The proportion of home-based businesses in the United States has stayed consistent at around 50 percent over the past ten years. Nevertheless, according to the 2024 Virtual Office Market Report from Cognitive Market Research, the demand for virtual office services in the US is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 12.4 percent until 2031.

Two primary factors drive this increased demand: desire for a professional image and privacy.

Although sector growth has somewhat normalized the idea that a business's address might also be a residence, the perception of being unreliable or unprofessional still persists. Interestingly, despite intangible assets making up as much as 85 percent of a business's total value across various industries, according to a report by Lloyd’s and KPMG, it is the tangible assets, such as physical property, that more significantly influence perceptions of reliability.

In terms of privacy, aside from the possibility of someone unexpectedly visiting your home, online maps provide street views, which can feel unsettling. Potential customers can locate your business online, click on the address, and see your home, the vehicles parked in your driveway, how tidy your yard is, and even your trashcans awaiting pickup at the curb. Additionally, there is a heightened risk of crime. For instance, if you take a vacation and set an out-of-office email reply, people might deduce that your home is unoccupied.

A virtual office safeguards your reputation with a business address while concealing your workday location, providing privacy.

“Our clients want to put forth their most professional image while maintaining privacy,” said Primacy Business Center Manager Yuvia Ontiveros. “With a virtual office they can enjoy all kinds of comforts of working from home yet still cloak that aspect of their work environment.”

Primacy’s Virtual Office Suite provides a professional business address, and mail and phone services for remote workers.

The rising demand for services provided by Primacy, including virtual office and on-demand administrative services, meeting rooms, and office space, is partly due to the continuous growth of what the US Small Business Administration categorizes as non-employer businesses. This group encompasses independent contractors, consultants, freelancers, and sole proprietors, making up 82 percent of the nearly 35 million small businesses in the United States.

Professional and technical services lead the non-employer business sector with 3.7 million businesses, as revealed by a Census Bureau data analysis by NEXT, a company specializing in business insurance for sole proprietors.

“We have clients from a range of industries with the vast majority being in accounting or finance, law and technology,” said Ontiveros. “Beyond virtual office services, we offer conference rooms and day offices that appeal to our clients because of the environment and the location.”

Marketing agencies presenting a pitch, attorneys and court reporters seeking a neutral location for a deposition, and remote employees or contractors hosting headquarters executives are among the frequent users of Primacy’s meeting rooms in the highly visible Calamos Investments Building in Naperville, IL.

Beyond the upscale facilities, located at CityGate Centre, an amenity-rich multiuse community at the crossroads of Interstate 88 and Route 59, roughly 30 miles west of Chicago, it’s an easy-to-get-to location.

In addition to virtual office services, meeting rooms and day offices, Primacy manages a suite of private offices in the Class A building and provides administrative support to its clients.