One of the biggest trends in the current commercial domain is shared office spaces for startups. As more and more budding entrepreneurs like me are emerging from rags, they are going for shared office spaces, in search of an appropriate working environment.
Probably this is why, this traditionally inflexible and conservative industry has been emerging to a more agile and demand-driven market over the past few decades (Working environments in NewSpace product development – A case study of a nanosatellite startup).
Personally speaking, when I was on the search for the right place for my workspace, I made sure that it must stand strong on some parameters like convenience, facilities, infrastructure, etc.
Hence, here I am to guide many such people like me who don’t even know how to look for a workspace for a startup. Keep reading my article till the end to find out some points to consider.
Whichever location suits the best for your business needs and fulfills all the necessary aspects, is the perfect place for you. It took me a while to understand that the perfect workspace is not much about look, but about functionality and productivity.
As your first step, you need to understand what your business “needs” and “wants”. In easy words, wants can be compromised or adjusted for a short period of time, but the needs need to be fulfilled at any cost for the company’s survival.
Hence, do note down some points and classify them as your startup’s wants and needs. If the workplace is standing strong on the needs, it’s the right place.
Unless your business runs in completely remote mode, locality holds the most significant place to consider. For in-office responsibilities, the office space must be accessible through any part of the city or state. Not only it help in timely business operations, but also keeps the workplace at the center of the operations.
However, if you have a manufacturing startup or something like that, the needs for location may vary. Instead of being in the hustle-bustle of the city, your unit must be located in a suburban area that has plenty of land to work in, is accessible and well-connected to nearby areas, and does not disturb the residential areas near it.
Likewise, each business has its own needs for location. It is wise to understand your enterprise’s nature and then make the decision for the right workplace.
Some amenities or services are unavoidable for businesses. Especially for budding enterprises, they require extra support so that they can at least have a good start. So, a keen focus on what amenities and services are offered is necessary over time.
These services and amenities include computers, Wi-Fi, etc. Without this, no business of any type can survive for long. Hence, you get all the necessary facilities to sustain over a period of time. Along with that, there are other commodities as well, like:
The more you pay for the space, the more facilities you can avail. Despite that, these were some basic amenities that must be there at all costs. If the space is not providing these, or cannot arrange them, it’s a huge red flag.
Whether you are going to buy or rent the space, there are always some complications with the budgeting and financial aspects. The overall structure for any workspace consists of the following elements:
These are some major financial complications that must be considered while you plan an office workspace.
You must not want to have a workplace that is completely isolated from the surroundings. Hence, explore and focus on the networking opportunities in coworking environments. Who knows, you might find your next client in the same business park, just as I did.
DID YOU KNOW?
Even for employees, statistics say that traditional networking is 46% of the most effective way to find a job.
Flexibility and adaptability, both are necessary aspects of space for situations when your company is booming and needs to expand its operation. Speaking from my personal experience, it is a far better option to go for a flexible and adaptable workspace at the beginning, rather than shifting to such kind of place later.
So, start focusing on whether the place would be able to accommodate more resources and handle more operations in case your business expands.
Lastly, finding the right workspace for a startup considers a lot of technicalities and complications. However, if you have found the right one that is both scalable and accessible, one of the most basic requirements has been met.
So, I hope my writing helped you in any way possible to figure out how you must pick the right place for your startup. If you find it helpful, consider sharing it with your friends and other entrepreneurs.
