•    Great Locations – Being situated in a great location is really useful for any small business. Having easy access to important resources like train stations and city centre banks can save you invaluable time. It also makes it a lot easier for other people to find you when they come to your offices.
•    Networking – Sharing contacts and ideas with other business people creates innumerable opportunities for start ups. Companies operating from serviced offices have the chance to mingle and discuss different ideas with a wide variety of professionals from different industries every single day, without even having to leave their office!
•    IT and telecoms infrastructure – In 2010 having proper phone and internet facilities is essential for any business; however it can be very expensive to get all of the necessary infrastructure in place on your own. At all of our office locations we have internet and phone access which is included in the rent. This means you don’t have to shell out for extra overheads at a time when you are trying to save money.
•    Professional look – It’s really important for small businesses and start ups to make good impressions with new stakeholders,  This task becomes a whole lot easier when you have stylishly-designed offices in a prime location to take your future employees, suppliers or even the dreaded bank manager too!
•    Fixtures and fittings – Cash is always tight for small businesses and start ups, so investing in expensive and stylish is understandably low on your list of priorities. However, all the business owners that rent space in our serviced offices get to take advantage of these perks because we provide them.
•    Commitment – With the economic crisis that the UK has faced in the last 18 months, committing to high long term costs is something that many owners have naturally shied away from. However, serviced offices allow you to have all of the perks of an expensive and stylish office without the burdening financial commitment.

If you’re thinking about taking the next step with your business, have a look at our portfolio of serviced offices in London and Manchester to see how we can help your business.

1) Moving/Going forward

What this really means is ‘let’s try and forget your massive complaint and keep going’.

2) Incentivise

This word is used when discussing the best tool to make someone do something they do not want to do.

3) Let’s touch base about that offline

No one really seems to know what is meant by this, but it usually refers to having a private meeting about something.

4) Referring to a problem as a challenge

This is a clever way of side-stepping the acknowledgment of a problem.

5) Pre-plan

What is wrong with planning? You cannot pre-plan. It is not possible.

6) My door is open on this issue

Never have we heard this used by someone who has their own office. What is wrong with plain old ‘I am happy to speak about this’.

7) At the end of the day

Never have we heard this phrase used in reference to the end of an actual day

8 ) Thinking outside the box

Since when was there a box?

9) Give it 110%

Again it doesn’t make sense. This one is used to let people know that 100% will never be good enough!

10) Out of the loop

Translated, this means I don’t have all the information. Out of what loop, I’m not sure?

Budget

I know this is obvious, but it really is the most important thing to get right. Whether you are spending a business loan, inheritance or savings – make sure your budget is big enough so that you can commit to your business idea. Quite simply, if you haven’t got enough money, save. Your budget everything – and we mean everything. Budget for every lunch, phone call,, pencil sharpener, and if you have to estimate – over estimate!

Ideally you will have an accountant, but if you don’t then at the very least talk through your budget with one for a one off charge. This is the most important thing a startup has to get right

Create a strong brand

A brand is not just a logo. You need a vision and a mission statement, and a list of core business values in order of priority. This will depend on your main unique selling points. Are you the best, the most affordable – or are you the most enjoyable to work with? When you have sorted out what your company stands for, ensure that your logo represents these values. Choose company colors and a memorable name. While you are thinking about these things make sure that every decision is relevant to your target market.

Get a decent website

This doesn’t have to cost the earth, but it is worth getting right. Find a web developer who is on the same page as you are. Have a look to ensure that they’ve created the kind of site you would like to have before. If you’re strapped for cash, then write your own copy for the site and take your own pictures, but don’t try and create the site yourself – this will require a professional. Make sure the design is visually appealing to your target demographic and make sure it is straightforward and user friendly.

Marketing

Luckily for startups, we have this little tool called the internet. The internet makes what was once an impossible dream, possible for entrepreneurs everywhere. You can now market your business yourself. Admittedly as your business grows you will want to pay an agency to do this for you, but as a one/two-man-band, you can do the bare essentials yourself.

Do some research and find out where your market is hanging out on the web. What blogs are they reading? What social networks are they having conversations on? Where do they get their information? There are plenty of free and cheap tools to measure where people are talking about your business on the internet, so it may be useful to start doing this from the very beginning. Then start talking to people, spread the word of your business by creating content and distributing it where your market are looking.

Your office

James Caan started out in a broom cupboard and went on to be a millionaire. Luckily, times have changed and there are other options when looking for office space. Serviced offices are perfect for small startups. With meeting rooms, a secretary and a central location, new clients will not be able to see how big/small/new you are. It is never a good idea to work at home, unless you have a separate office in your garden. Serviced offices can give you that space as well as high spec computers, a nice atmosphere amongst other business people (whom which to share contacts with) and a 9 – 5 office environment.

We wish all new startups the very best of luck with their business endeavors and we hope that our tips have helped!