Looking for affordable office space can be quite exhausting, especially if you are in search for space in a centrally located place. For a fledgling start-up, many of the issues you face relate to finding affordable space in locations that will generate traffic and give your business the visibility you need. With overhead swallowing a good portion of operating costs, many find themselves resorting to alternatives to the traditional office.
Of the many office spaces available today, start-ups can find a variety of formats and plans. However, if trying to keep costs low while aiming for high visibility, consider starting with a serviced office company that can provide your business with all of the amenities, furnishings and equipment needed to operate comfortably. In addition to serviced offices, the virtual office, remote-working, co-working spaces and your standard serviced office can all be solutions to your office woes.
Let’s take a look at the various starter office leases that are available to help your search for the perfect office space to get your business off the ground.
Co-Working Spaces
Co-working outfits allow professionals to lease the use of space including the hot desk or dedicated desk, in addition to standard office equipment, amenities and IT services. In fact, one of the great advantages of the co-working space is that many start-ups find it a nurturing environment because so many of these spaces are devoted to supporting entrepreneurial ventures. Your co-working space would pretty much come with all of the above tools for the office, but you would get the benefit of being in a place where you could also network and collaborate with people from a diverse range of industries.
Remote Working
Remote working is another solution that companies have used in response to the amount of readily available technological support available to consumers. As a remote worker, you would pretty much be responsible for providing your employees with a secure network with which to work, and you would also have to find places to meet, whether it is a coffee house or restaurant.
However, the coffee house is the worst place to have to give a presentation. If you like the remote-working format but want to forgo the distractions that go along with conducting meetings in public places, consider reserving space at your local library, convention centre or other areas that are appropriate for the business setting. Another alternative is to rent a pod for meetings that can be used when needed, as these structures can also bring a certain formality to a meeting.
Virtual Offices
Another way to address the remote working situation is to simply sign up for a virtual office. The virtual office allows remote workers, start-ups and very small businesses to lease the use of conference rooms, boardrooms, and basic meeting rooms that come with video-conferencing capabilities. This plan is especially advantageous for businesses who move around a lot simply because you have access to technology anywhere you go in the world.
Furthermore, if leasing with a larger serviced office provider, you can pretty much reserve meeting space in any place the company has offices. If you are based somewhere in Singapore and need to work in Australia, you can reserve space in this location through your office solutions provider.
Starting From Scratch
All of these office solutions, with exception of remote-working, place you in the middle of business and industry, as many serviced office companies are located near or in central business districts. This is important for many reasons, but the main one is that an address in the middle of a very busy district conveys to clients and investors a professional image. For your business, it puts you in a place where you have access to resources and where your business can get high visibility.
