Office Space: 3 Tips for a Lean Startup

Workspace by Rockefeller Group Insights – Blair’s 3 Tips for Choosing a Lean Startup Office Space

With a rise in startups in New York City, we are getting more and more inquiries for office space, especially small companies. The best advice I can give any company is to choose the right size office space, so you can keep your business lean and efficient. Over many years of working in this industry, I have seen a wide variety of office spaces available in New York City. I’ve seen all kinds of businesses fail or succeed because of their office space decisions. If you’re starting out and considering your need for office space, here are some tips for choosing your lean startup office spaces.

  1. Start small, even if it’s virtual office.

So you setup your business, but you don’t have a client yet? Before considering leasing a physical office, consider a more cost effective and reasonable option: virtual office space. As a matter of fact, virtual office space is one of the best forms of a lean startup office space. When you do have a meeting with a potential client, use day offices to conduct the meeting with them. That way, you will keep the overhead low, while still having the ability build credibility and impress your potential client.

  1. Invest and choose flexibility, not size.

Over the years, I’ve seen many businesses fail due to a long term and expensive commercial lease. These leases can be as long as 5 to 10 years. Signing a lease for such a long period really locks your business model in for what could be much longer that you want. Many businesses fail because they sign the lease thinking there business is going to trend in a particular direction, and it does not.  Their requirement could be for less, or even more space. This is why choosing flexibility over size is a great way to run your business lean and efficient. The lean startup office space should always be able to size down or up, according to the needs of your company. Serviced office space providers offer this flexibility with shorter commitments and a variety of options.

  1. Choose location strategically.

Location, location, location. It is the mantra of the real estate industry, and for your lean startup office space. But there are so many factors that go into what makes up the best location for you.  Transportation for your staff, and clients; proximity to your clients; quality of the address, etc. What starts out as the ideal location, can be negatively impacted by a change in these factors. While locked into a lease, your premier location could in fact hurt your business if things change for you.  By maintaining the flexibility that a serviced office space has to offer, you are free to move your business more conveniently, as things change.

About Blair:

Blair is the New York Sales Manager for Workspace by Rockefeller Group’s four Manhattan locations. Before joining the team in 2010, he was sales director for the world’s largest provider of executive suites, and also worked as an online office space broker. As a result, Blair’s insight into both the management and consumer aspects of the office suites industry is unrivaled. He has developed a strong rapport with the region’s commercial real estate brokers.