StartUp Spaces: How To Squeeze The Most From A Small Space

Have you experienced success as a small business owner & ready for a new office space? Here are 4 budget-friendly ways to squeeze the most from startup spaces...

4 Budget-friendly Ways To Aesthetically Make Use Of Startup Spaces 

We all have to start somewhere.  Many entrepreneurs have made their beginnings in places like:

• Their garage
• Their bedroom
• Their kitchen table

And even their garden shed.  

See, you don’t need to have a fancy office - or any office at all - in order to set-up a business.  However, if successful, you will reach a point where you are no longer able to function from home.  Perhaps you are starting to employee people, or require a formal space to hold customer meetings. No matter what the reason, moving to your first dedicated professional address can be an exciting time.

That said, in addition to being exciting, getting your first dedicated office space can also be an expensive time.  

If you’ve gone from running a dormant company to one that is now active (you can find out what a dormant company is here) then you’ll have some cash coming in.  But it’s all too easy to spend more than you make in the first phase of your start-up so it’s important you adopt a frugal mindset regarding rent. 

This, unfortunately, means there’s a strong chance your first business space will be rather small.  

Now, small doesn’t have to be a bad thing.  But the idea of clients visiting a cramped and cluttered office is not optimal.  Similarly, your team is not going to be productive if they feel claustrophobic and feel they are working on top of each other.

For this reason, it’s all about optimizing your first space! Ensuring the team is as productive as possible.  In this vein, there are a number of hacks you can use to give the impression of a larger and more affluent environment... even if it is on the small side.

Also remember, it’s not the size of the office space that counts it’s how you use the space you have available!  In other words, what you really need from a commercial space is the ability to: 

• Focus
• Be productive
• Be as efficient as possible

All with interest in creating value and getting things done.

For small business owners, this article looks at startup spaces: how to squeeze the most from a small space.

[caption id="attachment_7118" align="aligncenter" width="598"] Image Credit: rawpixel on Pixabay[/caption]

1. Light

The term “dark and dingy” is often used to describe small spaces. In many ways, the darker a space is, the smaller and more claustrophobic it tends to feels for the people inside the space; whereas the more natural light that enters a space the more airy and spacious it feels for people.

The key to making the most of a small space is to get as much natural light into the property as possible.  If a lot of natural light is not possible, utilize mood lighting and even candles to create a warm ambience - which is particularly pertinent if you’re wanting to create a creative environment.

2. Uncluttered

The more cluttered an office feels the smaller the space feels.  The challenge when working in a small space is that it’s often easy for the space to feel cluttered even when it isn’t.

For this reason, you might want to consider a minimalist approach in terms of decoration and furniture.  It may also be a wise idea to look into Conex Boxes as a way to store:

• Archive files
• Unwanted furniture
• Surplus products

And anything else that takes up space and isn’t needed on a daily basis.

3. Cool

When a space starts to feel hot and stuffy people tend to get agitated, lose concentration, and feel tired.  Now, this is the last thing you want from your staff, so it’s important to ensure an adequate supply of fresh cool air in order to help people stay focused and on-task.

4. Trendy

Even startup spaces can be trendy...

Just because an office space is small doesn’t mean it can’t be appealing.  Indeed, some of the most desirable start-up spaces today are bohemian in style with fairy lights, paint peeling from the industrial walls, and large tables made from reclaimed wood rather than fancy desks.

That said, these bohemian spaces that were once very cheap (e.g. an old factory unit) are now prime real estate within the start-up scene, and are often much more expensive than serviced offices.  For this reason, you’ll probably end up in a bland and boring box of an office without much character unless you begin with a co-working space like WeWork. 

You will most likely need to breathe some life into the space. To do that, you can add small touches to the decor. Good new: There are so man FUN options such as:

• String lights
• Plants and fountains
• Mirrors
• Vegetation walls

Or even a fake brick wall as a feature wall.

It is possible to be creative, yet frugal.