Logitech video conferencing on a 65 inch screen, and Suite 207 has two touchscreens with built-in cameras that work with any conferencing app.
Business Lounge is at 3475 Rebecca Street in west Oakville, between Bronte and Burlington and minutes from the QEW, with free parking right outside.
