Finding affordable office space in central London

Overview

Our goal was to expand Improve Digital throughout Europe as quickly as possible. The nature of our business requires an in-depth knowledge of each specific local market and the best way to service this is to have a team 'on the ground' in each key country (the UK, France and Germany). But paying rents at London level would impede our growth strategy for Improve Digital.

The challenge

New technologies meant that, like most start-ups, we did not initially need an office when we started out in The Netherlands. Working from home achieved the same results and was cost-effective. And when the time came to rent work space, we got a good deal. Empty offices are popular with squatters in Amsterdam, so the government runs a scheme to prevent this by offering them at rock-bottom rates to start-ups. (We have a space large enough for 200 employees for €125 per month.)

But when we expanded to the UK in 2008, we were in for a shock. We visited various places in London, but landlords were asking in the region of £55,000 annual rent - often for very small premises that were poorly serviced. Not only that, but as we were a new company - and so difficult to credit check - they required three months' rent upfront, as well as two months' worth as a deposit.

The solution

We believed there had to be an alternative and putting our heads together as a team we came up with the idea that, initially, we would rent a large apartment in central London. Not only did this serve as office space, but it provided accommodation for when any of the team visited from The Netherlands - so we also saved on hotel costs too.

This was ideal for our early days in the UK, as it enabled us to control our costs tightly as we established the business in a new region. As customers signed up to use our services and we needed to take on more staff, we expanded, and today share a large office space in central London with another company.

Key lesson

We had to think creatively and be enterprising to find solutions that that were not immediately obvious.

Top tip

Be creative!


Find out more about Improve Digital

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