The conflict can often lead to difficulties in deciding where to base a business once it outgrows its first home. Often, a start up, or even an established small firm, will think that an office in the conventional sense is not needed, or even desirable - coming as they do with rigidities and formality that some might see as stifling and expensive. At the same time, some of the more traditional bases for a start up (the bedroom, the study, or local office above a shop or restaurant) often prove to be unsuitable. They provide too many distractions, lack essential business services, such as high speed internet access, and are often too far away from the people that businesses need to make contact with regularly such as accountants, IT support, clients and partner organisations.
The journey from ‘the garden shed to the office' is often a hard one as entrepreneurs look to reign in costs and maintain flexibility by eschewing long-term obligations where possible. This is why the serviced office market has grown so fast over the past fifteen years, providing businesses with the space and services they need without the long-term commitments. Clients are also able to upscale as and when they wish and don't have to worry about unforeseen property costs affecting their cash flow.
The shared office is a concept that fills the gap between a full time office and a remote home based solution
For some a full serviced office is still too much too soon. The ever evolving business culture of the past decade has changed the needs of start-ups and entrepreneurs. Flexibility has become central to businesspeople with the old concept of a nine to five, five day week redundant for many. Full-time, salaried employees are also becoming less common for many SME's with businesses frequently taking on freelancers or part timers in response to specific areas of need at certain times.
This often means that small businesses need permanent office space, but don't need it all the time and may not need physical space for all their employees. Technology has also made flexible working much easier and in response to these changes a number of new office space solutions have emerged.
The shared office is a concept that fills the gap between a full time office and a remote home based solution. MWB Business Exchange has recently launched a shared office service in response to the phenomenal demand it has seen from businesspeople looking for dedicated office space and services but at a cost that means they can work elsewhere too.
The shared office service from MWBex provides a business with a permanent desk or desks in a shared open-plan business space. It also provides them with a lockable storage unit at their desk and includes crucial business services to allow ‘plug and play' such as receptionist staff, call and mail handling, a city-centre business address, telephone lines with a direct dial number, high-speed internet access and the ability to book meeting rooms at the office for a reduced rate. Shared offices also allow a business to work in a professional environment surrounded by other like-minded people: providing useful contacts, sounding boards and entrepreneurial energy.
Businesses that want to spend even less time in the office can benefit from the concept of hot-desking, where desk space is hired by the hour or day as and when needed. Pre-pay packages are often available to make it more economical and meeting room hire at the location is often reduced. Hot-desking is a great solution for an entrepreneur who, from time to time, needs a city centre office from which to base themselves.
For those not yet ready to move out of the home office, but who still feel the need to portray a more professional image, the concept of the virtual office can help. Here, a business can enjoy many of the services an office provides them but without taking physical space. Calls and mail are handled by reception staff and forwarded to an agreed location, while meeting rooms can be hired at a discount if face-to-face contact is needed.
Long gone are the days when taking office space meant signing up to a lease for fifteen years, hiring cleaning and security staff and worrying about redecoration and repair costs. Now businesses of all sizes are able to take advantage of a host of flexible options, including the ability to share office space with others, reducing cost and making working from multiple locations feasible. As technology continues to develop we can expect more innovative solutions to our changing working patterns.
For more information on shared office, virtual office and hot-desking services visit www.mwbex.com
