Open Office Space

The Single Best Piece of Business Advice I Ever Received

   
I was recently invited to attend a Working Lunch with Rob Basso. 

At each Working Lunch event, guests view the premiere of the latest Basso On Business episode, and get involved in a live, interactive business discussion with Rob and leading experts.The goal of Rob's lunch program is to motivate and support small businesses with innovative presentations, business growth strategies and informative speakers.

The focus of the event I attended was Matt Silver of Ultimate Class Limousine. Matt runs a very successful company but seems to have a little trouble managing the long list of tasks that he is faced with on a daily basis. In many cases, even handling tasks that are responsibilities of his employees.

After the 30 or so business owners watched Matt's video a spirited conversation ensued regarding what Matt could/should do to better organize his business. My contribution during the event = a BIG ZERO!

Anyway, a few days after the event it dawned on me that I missed an opportunity to share one of the single best pieces of business advice I ever received...especially as it is so relevant to Matt's organization challenges. 

The following is a letter I sent to Rob detailing this advice (It was re-posted as a guest blog on Rob's site)

Hi Rob,

Not sure if this is too little too late, but before you write me off as a chickensh** for not participating during your event, here is my 2 cents.

My focus for the last 10 years has been growing various internet ventures which in most cases has been a relatively one-man show. Unfortunately, during the event I did not participate simply because I did not go back far enough in my pea brain to recall (aka “blocked out”) a 3 year period in which I was in a very similar situation to Matt.

In 1999-2001 I gave up my 15 client per day/7 day per week personal training business to become the managing partner in a 30,000 sq. ft health club in Long Beach that we took over from an existing company. The health club had well over 75 employees, 6 Indoor Pools, Indoor Track, Sauna, Steam Room, Nursery, Physical Therapy, Aqua Therapy, free weights, cardio, and much more.

Much like Tony’s business, the pace was frenetic and I dealt with one problem after another, making it almost impossible to ever get ahead of the oncoming barrage of problems.

Unlike Matt however, I really had NO experience in the health club business, so it was doubly challenging for me as far as getting organized. (ex. Running  a facility, sales, personnel management, bookkeeping, etc. ).

Here is a small sample of a few of the “small” (yeah right) problems I had to deal with:

-   The Hydraulic line which powered the underwater therapy bikes and treadmills ruptured filling an entire pool filled with jet black oil from top to bottom (think BP disaster in Long Beach)

-   The entire wall of one side of the building fell into the parking lot

-   The heavy glass/steel lid on the pool filter exploded nearly decapitating one of our maintenance workers

Anyway just when I thought I was never going to get my arms around this huge disaster of a business, I received the BEST piece of business advice that I ever received.

It was called the 20-80 rule for employees. If a problem occurred in any area of the health club, an employee should spend 20% of the time focused on determining the root of the problem and 80% of the time should be focused on a solution to the problem. AND most importantly, employees were not allowed to come to ME with a problem without 3 possible solutions.

I basically called for a one on one meeting with every single employee and told them that moving forward if they wanted to keep their jobs they would have to abide by this rule.

The results were amazing!!!

1)   It empowered every single employee to OWN their dept, even if their dept. was simply keeping the bathrooms clean. Almost immediately everyone became an expert  in their position.

2)   It  allowed me to make quick decisions to fix problems without having to delve into possible solutions myself.

3)   It made it much easier to see which departments might require staff changes

Most importantly, it allowed me to oversee the business without having to “do it all myself”. Based on what I heard at the event, this seems to be one of Matt’s biggest issues.

Perhaps this piece of advice that was so helpful to me can also be helpful to Matt.

 

Dave

 

If you or your company has a knowledge that would help entrepreneurs or small businesses to improve the quality of their workplace, openofficespace.com would love to interview you.

 

Topics might include:

- Commercial Real Estate Expertise

- Workplace Wellness

- How To...(any topic related to improving the workplace)

- Creating an Eco-Friendly Office

- Office Products and Office Furniture

- Workplace Interior Design

- Streamlining Office Expenses

- Property Marketing Solutions 

The Current Trend in Office Furniture. Encouraging Collaboration In The Workplace.

   
In Part 2 of a two part interview on Officebytes TV, Jenny-Lynn Georgiades, Director of Architectural and Design Support Services at Waldners Business Environments, offers entrepreneurs & small businesses insight into the current trend of furnishing the workspace with "collaborative" office furniture.

A few quotes from the interview: 

"One of the biggest trends in the office furniture industry today is the decline of the cubicle. The cubicle walls are coming down and their allowing employees to interact and collaborate."

"They're using the open office space that's left over when they shrink those workstations and doing more with the in-between areas."

"Companies are intermixing lounge areas where people are working with their laptops. They're incorporating informal meeting areas at regular height or even cafe height for more of that Starbucks feel." 

"The worker of the future is going to be more mobile than ever, they're going to utilize new technologies. But they're still going to need to collaborate with their fellow employees, and colleagues, and exchange that information in real time. So, the workspace of the future is going to have to be more flexible and open to support those activities."

About Waldners Waldner’s Business Environments Inc. markets office furniture of brands such as OFS, Metro, Kimball, Steelcase, KI, and Hon. The company also offers furniture storage and refurbishing services. Its clientele include SAP, Ernst & Young, PrimeMedia, Readers’ Digest, MTV, HomeLoanBank, PepsiCo. Random House, GE Capital, Canon, and Sony. The company has strategic alliances with Adden, Buro, Falcon, Golden Oak, ISE, Jofcon, Lucia Group, and Vitra. Waldner’s Business Environments was founded in 1939 and is based in New York City.

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If you or your company has a knowledge that would help entrepreneurs or small businesses to improve the quality of their workplace, openofficespace.com would love to interview you.

 

Topics might include:

- Commercial Real Estate Expertise

- Workplace Wellness

- How To...(any topic related to improving the workplace)

- Creating an Eco-Friendly Office

- Office Products and Office Furniture

- Workplace Interior Design

- Streamlining Office Expenses

- Property Marketing Solutions  

Tips For Entrepreneurs & Small Businesses On How To Furnish The "Optimal" Office Space For Their Company

   
  
In Part 1 of a two part interview on Officebytes TV, Jenny-Lynn Georgiades, Director of Architectural and Design Support Services at Waldners Business Environments, offers entrepreneurs & small businesses some very sound advice on choosing the right office furniture to create the optimal working environment for their company.

 

A few good quotes from the interview:  

"When and entrepreneur or a small business is planning to do a new space, I think its really important to examine closely where your company is now, and where you want to be in the future. It's important to examine your work processes..."

"Something as simple as walking through the space, and looking at some of the work arounds that people do to their environments to make it work for them. Are their pads on the chairs? Maybe they need a new chair. Are their monitors up on a bunch of books because the there not at the right height? Are their storage components empty and filled with just their shoes and their purses. These are the type of things that can help you look at how to design a new space, and to design it in a way that's functional for your employees."

"For instance, the younger generation, Generation-Y, there not going to want to work in the typical cubicle, they want to work in these different office environments, they want to work in the lounge areas in the cafes...so you want design your space accordingly if you want to attract and retain that type of employee."  

"What we're really finding is the most important workplace issue for employees these days is access. Access to people that they work with, access to technology and access to information, and that's what's really driving the trends."  

About Waldners Waldner’s Business Environments Inc. markets office furniture of brands such as OFS, Metro, Kimball, Steelcase, KI, and Hon. The company also offers furniture storage and refurbishing services. Its clientele include SAP, Ernst & Young, PrimeMedia, Readers’ Digest, MTV, HomeLoanBank, PepsiCo. Random House, GE Capital, Canon, and Sony. The company has strategic alliances with Adden, Buro, Falcon, Golden Oak, ISE, Jofcon, Lucia Group, and Vitra. Waldner’s Business Environments was founded in 1939 and is based in New York City.

Related Posts

10 Inexpensive Ways To Spruce Up a Small/Shared Office Space

Shared Office Space Part 1 | An Entrepreneurs Perspective

Small Biz/Entrepreneurs - Estimating The Right Amount of Office Space For Your Company

 

If you or your company has a knowledge that would help entrepreneurs or small businesses to improve the quality of their workplace, openofficespace.com would love to interview you.

 

Topics might include:

- Commercial Real Estate Expertise

- Workplace Wellness

- How To...(any topic related to improving the workplace)

- Creating an Eco-Friendly Office

- Office Products and Office Furniture

- Workplace Interior Design

- Streamlining Office Expenses

- Property Marketing Solutions  

Officebytes TV - Officeport CHI (Coworking in Chicago) A Quick Tour + An Interview

 
During my visit to Chicago this weekend, I had the opportunity to visit a very cool coworking space located right in the heart of the city. From the minute I walked in the space I received a warm welcome and was invited to take a tour of the space. Immediately following the tour, I requested an opportunity to film the space and interview the manager and some of the entrepreneurs doing business at Officeport CHI.

Listening to a few of the residents discuss how the space has improved their productivity as well as the overall image of their company really drives home the value of the coworking concept.

The space was huge, clean and well designed, complete with it's own man-made putting green. The only amenity that I felt was missing was a full court nerf basketball hoop...perhaps that is in their future plans. 

The interview is below along with some good quotes from some of the residents of the space:

James Carver, site Manager of OfficePort CHI, a coworking space in Chicago, discusses how the idea for creating the space was conceived, the convenience of the location also describes the endless list of features offered by Officeport CHI.

"It definitely presents my company in a better light. Having the downtown address on my business card that doesn't look like obviously like a residential address, goes a long way in make me look like the professional that I want to look."         James Epstein-Reeves | Founder - Do Well. Do Good. (www.dowelldogood.net)

"One day I just decided that there might be kind of a healthier way to live, where home can be home, and work can be work. It makes for a more professional impression I think."     Tiffany Meyers | Freelance Writer, Journalist, Copywriter (www.tiffanymeyers.com)

"I was working for home for about 4 years prior to this. And, unfortunately the walls in my house don't speak back to me. So, I wanted to get to a place where I could talk to others. Even just asking questions of people that are not even into my industry really helps me out alot. The fact that everything included from the wireless, to the fax and the printer and the coffee, it just makes for a great environment."     Brian Lefkowitz | President (www.theblueswing.com and www.thechillster.com)

If you or your company has a knowledge that would help entrepreneurs or small businesses to improve the quality of their workplace, openofficespace.com would love to interview you.

 

Topics might include:

- Commercial Real Estate Expertise

- Workplace Wellness

- How To...(any topic related to improving the workplace)

- Creating an Eco-Friendly Office

- Office Products and Office Furniture

- Workplace Interior Design

- Streamlining Office Expenses

- Property Marketing Solutions 

 

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Entrepreneurs - How achieving a lofty fitness goal can help your business.

 
Let's face it, as entrepreneurs, our ability to successfully pitch ourselves and/or our businesses depends quite heavily on our ability to project a high level of confidence.

Unfortunately, maintaining a consistently high level of confidence is not always an easy task for an entrepreneur. Whether it's a negative comment on a blog, an "exciting" new product just released by a top competitor, a nasty email from a good client, slower business growth than projected, or even just trouble on the home front, there are many outside forces busily working to chip away at our confidence.

This past weekend was the running of the 2010 RXR LI Marathon. The festival of races, as it's called offers a variety of different events. A full marathon (26.2 miles), a half marathon (13.1 miles), a 10k, a 5k, a one-mile run and a Kids fun run. Despite the unseasonably high heat and humidity, I heard rumors that the number of participants was up 30% from last year. Disclaimer: This number might not be 100% accurate.

For the second year in a row, I participated in the half marathon. While I was pleased with my overall time 1:46:09, putting me within the top 10% of all half-marathon runners, it was not easy. Around mile 7 I was starting to run out of gas but thanks to a "top secret" play-list on my itouch (System of a Down, Tool, Ra, Trapt, Seether, Chevelle and a few other high octane bands) plus the fear of humiliation, I was able to finish.

Joining me in the race was my wife, my friend and one of my clients. While we all ran at completely different speeds I am proud to say that we all finished in under the 3 hour time limit. In the days following the race I noticed a distinct change in every single one of us. I guess you could call it a slight "air of invincibility". 

Only about 6 months ago, I brought up the idea of running in this event to my client. (I think the most she had ever run previously was 3 miles) At the time, the thought of running this distance seemed impossible to her. But after 6 months of training and 2 hours and 47 minutes of running, she finished her first half marathon. 

By accomplishing this goal she did much more than just get in better shape. She has raised the bar in terms of what she thinks she's capable of, and as a result, I am pretty confident she will be making some other positive changes in her life as well.

I firmly believe that achieving lofty fitness goals is a great way for entrepreneurs to build/maintain that much needed inner confidence while serving as a great lesson in the rewards that can be garnered by operating outside of one's comfort zone...a trait often required by entrepreneurs. 

See here's the thing, regardless of whether of not we all travelled to the race together or even held hands as we crossed the finish line, actually running 13.1 miles was something that had to be accomplished ALONE. 

Perhaps the next time you nervously contemplate cold calling a potential customer, approaching a "big wig" at a networking meeting, speaking in public, pitching an investor or do anything else outside your comfort zone, you will be able to reflect back on a recent lofty fitness goal you accomplished and you will.............. DO IT ANYWAY!  

If you or your company has a knowledge that would help entrepreneurs or small businesses to improve the quality of their workplace, openofficespace.com would love to interview you on Officebytes TV. 

Topics might include:

- Commercial Real Estate Expertise

- Workplace Wellness

- How To...(any topic related to improving the workplace)

- Creating an Eco-Friendly Office

- Office Products and Office Furniture

- Workplace Interior Design

- Streamlining Office Expenses

- Property Marketing Solutions

 

Please DM on Twitter if you are interested @openofficespace

 

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Entrepreneurs - Why do we ignore ergonomic best practices in/out of the office?

 
Disclaimer: This blog post is an admission of guilt as much as an observation of other folks in my office space. 

As an entrepreneur, I spend an exorbitant amount of time in front of my desktop, laptop and on my blackberry. Throughout a typical work day, I am constantly massaging a dull pain in my forearm, neck, back and hand on my right side. 

Now, before anyone tells me that I probably need to adjust the angle of my monitor, the height of my office chair or the incline of my keyboard, here is my admission:

I KNOW BETTER! I have been a personal trainer for over 17 years and have worked in the corporate fitness departments of several Fortune 100 companies.

Regardless, until today I have ignored my own advice and mistakingly have focused on treating the symptom of dull aches and pains as opposed to the root of the problem. Just in case you missed it, I said until today.

Below you will find a brief article from Gaebler.com regarding proper office ergonomics as well as some resources to help ensure you create an ergonomically correct office space.

Lets make a deal. I will stick to the program if you will.

Content Source: Gaebler.com

Office Ergonomics

If office ergonomics isn't a focus of somebody in your small business, odds are you may find that your health care costs are higher than you'd like and that sick days are on the rise. Over time, the aches and pains of sitting behind a desk can add up.

Sometimes the pain can become so bad that it impedes your employees' ability to do their work - or even show up for work at all. That's bad news for your business, but it can be avoided with a little preventative remedy known as ergonomics.

Ergonomics is the application of tools and resources to prevent job-related injuries due to repetitive motion, uncomfortable positions, and other factors.

If this sounds like much ado about nothing, think again. The cost of work-related injuries like carpal tunnel and other avoidable problems is staggering when you take into account not only the price of health care, but also lost profits due to decreased productivity and sick days.

Since small businesses are hit hardest by the loss of even a single employee, ergonomics is a topic that you can't afford to ignore.

Getting on board with ergonomics takes time and effort, but not nearly as much time and effort as an unhealthy workforce. If you aren't sure where to begin just remember that any step you take is a step in the right direction. Here are a few other tips to help you guide you along the way.

Get Educated

If you are like most business owners, you probably don't know a lot about things like repetitive motion injuries and ergonomic design. However, don't let your ignorance stand in the way of a healthier workplace. As an employer, it's your responsibility to get educated in the area of occupational health. Since occupational health is a hot topic there is no shortage of books and websites at your disposal.

Seek Input from Your Employees

After you've acquired some general information, you'll need to start thinking about the problems that exist in your workplace and begin to explore possible ergonomic solutions. Your employees are your best source of information about what hurts at work so it makes sense to involve them in the process. Solicit their input before you make any decisions!

Training, Training, Training

The most ingenious ergonomic solutions won't do a bit of good if your employees don't know how to use them. Like you, many employees aren't up to speed on occupational health issues. They need to receive training about how to use the preventative remedies you implement as well as other things they can do to stay healthy. Ergonomic product vendors may even be willing to do some of the training themselves.

Stay Committed

It's important to remember that ergonomics is a long-term, preventative solution. After a brief foray into ergonomic design, some employers lose interest and their commitment to a healthy workplace suffers. Don't fall into this trap! Instead, make a long-term commitment to finding comfortable and healthy ergonomic solutions for the people who work hard to make your business a success.

A few additional resources for information on creating a ergonomically correct office space: 

ErgoWeb

OSHA

Ergonomics Made Easy   

Cornell University Ergonomics Web

UCLA Ergonomics

If you or your company has a knowledge that would help entrepreneurs or small businesses to improve the quality of their workplace, openofficespace.com would love to interview you on Officebytes TV. 

Topics might include:

- Commercial Real Estate Expertise

- Workplace Wellness

- How To...(any topic related to improving the workplace)

- Creating an Eco-Friendly Office

- Office Products and Office Furniture

- Workplace Interior Design

- Streamlining Office Expenses

- Property Marketing Solutions

 

Please DM on Twitter if you are interested @openofficespace

 

 

Officebytes TV - Jason LaVanture on Virtual Tours and Marketing Your Open Office Space

Today marks the official launch of Officebytes TV - Interviews with industry experts to help entrepreneurs and small businesses find, promote, settle in, and create the most productive, cost effective and healthy office space possible.

Our first interview was with Jason LaVanture, Founder of Realtourvision.com and BlueLavamedia.com.

About Real Tour Vision:

Originally established in 1999 as RealtorVision and now RTV, Inc., our profitable and privately held corporation is tucked away here in Northern Michigan and proudly supports over 100 thousand real estate agents in 27 countries.  Our virtual tour technology has also attracted over 1500 independent business owners who now provide unparalleled worldwide coverage. This makes the RTV network the largest full service virtual tour and property marketing network in the World.

Jason discusses how virtual tours can be utilized to help market your open office space. He also gives some tips on how to stage a property for the best results as well as some suggestions on producing great interior shots.

Here's the interview:

We've already lined up some other great interview subjects but would certainly welcome and appreciate any suggestions on how we can improve the final product.

If you or your company has a knowledge that would help entrepreneurs or small businesses to improve the quality of their workplace, openofficespace.com would love to interview you.

Topics might include:

Commercial Real Estate Expertise

Workplace Wellness

How To...(any topic related to improving the workplace)

Creating an Eco-Friendly Office

Office Products and Office Furniture

Interior Design

Streamlining Office Expenses

Property Marketing Solutions

Can Your Workplace Afford NOT to Install Healthy Vending Machines?

   
  

On the heels of a recent speaking engagement I attended about corporate fitness coupled with the fact that the summer is approaching fast and furious, I decided to re-purpose a blog post that was written a little over a year ago.(also, I think I was the ONLY person reading my blog over a year ago) 

The speaker at the corporate fitness event was very passionate about how critical it is to make smart food choices in the office, as this is where most of us spend the majority of our time. As a personal trainer of over 17 years I couldn't agree more. My clients can work out everyday until they are blue in the face (many do), but only when they make a concerted effort to improve their eating habits at their workplace, do they experience real and long lasting results.

Here is the post:

A few weeks ago, I had an opportunity to chat with Sean Kelly, CEO of HealthyVending.com. Many years ago, I had explored the concept of healthy vending with a good friend of mine that was in the industry. On the surface the concept seemed quite simple. All we had to do was replace the poor choices found in most vending machines with some healthier options, and we would cure worldwide obesity within a few years.

After spending about a week researching this "simple concept" we quickly realized a successful execution of a healthy vending machine business was anything but simple...we never spoke about it again.

So at this point I should step back and thank Twitter. About a month ago, I asked (via tweet) if anyone knew of any healthy vending machine companies. A visit to a local high school for my Sunday morning b-ball game prompted me to ask this question as there was not one healthy option to choose from in the vending machine.

While I received several responses to my post, no one was able to provide me with any answers. Just when I thought the issue was dead, I was contacted by Sean introducing me to his company, healthyvending.com. 

The mission of Sean's company is to help unite man and nutrition (h.u.m.a.n.) by placing premium healthy vending machines across the globe and giving 10% of proceeds back to charitable causes that fight obesity and malnutrition.

For the last 15 months h.u.m.a.n. Healthy Vending has focused on building a one of a kind vending machine, specifically designed to overcome the obstacles that have prevented healthy vending from achieving a mainstream adoption in the past.

h.u.m.a.n. machines were created to accomplish three primary goals:

1. Increase revenues & profits for vending operators & sales commissions for locations.
2. Make operating, maintaining, & stocking the machines easier while making consumer interaction more enjoyable.
3. Create happy, healthy & loyal customers.

The machine features a touch-screen LCD, streaming video content, a cashless payment system, an eco-friendly power device and attractive graphics.

Aside from their unique machine, h.u.m.a.n. Healthy Vending utilizes on-location surveys, demographical analysis, & past precedence, to determine the specific product mix that best suits each location.

What most impressed me about my conversation with Sean is his companies commitment to the fight against obesity/malnutrition coupled with his clarity regarding the importance of making his machines profitable. In today's economy, most schools, corporations, health clubs, airports, hospitals, etc. would be hesitant to give up the revenue they derive from their current vending machines just to promote healthier food choices...thanks to healthyvending.com, now there is a profitable alternative.

It is no secret that a healthier employee is a more productive one. As companies downsize their workforce, it is going to be more important than ever for remaining employees to be productive. 

For entrepreneurs and small businesses with a few employees it is especially critical to be self-responsible as far as making smart food choices. This demographic most likely does not have the luxury of a corporate dining room or a sponsored corporate fitness program.

h.u.m.a.n. Healthy Vending is the rare breed of company that truly does offer the best of both worlds.

Healthy Food Choices + A Significant Revenue Opportunity + A More Productive Workplace = h.u.m.a.n. Healthy Vending

Image Source: HealthyVending.com

If you have any tips or tricks that you use to help you make smart food choices in your office, openofficespace.com would love to hear about them.

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