Open Office Space

How The Layout Of A Space Dictates “The Vibe” - Lessons From A Jelly

The following is a re-post from the Jelly Long Island blog.  

One of the initial triggers that led to the blog post, Why are there no Coworking Spaces In Long Island?, and eventually into our growing bi-weekly Jelly event, was the book Emergence – The Story of the Centre for Social Innovation.

Emergence is the first of a three part series published by CSI entitled Shared Spaces for Social Innovation. The three part series offers a comprehensive overview of the CSI shared space model.

Part 1 – Emergence – The Story of The Centre for Social Innovation

Part 2 – Rigour – How To Create World-Changing Spaces

Part 3 – Proof – How Shared Spaces Are Changing The World

Having read all three books now, one of the concepts I found most fascinating (especially after our last Jelly) came from Part 2 – Rigour.
The most important thing to remember is that you are not just creating a physical space – you are creating a social, environmental, and psychological space too. Each of these elements deserves careful and deliberate “curating“ to achieve the vision and goals you have set.

Heres Why.

Yesterday’s Jelly was held at the Citibank Conference/Breakout Room, generously donated by Citibank and RXR Realty. As I’ve probably said a hundred times already, “the space was awesome!” We had a huge U-shaped conference table, a big area with couches, private bathrooms and more…the perfect space to aspire to when we are ready to move to a permanent space.

Anyway, as yesterday’s event went on, I was not the only one to realize that the vibe was not quite as energetic as the previous Jelly. While I heard from several folks they were able to get a lot of work done during the day, something was a little off. I even heard the word “library” thrown around a couple of times.

Around 3:30 PM, several of us in attendance gathered outside the work area to discuss the days event, and how we could improve things for Jelly #4.

Larry Reiter, President at EcoEnergy Consulting and Supply Corp, wins the prize for the most insightful post-event feedback. He noted that u-shaped configuration/formal layout of the work area was the culprit for not encouraging as much interaction as there could have been. After thinking about the layout of the room in our previous Jelly, Larry was 100% right.

In our previous location, we made a concerted effort to randomize how the tables were laid out. As a result, people felt much more comfortable walking around the room and interacting with others in attendance. The U-shaped conference configuration tended to limit the interaction in the workspace to only those who were seated right next to each other. Larry’s point was highlighted further during lunchtime where several of the attendees sat together at a rectangular cafeteria table and the conversation flowed much more readily.

While we easily could have adjusted the layout mid-stream yesterday, I am kind of glad we didn’t as it taught us an important lesson about how much the space dictates the overall vibe of the room.

On the positive side, some of the other issues we had during our first two events were non-factors, and most importantly, we added several interesting and passionate members to our growing Long Island Jelly community.

If you’re a Long Island solopreneur, start-up, freelancer or small business and want to work alongside other passionate folks “fighting the fight”, our next Jelly is for you.

Spaces are filling quickly and there is only room for 25 people. To RSVP please click here.

Image Source: Part 2 – Rigour – How To Create World-Changing Spaces

CanvasPop – Turn Photos Into Stunning Wall-Art. Make Your Small Office, YOUR Small Office.

   
As a follow up to one of my recent posts, 9 Ways of Finding Cheap (but not cheap looking) Artwork For Your Office, here is a great resource I came across to help make your small office, YOUR small office.

A site called CanvasPop, offers a pretty awesome service that allows you to create custom corporate art printed on an ultra-high quality canvas. Users can create branded, modern pop-art using a company logo, or even create art from photos shot by staff members.

 

As I mentioned in my previous post, your office is an extension of your brand. CanvasPop really helps you to proudly display that brand by extending it onto your walls, and ultimately creating a more beautiful place to work for you, your staff and your clients.

 

BTW - CanvasPop was recently featured on one of the coolest office interior design blogs in existence The Office Stylist.

 

Here's How The Service Works:

 

10 Reasons To Give CanvasPop A Try

1) Every canvas we print is handmade.

2) Gallery-quality canvas and life-like printing.

3) Choices! Choices! (and more choices) 

4)  Every canvas created from a photo for you is treated with an ultra-protective UV-matte laminate.   

5) 100% satisfaction and lifetime guarantee.

6) Rich, vibrant colors come from state of the art canvas printing technology.

7) Free digital proofs = no surprises.

8) All mounting hardware is included.

9) Being able to work with photos from any source means that you can upload that special picture of someone close to you and have it printed to canvas and sent to them as a gift.

10) A passion for printing powered by proven technology.

 

When we contacted CanvasPop to get more information about their company they were generous enough to set up a promo code for Open Office Space that offers our users free shipping.

The following free shipping code should be entered in the promotion box on the shopping cart page: openofficespace8fs  

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Your Office Space Is An Extension Of Your Brand

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Officebytes TV - WorkBar Boston (Coworking in Boston) An Interview + A Tour Of The Space

On Wednesday of last week I had the pleasure of attending the Entrepreneur Summer Launch Party at WorkBar Boston, an awesome coworking space in Boston. The event was co-sponsored by WorkBar and Grasshopper (The Virtual Phone System Designed For Entrepreneurs)  and brought out some of Boston's finest entrepreneurs. (more on the actual event in an upcoming blog post)

Anyway the space was so impressive I decided to push my luck and asked to come back the next day for a formal tour of the space as well as an interview with the founders and a few of the residents.

The interview is below along with some good quotes from the founders and a few entrepreneurs residing in the space:

 

"WorkBar is a place for entrepreneurs, people who work from home, independent workers and people looking for a little different way to work to come together and have a good place to work out of."

"I think there's a lot that people can personally gain out of it by just getting into a broader community" 

Bill Jacobson - Co-Founder of WorkBar Boston     Bill's Other Ventures Include: Pickup Zone and MUSETREK

"Different people work differently... Some people like the shared desks, some people like the private desks. We've learned a lot about maybe how to lay it out better so that it works better for everyone. We're not a typical office where we can just set up cubicles and tell our employees to go work somewhere. We really have to make it fit."

David Ulrich - Co-Founder of WorkBar Boston

"Working out of home, it sounds possible, but you just definitely don't have the focus when you hear other things going on in the house."

"For the price it's way better quality of office space than I could afford on my own."

Allen Smith - WherePhone.com 

"We absolutely love the atmosphere. We love the flexible work options here. You can sit at a table, you can sit at a couch, you can grab a conference room. We bring clients here all the time."

Shannon Jamieson, Esq. - Co-Founder New Leaf Legal

"We really like to get the interaction going, so we don't like to have too many hidden away corners. Because we really like to facilitate the eco-system of cross-pollination of ideas between entrepreneurs."

Evona Niewiadomska - Marketing/Office Manager at WorkBar Boston

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:

- A Tour and Interview of Your Coworking Space

- 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 

 

Related Posts

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

Officebytes TV - T3 Advisors Discuss The "3 izes" For Start-Ups Looking To Find Office Space

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

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

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  

How Do You Encourage Collaboration in Your Shared Office/Coworking Space?

    
The following is a re-post from an article I came across a few weeks ago on Fastcompany.com entitled: 11 Ways You Can Make Your Space as Collaborative as the Stanford d.school. The article gives some very good suggestions for creating a collaborative workspace within an organization. (all 11 suggestions are below)

But what about environments such as coworking spaces or shared office spaces where many different companies are residing in the same space?  As we continue to tour/interview founders and residents of coworking/shared office spaces, here are a few of the questions we will consistently seek answers to.

Is collaboration actively encouraged or does it happen naturally on its own? 

Was the layout of your space specifically designed to encourage collaboration?

Have you made changes to the original design of your space to improve the interaction between your residents?

Does your space offer any special type of furniture/equipment that has increased the collaboration within your space?

We will compile all of our findings and release them as part of a future article as well as a new section on our interactive guide to leasing office space for entrepreneurs and startups. If have founded or worked in a coworking/shared office space, and can speak on behalf of the questions above, please email us: info at openofficespace.com . Of course we will give full credit for any participation. 

Later this week we will be interviewing one of the top office furniture dealers on the east coast to discuss (affordable) new advances in workstation design, specifically as they pertain to maximizing interaction/collaboration in the office.

Here are the 11 suggestions from the Fast Company article:

1. Start with what you have. "We started in a trailer," Kembel points out, "with the 'd.school' as a sign on the table." Kembel's advice: Claim a space and label it.

2. Go to the people who are interested first. Form a crack team of true believers to spearhead your campaign. Revolutions start from the bottom up.

3. Empower your team to change their space. Somebody high enough up the food chain needs to defend this activity against facilities managers who may not be amused. Then, be willing to keep changing things. Try out different ways to configure space to see what works best.

4. Watch the behavior of the group and take notes. Have somebody in your band of innovators own this task. What's working, what isn't? "Try, reflect, modify," says Kembel.

5. Develop group-sized artifacts. Whaa? In short, forget the spreadsheets with the tiny type. "Get your ideas up in big enough form so that others can see and add to them."

6. Keep any prototypes, sketches, or idea-jam artifacts low-rez and not precious. "Don't get too formal too fast," says Kembel. Making things precious locks them in too soon, short-circuiting potential improvements.

7. Show your work in progress. "Put your underwear up on the line and let people comment. But keep it safe," Kembel says. No rude comments allowed.

8. Do something simple to surprise people. At the d.school, they painted the women's restroom lipstick pink, and hung disco balls. "That makes people realize that somebody cares about your experience," Kembel says.

9. Invest more in "we" spaces than in "I" spaces. Cozy nooks for teams, not plush corner offices for the alpha dogs.

10. Mix up seating options. Take the table out of the room and sit on the floor. Vary seat heights. Change customary positions at meetings. For example, put the group leader in the middle, instead of at the head of the table. Try holding a meeting where only standing is allowed. In general, work to lower status markers.

11. Make idea generation and capture easy. Any non-porous surface can be a whiteboard, says Kembel. Buy a sheet of sheer acrylic at Home Depot and mount it on a wall as a writing space. Keep markers handy. Put prototyping tools out where people can grab them when an idea strikes.

"Creativity follows context," says Kembel. The main idea, he says, is not to segregate creativity from other activities. "You don't need to be fancy to do it," he says.

Content Source: Fast Company

Related Posts

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

Shared Office Space Part 1 | An Entrepreneurs Perspective

Shared Office Space Part 2 | A Space Holders Perspective

Officebytes TV - 3 Common Mistakes Made By Many Entrepreneurs Looking for Office Space

On today's episode of Officebytes TV, Patrick Braswell, Founder of MOSAtlanta.com and Assistant Vice President with Colliers Spectrum Cauble discusses 3 of the top 10 mistakes made by many entrepreneurs and small businesses when looking for office space.

A few good quotes from the interview:  

"Companies that come out of executive suites or that are looking for traditional office space for the first time, they tend to fail to look at their current and future priorities. They don't list them out and make sure they have those ducks in a row before they actually go out and look for space."

"Going to an office suite or an office space based solely off of price. This one for entrepreneurs, people coming out of executive suites, looking for office space and traditional office space for the first time, make this mistake all the time."

"Determining the amount of square footage you need up-front. Get an architect involved if you can afford one, if you can't afford one, here's a general rule that you want to keep in your head. For every employee that you have, you need to think that it's going to be about 250 rentable square feet of office space that you need for them."  

About MOSAtlanta.com

MOSatlanta.com, short for My Office Search Atlanta, was designed to be a single point of reference for companies looking for office space in Metro Atlanta.

The goal of MOSatlanta.com is to provide their clients with a web based application that will simplify the office leasing process from start to finish, therefore, saving their clients time and money. Ultimately, their approach will align your business initiatives and financial objectives with the right real estate strategy to meet both.

Related Posts

Officebytes TV - T3 Advisors Discuss The "3 izes" For Start-Ups Looking To Find Office Space

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

Shared Office Space Part 1 | An Entrepreneurs Perspective

Shared Office Space Part 2 | A Space Holders 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

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 - 10 Reasons Why You MUST Bring "Health and Fitness" Into Your Office

Entrepreneurs - Are your thumbs the most fit part of your body?

  

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

 

 

An Inspirational Story + Why Entrepreneurs MUST Bring Health and Fitness Into Their Office

Officebytes TV had the pleasure of interviewing Rahsheen Slaugter and Greg Kalafatic of Breakthroughs to Fitness, a successful personal training company located in Long Island, New York.

Rahsheen Slaughter shares the inspirational story of how he "never let his disability become a liability" on the road to becoming a college All American freestyle wrestler, and eventually founding Breakthroughs To Fitness.  (Rahsheen was born without a quadricep or hamstring on his right leg) 

During the interview, Rahsheen and Greg also give some VERY good reasons why entrepreneurs MUST adopt health and fitness as part of their business/life plan.   

A few good quotes from the interview:

"The #1 excuse entrepreneurs will tell me is that they do not have enough time to workout."

"Stress is something we all encounter, especially for entrepreneurs. You need a way for you body to cope and deal with this stress."

"Some of my best ideas come from when I am just spacing out on the treadmill, elliptical or I just get into a real deep metabolic training session. After I'm done with that, I can go on and solve the problems or challenges I am having in my business that day."

"You have to make sure that you have those 5-6 meals, spread throughout the day so that you do not have those energy woes."

"Can you honestly say that you are in better shape today than 6 weeks ago? How about 6 months ago? How about an entire year? If you can't raise your hand and say yes I am, then your health is on a decline."

About Breakthroughs To Fitness   Breakthroughs to Fitness provides a unique collaborative relationship that provides structure, accountability, and inspiration to enable clients to reach their goals.

The B2F health coaches guide, motivate, provide customized fitness programs, and assist each client to set achievable and challenging goals. They will not diagnose, prescribe, or come up with answers to your challenges but they will facilitate and guide you in the right direction to create the outcome you deserve.

Related Posts

Entrepreneurs - 10 Reasons Why You MUST Bring "Health and Fitness" Into Your Office

Entrepreneurs - Are your thumbs the most fit part of your body? 

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 - T3 Advisors Discuss The "3 izes" For Start-Ups Looking To Find Office Space

In today's episode of Officebytes TV, Greg Hoffmeister and Jon Frisch of T3 advisors, based in Massachusetts, discuss the "3 izes" that all start-ups and small businesses should keep in mind when searching for office space.

In addition to our friends at T3 Advisors, the interview also contains excerpts from the following on their experiences with finding/helping others find office space:

Sachin Agarwal - Operations Lead | oneforty.com

Derek Lyman - CEO | Dexrex.com

Barrett Bilotta - COO | Dexrex.com

John Hallinan - CFO Cytel, Inc.

Here are the "3 izes" in more detail

Organize

- Set your criteria (location, size, layout, growth plan, budget)

- Prioritize your wants vs. needs

- Form internal real estate team

- Map out decision making process

Optimize

- Engage a professional to leverage your time

- Stretch every dollar

- Look for non-traditional space alternatives (coworking, incubators, squatting)

- Look for bargains on furniture (used or build your own)

- Consider using the cloud whenever possible for e-mail, phone, network, applications to minimize out of pocket capital expenses

Compromise

- Don't waste time looking for ideal space

- Find the best alternative quickly and act

- Be decisive

- Location, price, quality and speed...pick two

Content provided by Greg Hoffmeister and Jon Frisch of T3 Advisors.

You can find them here on Twitter:

Jon Frisch

Greg Hoffmeister

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