How to find office space for your business
Before you can set about looking for space you need to outline
exactly what you want from your offices; it could be that you could
make do with a virtual office if you're just starting up and want
to keep costs down. On the other hand if you've got staff to
accommodate then serviced or conventional office space could work
better. This guide takes you through the options available:
- Virtual offices
- Serviced offices
- Conventional office space
Virtual offices
Once you've worked out what you need from your premises, it
could be that a virtual office is the most cost effective choice. A
virtual office gives you an office experience, but you don't have
to physically lease office space. What it does give you is the use
of a business address, personalised telephone answering, post
handling and forwarding and in some instances you're able to use
meeting rooms on an ad hoc basis.
Serviced offices
If you need physical office space but don't want to deal with
rates, utility bills and general office admin then a serviced
office may be the best option. A serviced office gives you office
space complete with phones, furniture, broadband, receptionists etc
and allows you to get up and running within 24 hours.Rather than
leasing space you enter into a service contract, which are often
more flexible than standard commercial property leases. The other
good thing about these contracts is that it's usually easy to
upgrade to a bigger office as your business grows.
- Before you sign up check the contract term and make sure you
meet the people who will be taking your calls and greeting your
clients.
- Use the Search Office Space
website to find serviced offices in your area
Conventional offices
If you need a fairly large office space (eg you have more than
25 employees) and you can be relatively certain about the rate of
growth of your business over the next three to five years
conventional office space is probably the best solution. To make
sure you find space in the best possible location you need to
detail your requirements. For many businesses the location of
the office is dictated by how easy it is for both staff and
customers to get to the building. Image may be important for some
businesses - what will clients expect when they visit your
office. If the building is shared then the quality of common
areas and the standard of facilities you need will also be a
dictating factor. Ask yourself the following questions:
- How many staff do you need to accommodate now and how
many will you need to accommodate over the next three to five
years
- Do you want individual offices or open plan space?
- What meeting/kitchen facilities will you need?
- Do you need parking for clients and staff?
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