- Original Poster
- #1
Surely many startups are launching from home, using virtual offices and shared spaces before moving up to their own dedicated office environment.
Making sure the office is comfortable, productive and economical is key to delivering the most while costing the least.
Here's a few tips for setting up your startup office on a budget:
- Hold off on that expensive PBX or ISDN phone system. Instead, consider a VOIP solution such as VOIPfone which is offered by regular member on here.
- Splurge on an office chair. If you're expecting long hours of high quality output, the last thing you need is people, including yourself, with a sore backside, thinking more about their aches and pains than how to make the company a success.
- First crawl, then walk, then run. There's no need to buy premises until the business has some traction. Plenty of good space opportunities exist with reasonable rent (in most parts of the country)
- Buy in bulk to save. Don't buy 1 pen from the most expensive stationery shop on high street when you can buy 20 good pens from a discounted source. Same goes for printer paper, ink, bathroom supplies, etc.
- Buy based on function first and design second. If your workstations are not client facing (meetings occur in a meeting room or off-site most often), then furnish accordingly. Functional bookcases, lamps, filing cabinets, as well as kitchen items like microwaves and refrigerators can be had for 10%, or less, of the price for glitzy items.
- Spend a bit on atmosphere. It's okay to buy some art (maybe IKEA) and background music (despite the licensing cost). Skip the big screen television and theatre surround system for now.
- Invest in the health of your team. Depending on your team composition, simply supplying a place to store their lunches, plenty of coffee and tea, plus an occasional healthy snack (like leaving out a bowl of fruit to snack on) can make all the difference in the world.
I'm sure there's hundreds of other tips out there, so feel free to add other ways to get your office up and running on a budget.
Making sure the office is comfortable, productive and economical is key to delivering the most while costing the least.
Here's a few tips for setting up your startup office on a budget:
- Hold off on that expensive PBX or ISDN phone system. Instead, consider a VOIP solution such as VOIPfone which is offered by regular member on here.
- Splurge on an office chair. If you're expecting long hours of high quality output, the last thing you need is people, including yourself, with a sore backside, thinking more about their aches and pains than how to make the company a success.
- First crawl, then walk, then run. There's no need to buy premises until the business has some traction. Plenty of good space opportunities exist with reasonable rent (in most parts of the country)
- Buy in bulk to save. Don't buy 1 pen from the most expensive stationery shop on high street when you can buy 20 good pens from a discounted source. Same goes for printer paper, ink, bathroom supplies, etc.
- Buy based on function first and design second. If your workstations are not client facing (meetings occur in a meeting room or off-site most often), then furnish accordingly. Functional bookcases, lamps, filing cabinets, as well as kitchen items like microwaves and refrigerators can be had for 10%, or less, of the price for glitzy items.
- Spend a bit on atmosphere. It's okay to buy some art (maybe IKEA) and background music (despite the licensing cost). Skip the big screen television and theatre surround system for now.
- Invest in the health of your team. Depending on your team composition, simply supplying a place to store their lunches, plenty of coffee and tea, plus an occasional healthy snack (like leaving out a bowl of fruit to snack on) can make all the difference in the world.
I'm sure there's hundreds of other tips out there, so feel free to add other ways to get your office up and running on a budget.
