Whether you’re an entrepreneur with a business idea or a growing business, finding the right office space can be difficult. There’s so much to consider, such as location, space, meeting rooms, and amenities, not to mention your budget and cash flow situation.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur with a business idea or a growing business, finding the right office space can be difficult. There’s so much to consider, such as location, space, meeting rooms, and amenities, not to mention your budget and cash flow situation. These tips should help you narrow down the search for an office space to rent.
What amenities do you need?
One question you should ask when looking for office space is what type of amenities do you need? Of course, you would expect all offices to have the bare minimum such as toilets and at least a small kitchen facility. But there’s a lot more to office amenities.
You might prioritise tech, so you need lightning-fast Wi-Fi, telephony services and modern office equipment such as copiers. Alternatively, you might be planning to entertain a lot of clients in a friendly yet professional setting, so you’ll be looking for meeting rooms, a café or a space like Urban Hub’s outdoor terrace.
Make a shortlist of your must-haves, desirables, and amenities that aren’t so important. That will help you narrow down the best space for you.
Can you access meeting rooms?
When you rent your own office space, the cost of rent goes up based on size (amongst other things). So, to have a designated meeting room in your office space means paying extra in rent. This is one of the great things about serviced offices and shared workspaces. You have access to meeting rooms practically whenever you need them.
If you’re a small business in a growth phase, you probably want to meet with a lot of clients. So, ensure your office space gives you access to professional meeting rooms. In most serviced offices, you need to use a booking system, but with good planning, it’s extremely rare that you would miss out on a room when you need it.
Does the office space include conference facilities
As your business expands, you may want to host events that are a bit bigger than your standard client meeting. Whether it’s a large meeting with a number of stakeholders or a conference complete with guest speakers and catering, you need to make sure your office space can handle that.
Look for offices that provide large meeting rooms or the ability to open rooms up to create a larger space. Basically, you should always check that your serviced offices can provide catering, breakout spaces and the technology required to host a conference. Remember, networking is a big part of a conference, so you’ll want a nice relaxed area for people to mingle and enjoy food and drinks.
Are reception services provided?
When looking for an office space to rent, you might not always be bringing a horde of staff members with you. For example, if you’re a start-up or entrepreneur, you might be looking at a co-working space that gives you a desk, but also access to other office facilities. In that case, it’s helpful to have reception and admin support.
This support can include screening phone calls, opening mail, greeting clients in the foyer and even setting up meeting rooms for you. When you just rent your own individual office space, you would need to pay an employee for all of those things, so if you can get it as part of your office rental package, it’s a big bonus.
Can you scale your office space needs?
The biggest problem with renting independent office space is the lack of scalability. Realistically, the only way you can get scalability is by paying for a much larger office space right from day one. That doesn’t make sense when cash flow is tight and your business is still growing.
Co-working spaces and serviced offices, however, give you the option of scaling up or down as your business needs it. For example, if you need to bring on another employee for a 6-month period, you can usually upgrade your package to include another desk and facilities. Scalability is extremely important, so look for office spaces that let you effectively pay for what you need, when you need it.
Looking for an office space to rent?
Here at Urban Hub, we offer a range of options for businesses of all sizes. From co-working spaces for start-ups to fully serviced offices, we ensure your office space is scalable as your business grows. Plus, you benefit from our sought-after location in Wellington’s CBD and all of the amenities we offer, including a fully licensed bar and café and multiple meeting or conference rooms. Contact us today to find out more about how we can help your business grow.
