All entrepreneurs yearn for the moment that their business can gain the legitimacy of affording an office space. That’s the moment when you realize your ambitions and prospects are serious, and other businesses and partners will realize you’re in this for the long-run. Setting up an office gives new energy and vigor to a startup, but it also needs to be conducted in the right way in order to build momentum and motivation, while working for you as an investment in the future. Here’s how to balance those key priorities.
Location
When you’re shopping around for an office space, it helps to get a feel for the different locations you have up for grabs. There are locations that’ll place you in the middle of the city, which is great for firms that are constantly meeting other firms. There are others that can place you in an industrial park, where it’s far easier for workers to park up outside your office. Or, there are offices that are in less fashionable areas of cities, but offer cheaper rent and a quieter locale. Deciding where you’ll base yourself is ultimately a decision between cost, atmosphere and travel times – and that’s something that’s worth discussing with partners and employees.
Costs
Even if you’re keen to set up shop in the CBD, close to all your partners and clients, you still should be very careful about what you’re going to be spending on your office space. It’s simply not worth finding the snazziest, most plush office if you’re going to be paying too much, month after month, for the pleasure of working there. The same can be said for the bills you’ll pay to keep the taps running and the lights on. Talk to firms such as Business Water Quotes, or use price comparison websites, to find the very best deals on water, electricity and internet for your office space.
Furniture
Now comes the fun part. How are you going to set up your office space? Are you going to go full Silicon Valley startup and buy beanbags and standing desks, or are you looking for a more professional, more traditional office setup? Do you want to encourage creativity or good old-fashioned hard work? And how do you want visitors to your office to perceive you: as young and dynamic, or as sensible and reliable? All these considerations are crucial as you’re deciding how you office is going to feel and look.
Opening Party
All offices ought to open with a bang. Before everyone sits down to work at their new desks, making them comfortable in your office with a party is a wonderful way to ring in the changes and encourage the sense of a new dawn for your company. This means getting everyone together: employees and their families, partners and clients, and even customers. It means getting excited about a new chapter to your growing, successful startup.
Office spaces are exciting sources of inspiration and motivation, but setting one up should be done with care and caution in order to get things just right.