When you’re starting out in business, or even if you’re already up and running, then the cost of office space is often one of the biggest headaches facing any venture. Little wonder then that so many people simply decide to work from home, because this can be a great way to cut costs and keep overheads to an absolute minimum.

However, for anyone who has even gone down this route, or who is thinking of giving it a try, working from home comes with a whole array of cons that stack firmly up against the pros. Sure, there’s no commute, you’ve got creature comforts all around you and it’s cheap and easy.

The downsides can soon pile up though, because working from home can be solitary. There are also the interruptions that you’ll probably get from well-meaning loved ones. And working from a spare bedroom, study or even the garage soon loses its appeal. In fact, when you weigh it all up, the working from home scenario can be a double-edged sword.

Moving on up

It’s not suprising therefore to find that many small businesses are biting the bullet and moving into rented desk space locations. This can actually be a great way to go, and if you’re already leasing an office, then it makes sense to consider this angle too. One of the main benefits is that contracts are invariably on a short-term rolling basis and highly competitive.

With landlords keen to maximise profits from their dead space, you’ll find that many locations in inner cities and prestigious business parks are often way more affordable than you might have ever imagined. Of course, if you enter this desk space rental market with just a desk and chair option then there will be precious little in the way of frills. But, if you’ve got a desire to keep it simple and dip in and out of the office, then this may be all you need.


Saving cash

Cost saving will be instantaneous, because the landlord takes care of all the upkeep, the cleaning and all the rest of it. Desk space rentals often come with broadband internet but almost everything else will be absent. But the plus side to that is you just need to turn up, plug in your laptop and get working. Then, at the end of the day, simply unplug and head off home.

The added benefit of all this is that it’s highly flexible and you can be in and sitting at your desk in a matter of days or even hours. There’s certainly none of the protracted legal stuff to go through when you’re considering something like a traditional office lease. The same goes for when you want to leave or move on, with those rolling contracts providing much more freedom for people who don’t want to be tied into a contract or lease for years on end. With the current business climate proving to be tricky to say the least, then this sort of flexible working approach suits many people, both start-ups and those in an existing venture.

 

 

 

About the author: Rob Clymo writes on behalf of office space site www.officegenie.co.uk, the online marketplace for serviced offices and shared office space in the UK.