Author: aubizconsulting

When An Office Just Makes Sense

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Most small/micro businesses will start from a home office or temporary office space due to the risks associated with getting a new business idea off the ground. This approach makes sense to manage the downside risk in case the business doesn’t take shape as expected. However, as I have outlined in a previous post there are certainly some limitations to working out of a workspace which is somewhat cobbled together. At some point, the benefits of having a workspace which frees you (and your team) up mentally to be as productive as possible far outweigh any risks involved. However, the $64,000 question is when should you make the jump to a dedicated office space for your business?

When The Team Grows

Managing a growing team from your home office can be a real challenge. Unless you live in a kid-free house with multiple spare bedrooms, it is unlikely that your home office will support any more than a single employee on a flexible basis. In this scenario, you also need to consider how comfortable you are having employees coming into your home and how comfortable an employee will be with this arrangement. The other option for a growing team is to have employees work from their own houses, but then you open up a range of issues involved with managing remote teams. A growing team needs cohesion in a central location which supports the way it works and can scale with its growth.

When The Distractions Become Too Much

Even if your business is still a ‘one man band’ the distractions associated with working from home can become overwhelming. In the home office distractions are everywhere – that load of washing that needs to be hung out, the midday news on TV, checking the mail as soon as the postman has been – they’re all things which somehow become urgent when working from home. One of the underrated roles of an effective workspace is to put you in an environment which is conducive to actually getting things done – distraction free.

How Do People See Your Business?

One of the most common catalysts for seeking a dedicated workspace presence is when a business needs to start portraying a more professional image to it’s clients. Whether it is the need to have a CBD address rather than using your PO Box as a business address or having access to meeting rooms for client meetings, there are a number of facets of a business’ operations can drive the need for an office space. How people perceive a business is critically important to its success and that alone can justify the move to a dedicated office space.

The Dollars Start Rolling In

The most common reason for starting or running a business from a home office is to manage the financial risk of things not going to plan and having obligations associated with a dedicated office space. Once the business reaches a point where it is financially stable, the benefits of having a dedicated office space for your business well and truly outweigh the cost of operating the space. However even as the business reaches this tipping point, there are options such as Virtual Office or Flexible WorkSpaces which can provide many of the benefits of a dedicated office space, without the cost. Selecting the right location will also enable you to grow without changing your address.

So as your firm grows it is more a question of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’ an office space will be of benefit to the operations. Like so many things in life, it can seem like there is no ‘right time’ to make the jump into a dedicated office space, however if the move is managed correctly the benefits can be substantial, and almost instantaneous.

What were some of the things which you thought about when considering the move into an office space for your business?

When you are ready to have a chat regarding an office in the Adelaide CBD, give us a call on (08) 7071 7071.

What Is A Virtual Office & What Are The Benefits?

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Don Will, Managing Director of Wilkin Group, Adelaide

In today’s fast-moving business world, a ‘brick and mortar office’ may longer be the best solution for many professionals or small firms.  The ‘Virtual Office concept’ is being adopted By an increasing number of smart operators. And your ‘Virtual Office’ can be whatever you need it to be.

People using a Virtual Office (VO) generally will fit into one or more of these categories

  • working from home, but needing a professional image for themselves.
  • spending much of their time travelling between clients, and hence would rarely be in a permanent office.
  • start-up businesses which in time will require a permanent office, but seeking to contain costs as they get established.
  • busy people who would prefer someone else to professionally answer their business calls, and simply send a message what is required (enabling priorities to be adhered to), or
  • interstate firms seeking to convey the image of a branch in more than one location.

Whilst most providers of Virtual Office (VO) products simply offer an address, or phone answering, or meeting room, Wilkin Group have launched the new generation of VOs, with many standard packages, and also tailor-made VO solutions for a wide array or businesses. Flexibility and client satisfaction are Wilkin Group’s second names!

The most usual package requirement is the ‘Address & Phone package’ which is discounted from the individual Address and Phone offerings. And you even have options to reflect how many calls you receive each month.  For one low monthly fee, the image of your operation to the outside world is one of success and professional – a CBD location, and personal reception staff.

You have a convenient location to meet people in Adelaide as and when required, with an image that this is where you spend much of your working time. Not only does Wilkin office meetings spaces (ten in total ranging from 4 persons to 20 persons), we have ‘Hot Offices’ and ‘Hot Desks’ for use by our virtual clients. Hot Offices convey a different feel for certain occasions than a meeting room, offer privacy and appear as your permanent office.  Sometimes people just require a desk to work at for some hours, or some days, a month. Fast internet is needed, but not the privacy afforded by an individual office. This is when the ‘Hot Desk’ is the best solution, with a significantly lower cost. Again, you specify what you need, and we offer the VO solution.

The most obvious benefit of having a VO is saving money – you only pay for the service you require. And as your needs change, simply let us know and we design a new package.   No expensive rent to pay, nor cost of furnishing a business premise. This makes it ideal for startup businesses and entrepreneurs.

We believe that flexibility is an equally important benefit. In fact, research shows that millennials —who are now the country’s largest generation in the workforce— rank flexibility as one of their chief priorities when seeking a career and actually say they would be more productive with increased flexibility. VO options mean that certain employees can work mainly from home, but have an ’office in the city’ when it is required. Lots of long commuting hours are thus eliminated, and generally productivity increases when people just have to concentrate on the essentials of their business.

Lastly, it’s actually better for people’s health. The University of Sydney’s School of Public Health released a study showing that sitting at your desk for more than 11 hours a day increased a person’s risk of death by more than 40 per cent in the next three years regardless of other physical activity. Who would have thought that a VO solution is better for your health as well.

Wilkin Group can be contacted on (08) 7071 7071 if you wish to discuss your VO needs to improve your business.  And with special offers for the month of August 2018 there is not a better time.

A Different Way To Present Your Business To The World

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The cloud is such a crucial source of stability in this day and age, as a dependable place to store our treasured family photos, important work emails and life-saving phone backups. So why not consider the security of also keeping your office ‘in a cloud’ by utilizing a virtual office?

One of the greatest joys of being an entrepreneur or business owner is the opportunity to create a dream lifestyle as you see fit. A virtual office allows you to be a digital nomad, managing your business from a prestigious shared commercial office while also travelling or working remotely from anywhere in the world. For someone with big dreams or a patent-worthy idea, why waste your time answering endless phone calls, keeping track of messages or even spending the time to hire a professional secretary when the Wilkin Group’s team of experts can cover all of this for you and more?

Skip the startup costs of establishing a physical office in a premium CBD location can offer you the opportunity to grow your business while still providing the presence and impression your clients expect. Wilkin Group’s meeting spaces can be tailored for any event, whether it’s a larger meeting, product promotion or seminar or just a private appointment. No matter what the event, an appropriate environment will be yours.  We also cover catering, technology and other equipment so you can focus just on your business.

Businesses today have so many pressures and stresses, whether they are a new business starting up, or an established one seeking to expand, Wilkin Group allows you to dedicate all your energy to providing the best service possible and creating a favourable impression with your clients. It is committed to accelerating your business, starting with address packages from just $89 a month, and phone answering from $115 per month.

Give us a call on 08 7071 7071 or email us at info@wilkingroup.com.au to see how we can help boost your business today.

PS, until the end of August we have a special offer for new virtual clients.  Too good to miss out on.

How Small Business Can Get Benefit From Virtual Office

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There are a multitude of reasons why a Virtual Office VO solution can be the perfect fit for your small business, startup or entrepreneurial enterprise. Quite simply your VO provider becomes your place of business, but you only pay for the services you require. You don’t need to pay for a full time office suite if that is not what you require.

Benefits include

  • A VO saves money on leasing a physical space which you don’t require
  • A prestigious business address for mail deliveries, and to hold meetings as required.
  • Your e-commerce website shows a physical address without you needing to be there.
  • Full time receptionist  representing your firm during business hours.
  • Phone call answering in your business name, irrespective of what you are doing.  (Research shows that a local landline creates more confidence and trust into the reputability of your business.)
  • Professional printing, faxing etc when you need it.
  • Work where you want to – at home, in the car or a part-time office.
  • Helps you maintain your marketing identity and presence, which prevents blurring the line between your home and professional life, and Prevents privacy issues due to not having to release your personal number or address.
  • You have a comprehensive team of administrators, receptionists and managers who take care of managing the office, allowing the business to focus its energy its providing its services to its customers.
  • Streamlines efficiency, maximizes productivity and improves profit margins.
  • Ability to display multi business locations to create the impression of a growing presence without having to set up an office at each new location.
  • Ideal for travelling sales teams to meet with each other or prospective clients but not yet needing a permanent space.

The Wilkin Group has a flexible slate of virtual offices packages whether you simply need a business address and mail receiving, secretary services, conference room access and much more. Contact us today on 08 7071 7071 or email us at info@wilkingroup.com.au to find the perfect solution to take your business to the next level.

PS, until the end of August we have a special offer for new virtual clients. Too good to miss out on.  Call us on  08 7071 7071 today!!!

Serviced Office Versus Traditional Office

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Are you looking for ways to improve your business productivity and profile by having your own office?  Or have an office which simply isn’t working for you?

There are two main options to consider. Utilising a Serviced Office solution or establishing a Traditional Office space. Let’s consider the features of both and find out the best option for you!

Furnishings & Renovation

Serviced Office spaces are ready for you to move in. The spaces are pre-furnished and decorated, so you don’t need to worry about organising or designing the space. This solution offers a stress-free process and allows your business to start accepting clients soon after you’ve moved in. You are obviously free to add your own touches to personalise the space.

The Traditional Office solution will require you to acquire furnishings, and potentially utilize the services of a decorator, to get the space ready to accept clients. This process can be time-consuming and expensive.

Contract & Spaces

The Serviced Office solution offers a flexible contract and different sizes of spaces. This is a good choice for those start-up businesses, to start running their business with an affordable cost or for those temporarily relocated companies to settle down quickly. There is availability to increase or to decrease the size of the office with changing business needs, without having to change your address.

The Traditional Office spaces usually offer long-term contracts and less flexibility on the lease term. If a business doesn’t go well you will still be paying out the rent even if it’s unaffordable.

Utilities & Other Expenses

In a Serviced Office, all of the utilities like electricity, water, gas, cleaning, building insurance and maintenance are included in the rental cost. You can also opt for IT and Telco packages in your service agreement. All of these expenses are included and within your budget, and as Serviced Offices are pay-as-you-use, so you never have to rent it for more than you need it.

The Traditional Office requires you to set up and handle all utility costs yourself, which can add up financial, hence increasing the overall cost, and take time to administer.

Prestigious Business Address

Using a Serviced Office space is a great option if you want to work in a prestigious location with a budget rental cost. A good company location can help to increase the image of your business.

The Traditional Office spaces, located in the CBD area, are more suitable for large and established companies, as office spaces are seldom available for short periods of time, and if so at a considerable premium.

Dedicated Support Team

The Serviced Office solution is fully staffed by receptionists, servicing all the businesses that share the space. It allows your business to project a professional image to your clients, without the cost involved in acquiring a dedicated receptionist. Their receptionist handles your incoming clients at no extra cost, efficiently and professionally.

A Traditional Office space will require that you employ a permanent staff member just for the receptionist role if you seek the right image. In addition other staff need to perform additional duties such as cleaning, utility and IT checks, adding non productive wage expenses.

In conclusion, while the Traditional Office solution may be appropriate in some instances, the Serviced Office solution is by far the best option for a new and small business, hoping to project a professional image without many of the costs involved. Serviced Office solution costs are predictable and safer for a start-up regulating cash flow and maximising the benefit gained for the money spent.

If you are interested to find out more, contact Jacquii at Wilkin Group today on (08) 7071 7071 or info@wilkingroup.com.au.  Whilst based in Adelaide Wilkin Group have affiliates in other Australian cities.

Is Your Office A Jail Cell?

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For most people, the place where they feel most comfortable is their home. Whether it is big or small, old or new, full or empty, people’s homes contain many of the things (& people) which are most important to them and make them feel good. However, professionals spend the majority of their waking hours away from their homes at their workplace in offices which don’t engender these same feelings. Many of the features which make home so welcoming and accommodating are sadly missing from most offices leaving them dull, lifeless and generic. Imagine if your office could make you feel the same way you do when you’re sitting in your favourite room at home. It doesn’t take much to tweak your office space make it feel more homey and less like you’re doing 25 to life.

Add Some Personality

Too many offices look more like jail cells than somewhere you would like to spend 8 hours a day for most of the week trying to be as productive as possible. Your house and the things it contains are a good reflection of your personality and for your office to feel truly comfortable it should be the same. To add some personality to your office you can pepper it with photographs, momentos and other things which remind you of ‘life on the outside’. Doing this will not only make the space more enjoyable for you to work from, but it will also give co-workers an insight into your personal side and may assist you in connecting with them on a different level.

Think About Function

When you think about it, each room in your house has a clear purpose. Bedrooms are for sleeping, kitchens are for cooking and dining rooms are for eating and entertaining – each room is set up for its function. Many people do not fully consider how the different elements of their office space come together to ensure it is best setup for its function. Have you ever cooked a meal in a kitchen where all of the utensils and ingredients are at your fingertips, it makes things pretty easy doesn’t it? Your office should be set up the same way – with everything you need to complete your daily tasks within easy reach and in a place where you always know where it is.

Make It Clean & Clutter Free

Clutter and dirt creates distractions which take your mind off the task at hand and put a dent in your productivity. Too many offices look like a paper tornado has ripped through leaving a trail of devastation. Most people set aside time to clean their house on a regular basis to ensure it remains a comfortable place for them to live in day to day. However few set aside time in their work day to clean their desk and office. The simple act of clearing your office of extraneous items and giving it a regular clean can completely change the feel of the space, making it a much more appealing place to spend time.

Take The Lead From Nature

Many people feel their best when they are outside with the sun on their back and the wind in their hair. Unfortunately, too many offices don’t replicate these natural conditions which has an adverse effect on people’s mental and physical wellbeing. Many studies have shown that bringing elements of nature – such as natural light & living plants – into your office can have a huge impact on productivity and general wellbeing. Research has shown that office staff who are stuck in windowless offices – or with little exposure to natural light – get on average 46 fewer minutes of sleep a night. Those who sit near a window were found to have less broken sleep and a better quality of life than employees deprived of daylight.

A few small tweaks to the way you design and interact with your office space can make it a place that you really enjoy spending time. Hopefully these tips help you to get more out of your workday, or at least ensure it doesn’t feel like a life sentence.

What do you do to make your office space feel a little bit more like home?

How Your Office Helps You Work Together?

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For a few years now, collaboration has been one of the most used buzz words in organisations around the world. Collaboration means different things to different organisations, however most businesses have one thing in common – they would like to collaborate more. A recent Deloitte study identified that approximately 30% of respondents said that they would like more collaboration in their organisation. Although everyone is chasing more of it, the collaboration which is already taking place is having a huge impact on the Australian economy adding more than $46bn of value each year.

An organisation’s workspace design can dictate how and how much its employees are able to collaborate. A well-designed workspace can help facilitate collaboration through lowering the barriers to employee interactions and providing readily available spaces which support collaboration.

So how do different elements of a workspace assist in fostering collaboration?

Break-out Space/Kitchen

Break-out spaces (space where people can get away from their workstation and either enjoy some downtime or work more casually) are part of many workspaces these days. These spaces are often a hot bed of collaboration as the change in environment when people step away from their workstation allows them to think differently and act accordingly. The conversations which are generally held in break-out spaces (also known as “water-cooler” conversations) are ad-hoc and unplanned, but they can certainly address work issues and as a result often alleviate the need for meetings.

Meeting Rooms

It should seem pretty obvious that meeting rooms play a major part in how an organisation collaborates as they are a key place where people come together. In addition to just providing a location for people to meet, when people step into a meeting room their mentality shifts from one of just getting things done at their workstation to being ready to share and collaborate. However, in order to maximise collaboration in the 21st century meetings rooms must be equipped with the right technology and tools such as WiFi, smart whiteboard, video-conferencing facilities etc.

Open Plan Offices

Most organisations have at least some of their office space designed in an open plan configuration and there are pros and cons to this use of space. One of the biggest benefits offered by open plan offices is the fact they support collaboration primarily by lowering the physical and perceived barriers to the activities which foster collaboration, most notably face to face communication. Team members have instant access to the rest of their team which allows them to collaborate on their terms without having to plan how it will take place. With all staff being able to collaborate as they please, a collaborative culture can quickly be generated with less structure than may otherwise be required.

Small Offices

On the face of it small or private offices may not seem to actively support collaboration, however these offices certainly have a part to play in developing a collaborative culture. In cases where a small team is able to share a private office, away from other staff, it allows this team to establish a sub-culture where they can collaborate on their own terms and not be bound by some of the rules of the wider team. Even in instances where staff work from private offices by themselves and are ‘cutoff’ from the team, a small office can actually encourage collaboration as the people who work from them are likely to be more engaged with the team when they step into meetings or other settings where the ability to collaborate is required, as they know they have a haven to return to when ‘the work needs to be done’.

Hallways, Reception, Foyer etc

Spaces such as hallways, reception and foyers are often underrated in office space design, however they can also support collaboration as they are places where people meet in passing and can have casual conversations relating to projects and other tasks they may be working together on.

Workspace design can have an effect on the way an organisation collaborates and the ideal design will differ greatly from business to business. However one takeaway from the Deloitte survey is the fact that collaboration is one of the most important elements of the way a successful organisation operates. When employees collaborate:

– They work 15% faster, on average;

– 73% do better work;

– 60% are more innovative;

– 56% are more satisfied.

 

Source: Deloitte Access Economics, The Collaborative Economy, Summary Findings 2014

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