Not sure if you're ready to take the leap? Here's how to know when you're ready, what to look for, and how to avoid taking on unnecessary risk.
You are running your business from the kitchen table. Your team, if you have hired them yet, are working from their spare bedrooms. You’re meeting over Teams or in cafes. You know your business is growing, but taking an office feels like a big step and an even bigger risk. It doesn’t have to be. In fact, there can come a point where not having an office starts to hold your business back.
Read on to find out whether your business is ready for its first office, and what to look for when choosing the right space.
5 SIGNS YOUR BUSINESS MAY BE READY FOR YOUR FIRST OFFICE
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. But if you recognise yourself in a few of the signs below, it could be time to start thinking seriously about your first office.
- You have 3-4 employees, or you are a team of 1-2 planning your next hires
You don't need a huge team to benefit from an office. A four-person team can be at a particularly useful tipping point: big enough to benefit from having a dedicated base, but still small enough that you don't need a huge amount of space.
- Your team works more productively when in the same room
Remote working can work brilliantly, but some things are simply easier face-to-face. Ideas move faster, conversations happen more naturally, and there's less need to schedule a Teams call every time you want to discuss something.
- You're starting to look and feel like an established business
You’re winning bigger clients, bringing people into the business and starting to have more important conversations. Having a professional address and somewhere to meet clients and interview candidates can change how your business presents itself.
- You want to feel part of a business community that helps take you to the next level
Who you surround yourself with matters. Being around other founders, freelancers and growing businesses creates opportunities that are difficult to replicate when everyone is working from home.
- You’re starting to think about where the business will be in 12–18 months
Even if you don’t know exactly where your business will be in the future, your workspace should be part of that conversation. If you're planning to hire, take on bigger clients or grow your team, think about whether your current setup will support that growth.
DON'T WAIT UNTIL YOU NEED AN OFFICE
It can be easy to start looking for that office once the team is already in place. But your first office shouldn’t necessarily be a reaction to growth, it can be part of your growth journey.
Sometimes, the biggest mistake can be waiting until it is too late. Don’t wait until you’ve landed that client that wants to meet face-to-face, or hired a team that works best when collaborating but has nowhere to come together.
Instead, take a space where your team can grow into. Conversations across the office become ideas. Ideas become opportunities. Opportunities become growth. Suddenly your office isn’t just the place to work, it’s a core part of your business.
WHAT SHOULD YOUR FIRST OFFICE LOOK LIKE?
So, you feel you’re ready for that first office. Then comes the next question: what kind of office? As a growing business looking for your first office in Bristol, you can be faced with too many options.
Traditionally, a small business might take a two- or three-year lease on a small office. That can work well for an established business that knows exactly what it needs. But for a growing business, committing to a fixed space for several years can introduce a lot of unnecessary risk. Rent, utilities, furniture, internet, maintenance - all quickly add up both financially and in admin time.
If your business slows down, you can feel burdened with overheads. Even worse, if you want to grow, you can feel stuck.
This is where flexible workspaces come in. Instead of taking on a long lease and managing an office yourself, you can have a ready-to-use workspace on terms that give your business the room to change.
For a startup or scaling business looking for a flexible office space in Bristol, you might want to focus on an office that provides the following:
- Enough space for your current team
- Ability to move into a larger office as you grow
- A location that’s convenient for your team and clients
- Flexible terms
- Meeting rooms, post handling & communal spaces
- Minimal admin
- A place you’re proud to bring clients
- Somewhere your team actually wants to come work
A small, flexible serviced office can be the perfect space to establish your business roots and act as a springboard for growth.
WHERE DOES SQUARE WORKS COME IN?
For many growing businesses, a 4-desk office is a particularly useful sweet spot: enough space to establish a proper base, without taking on more than you need.
That's where our Incubator Offices at Square Works come in. We've designed our 4-desk offices specifically for businesses at this stage - giving you your own professional base while keeping the flexibility to change as the business does.
- Shorter, flexible lease terms
- Fully serviced offices
- The ability to upgrade as your team grows
- Meeting rooms and shared spaces
- A built-in community of founders, freelancers and growing businesses
- So you can focus on growing the business, rather than running the office.
Think it might be time to make the move? Get in touch with the Square Works team for a chat about your business, what you need from a workspace and whether one of our 4-desk offices could be the right fit.
