Springing into a new office
Thursday, 14 April 2011
Springing into a new office
It's funny, but as soon as the sun starts to shine, and spring is in the air, it really makes everything start to look more optimistic. Not for nothing is spring the best time to sell a sports car, or even buy a house (if anyone is doing anything quite so decadent these days). Despite the continuing doom and gloom of bank breakups and bailouts, experience tells us that plenty of businesses will be looking to start up, upsize or relocate as spring gets into swing. This is the optimism effect of sun – and clocks going forward.
A May 2011 survey of small business owners found that over half were optimistic due to improved economic conditions and more than a quarter were planning to increase spending over the next few months. Maybe this is down to the fact that banks have actually started to lend a bit more to small business owners, either way – it's funny how it all coincides with spring. Indeed, it is usually this time of year that our own range of offices are more likely to be reviewed by start-up companies who want to keep overheads down, but enjoy freedom and flexibility to run their businesses their way. That's something only a managed or serviced office can do, of course. The burden of a long, traditional office lease with its tie-ins and terms, plus associated legal costs is, in its way, like a long dark winter that gets you down. So, the best way forward for any business that wants to break free of restrictions is to 'spring-clean' its operations; check out whether you really need to be tied-into a 10 or 15 year lease, see if you have any break-clauses, or review periods that help you move more quickly into something you really need. Have you located your business in an area for good business reasons or simply because you had no alternative? All of these considerations need to be reviewed from time to time, and now's as good a time as any. Let's be honest, when our all too brief summer is done – and those dark nights approach, you simply won't want to do a thing about it.
Philip Parris