Richard Morris, UK CEO, Evans Easyspace
Reaching the point where you need to take on staff for the first time or expand your current team is a proud moment for any business owner. It’s a sign of success.
But growth brings challenges and one of the key problems you might have to face is space. Your current HQ (which might even be your home) or office might simply not be big enough to accommodate more people. What do you do?
Do it yourself?
You could try to find your own new office, of course. Searching for traditional offices can take time and you’re probably busy enough managing your business. And even if you find somewhere reasonably quickly, you may have to pay a big deposit, sign up to a longer-term lease and possibly fit it out and furnish it yourself. It involves risk, commitment cost, and hassle you could probably do without.
You may also need to take another staff member to take care of your reception, which could add to your HR duties and wage bill. An easier, cheaper and less risky solution for your business could be to move into a serviced office (sometimes called managed offices).
Greater flexibility
Many more businesses in the UK are now using serviced offices and demand remains very strong. In 2014, there was a 3.6% growth in serviced office centres in the UK. There are now estimated to be 2,335 in the UK and they’re available in most of the UK’s larger towns and cities.
Serviced offices deliver a level of flexibility that enables your business to grow at its own speed. You can move in within days of viewing the space and agreeing contract terms and you have the flexibility to increase or reduce the amount of space you occupy as business needs dictate. Short term licence agreements – typically from periods of just one month upwards – give you the peace of mind that you’re not tied to anything long-term if your plans need to change.
Save time and money
Most serviced offices are furnished and include utilities (electricity, water, heating), cleaning, service charges, buildings insurance and maintenance costs. Usually, this is reflected in an all-inclusive monthly fee.
Another clear benefit is that responsibility for maintaining and managing the office and building rests with someone else. And as part of the deal you get a dedicated receptionist (saving you time by filtering pointless calls and visitors), as well as administrative support, telecom and IT infrastructure and broadband access. Additional facilities typically include conference and meeting rooms, office furniture, kitchen, bathroom facilities and round the clock security.
So, opting to take on serviced office space can enable you to find the space you need in the right place so you can move in (and on) quickly. You can also limit your overheads, gain professional admin support and operate within a modern, professional office environment.
Choosing a serviced office can free up time your time and save you money, enabling you to concentrate on growing your business and becoming even more successful.
