Many one-man-band and small businesses struggle to deal with the day-to-day grind of running an office -- answering the phone, getting rid of sales people, handing out mailing, fax and e-mail addresses, dealing with wrong numbers and getting messages passed on.

Working on the road can pose separate problems with simple things such as remaining in contact with clients becoming mission impossible.

And to many small companies the solution to these problems -- a receptionist to answer the phone, a board room to hold meetings, a secretary to deal with pesky salesmen callers and who knows your diary and appointments, and an infallible messaging and diverting system -- would be a dream come true.

Now one of Island's newest businesses has been set up to offer a helping hand and administrative support to the smallest of companies.

Bermuda Virtual Office will open its doors next month and will offer a `hotel' for budding businesses. Not only will it rent out office space on the short term -- from one hour to a year -- but will offer a full range of front of shop services, ranging in price from $25 for an office for an hour right up to several hundred dollars a month for receptionist services with a virtual office for multiple staff.

Bermuda Virtual Office to open next month A receptionist will answer the telephone, and can take the call and divert it to another number (such as a home number).

They will also be able to deal with minor inquiries and promise to keep the photocopy salesmen from the door. And they will keep an itinerary and be able to patch calls through to whatever number the client requires at particular times of the day.

"Even the smallest company will be able to list, say, its number in the yellow pages, even if they are working from home, and then we can patch the call through'' said Cheryll McCormack, Marketing Director of Virtual Office Group (UK) who is in Bermuda helping train staff.

The Brown family -- mainly Warren Brown and his son Warren Brown Jr. have taken out a licence to run a Bermuda Virtual Business and have brought in Miss McCormack from London to help train staff.

She said: "It is ideal for small companies, consultants, headhunters and freelancers. If you are in meetings all the time and missing calls, then there is a solution. By having a virtual office, you can have your calls answered -- and there is always a person at the other end, no "press one'' or "press two'' electronic voice, but a real person.

"The receptionist can call you, and if there is no reply, they can put the caller through to voice mail. And they can give out details of your e-mail, fax or address and answer basic questions about the nature of the business.

They always announce calls, which gives you another option. And if someone hates voice mail, we can take a message.'' The start-up business is located above the Beach Bar and in the space formerly occupied by Planet Oxygen.

Mr. Brown (senior), who helped start the Hog Penny Bar, Island Press, the owners of Bermuda Sun, and the Body Shop and is known as a seasoned sailor on his 61ft boat War Baby , said: "It is a family run business, which will offer a unique service in Bermuda. We are looking forward to opening our doors.'' His son, Mr. Brown Jr, who is well known for his farming activities with Bermuda Gardens, will be running the enterprise with his father. Miss McCormack said: "It is expensive for a new business to set up, renting an office, getting furniture, waiting for lines to be installed. Here a start up company can come in and have everything here. It is a hotel for offices. For a monthly charge you can have a phone, fax, receptionist, a board room and generally all the things that a business needs, from one day to one year.'' The only thing they do not provide is computers.

The men and women who will be answering the phones are being trained on the procedures which have made the UK operation of the Virtual Business Group in the UK so popular. At the moment they cater for over 350 businesses through six operators and hundreds of companies use their office space and say there is no limit to the number that the Bermuda office could potentially handle.

They even offer workers training in basic languages, including Portuguese, with helpful phone phrases to deal with customers.

And the office manger will also book travel arrangements, buying or hiring mobile 'phones as well as arranging insurance.

Miss McCormack said: "Basically, it is a one-stop-shop for business needs.''