5 Things To Consider When Setting Up Your Startup Office

Somewhere where your can really get down to business without worrying about when your mum is going to walk in the door, or if your significant other is about to explode with rage because you’re having another late night in the living room to make a deadline.

First thing to consider, do you need an ‘office’ office?
While establishing an office seems the natural go-to when you start a business; the magic often happens at 2am, in your parents garage, on an old laptop, with both of your two employees on their 4th Red Bull. Don’t underestimate the power of working ‘off the grid’ and not living ‘the corporate life’.

As a start up, you’re likely to have a very limited budget. Throwing lots of dollar at a big nice office in the financial part of town probably isn’t the best use of your money.

Finding your workspace
Think long and hard about what you actually need from your office? Do you NEED a meeting room or can you host your meetings temporarily from the local cafe?

If you’re selling socks and need space for bulk storage, then find some place that accommodates it. If you’re producing jam, then you obviously need certain equipment. A lot of the time these days, all a startup needs these days is; a laptop, a place to be, working wifi, and a kettle.  

You’ve got to find a space that suits your needs as a business. If you need to stock a few thousand pairs of socks, you’re likely to have a very angry flatmate on your hands quickly if you don’t find another place than your shared living room.

Where is your business, growth wise? Are you taking on new employees on a monthly basis? Are you still in your initial stages working from your single cockpit? An office is not forever, but consider how many employees you’ll need to accommodate in the near future.

If you live anywhere near a bigger city, there’s likely to be an awful lot of help to ask for. Look for local coworking offices and incubators where other startup folk like yourself are making their dreams come true on a budget.

Space 2.0
There’s physical attributes of a space; how many square meters is it, what’s the floor plan like, is there a kitchen area etc., but then there’s also the feelings that come with a place. Does it feel right? Do you feel like your business could thrive there? Is the environment encouraging/ can it be made encouraging?

Sometimes it’s hard to put a finger on what’s wrong - but there’s definitely something off. And sometimes it’s the other way around. A place can seem brilliant, but for no obvious reason.  

Think about how the place feels to you. You’ll be spending an awful lot of time at the office, so the office vibez are crucial to your success. If there’s one thing we’ve learned; it is that creating an office people like to be in, is one of the most important investments you can make.

Happy bums = happy employees
Have you ever sat on a IKEA fold out chair for more than an hour? It’s torture. You’re probably going to be spending long hours in your office chairs, so for Pete’s sake; make sure they’re comfy and ergonomically decent at the very minimum.

If every time you leave the office; it’s with a backache, there’s probably something wrong. Check your chair, your posture, your desk, and the way you use your keyboard and mouse.

Setting a strong company culture
Once you’ve found yourself a space you can call your second home, it’s time to think about company culture. We know there are piles and piles of tasks that needs done, but setting a culture is important. Once things start to become normality, and ‘the way we do things around here’ isn’t really the way you’d like things to be done; it’s often too late to change it.

Set some clear rules about ‘how we do things around here’ and lead by example. Little things might not make a difference when you’re two people working together in an office. But as soon as you’re 5, 7, or 12, things can easily escalate and in the wrong direction.  

A company culture is also the softer things such as how you welcome new employees, if they’re encouraged to grow in the job, if you’re providing tea and coffee, and if everyone has an important part to play and is trusted with their tasks.

Make sure that your employees feel safe in their job, and that they are happy coming to work. If they’re not happy about their job, then they can’t be their most productive self.

About the author
With over 20 years of industry expertise, Storage Vault provides expert self storage solutions in Glasgow and Paisley to domestic and business storage customers . We're self- proclaimed experts in productivity and know an awful lot about storage and making the most of it.

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