Ask yourself this: how much office space do you really need? The answer might be less than you think.

In the West, we’ve benefited from an abundance of space. Our continent is over 2000 miles across. When I tell my friends in Europe how long it takes to drive to California from my house, they’re amazed it’s only two states away.

But space is getting more expensive every day. The average cost to rent office space in New York City is $14,800. That’s about $6.16 per square foot.

So, again, I ask “how much office space do you really need?” Maybe now you’re willing to consider an office trailer instead of a dedicated office space. Here are some reasons why you might consider one.

1. Mobile Means Truly Mobile

Likely, the trailers you’ve seen are grey boxes attached to construction sites or grey boxes sitting on crumbling cement blocks hidden behind overgrown grass. These don’t seem mobile and they aren’t.

But if you choose a truly mobile office, one with wheels you can hitch to a truck, you’ll be able to work from virtually anywhere. Imagine, instead of flying your employees around, you truck them around to clients.

What if you could hold meetings with clients in style right outside their front door? A quality mobile trailer will give you this kind of freedom.

No longer will you be tied to this site or that site while your office rots around your staff’s ears. You can do what was originally intended with mobile trailers. Travel.

2. An Office For Less

A microbusiness only costs $3-5k to fund. But anything larger and you’re looking at much higher costs. As you bring in that seed money, you’re going to be looking for ways to cut.

The main reason most small businesses fail is a lack of cash. As we mentioned earlier, one of the biggest costs in any business that employs individuals is office space.

A mobile office space can rent for as little as $100 a month and as much as $500 a month for the largest trailers. Now, you will have to budget another $1,000 to $1,500 for setup and delivery but that’s minimal compared to some of the maintenance you might have to budget for a conventional office space.

3. Keep It For Emergencies

Rent, while cheap, will add up over time. Rental agreements mean restrictions on what you can do with your trailer. What if you wanted to haul it across the country? Would your landlord or rental company allow you to do this?

The flexibility of owning a trailer might trump the low cost of renting a trailer if you’re going to occupy the trailer for an extended period of time. If you do decide to buy, it won’t go to waste if you upgrade to a conventional office.

As long as you continue to maintain the space and don’t let it rot, it can serve as an emergency space. What if your funding runs out? Are you going to be able to afford that nice office downtown?

A mobile office could be the difference between your company shutting down and it surviving between funding sources.

4. Move IT Out of the Basement

Even if you know nothing about your computer network, it’s as necessary to your business as your right arm. Often small businesses outsource their IT. But if you’re a larger business, you likely have at least one person in your IT department.

You might be tempted to give them an office space in the basement. Don’t do it. You’ll find yourself locked out of your email one day and unable to contact IT because they left and moved to Mexico with your seed funding.

Instead, why don’t you use that emergency trailer you bought a few years ago and stick the IT department there. If IT is a one-man show, they will likely appreciate all the workspace. They can tear down all the old network drives in peace and nobody will bother them.

5. Customize Your Office Easier

Mobile offices are customizable. Instead of needing to tear out walls in an existing office space, you merely order the correct dimensions for your office space.

Your engineers might want large tables on which to draw up plans and spread out blueprints. You might want a large open space in which to place all the desks you could fit.

If you don’t want to deal with an outhouse, you can order a trailer with a restroom. Granted, this will minimize the mobility of the trailer. And you will need a site with water and sewer hookups already available. This will limit where you can place your trailer and might increase lot rent.

HVAC

Unless you live in a temperate climate, you’ll want to consider the comfort of your employees. Depending on the quality of your mobile unit, you could be facing extreme temperatures inside due to minimal insulation and summer heat.

You might have to spend more on energy than a conventional office. While these trailers are insulated, they won’t be as well-sealed as a conventional structure. Be sure to choose an energy-efficient trailer to cut down on costs.

Security

It might seem like a risk taking your office with you on the road. Surely people will see an opportunity and break in through the windows and steal your computers.

High-quality offices come with security features. You can include security lights, alarm systems, strong locks, and smart systems.