Businesses in the 21st century don’t often demand the same office space as they used to. In fact, most businesses have proven to continue working efficiently even though most employees had to move to remote working or a hybrid remote work model. With this in mind, why are some business owners still searching for large, costly office spaces? We have collated some of the best tips and tricks to keeping the overhead cost down by finding office space which is affordable whilst still maximising efficiency.

1. RENT ON A SMALLER SCALE

Most businesses decide to rent their office space. It just makes sense – why splash out on huge deposits and saddle yourself with a mortgage for an office space when who knows what the future holds for your business? With that in mind, it makes perfect sense to rent on a smaller scale. You would be surprised at what you can accomplish with a smaller space, making sure to plan for the amount of people working for you. If it’s just you, but you want a professional space outside of your home, then there are plenty of options for single room offices in any city centre. 

2. LOOK AT UNCONVENTIONAL OFFICES

Why the fascination with ‘traditional’ office blocks? Let’s face it, they’re often drab, boring, and uninspiring. Upcycled warehouses, office spaces in shopping centres, funky buildings on the high street, and other unconventional locales for office spaces can often seem ‘inspired’ as a hip alternative to the mundane familiarity of the grey, concrete buildings most office spaces are housed in.

3. SHARE WITH YOUR BUDDIES

If you cycle through your 21st century equivalent of a rolodex, you will certainly find a number of friends or close acquaintances who are also working professionals with their own office space. We’re all in this together, and there’s a surprising lack of ego when it comes to supporting each other’s business – seeing if you can share office space with a friend may actually be the ingenious, affordable solution you’ve been looking for.

4. HOT DESKING / DESK CAMPING

There are often unconventional office spaces in cities where you can find a bank of spare computers that can be rented for a surprisingly low cost. The good thing is that most of these buildings a hot desk can be found in are co-working spaces with countless over businesses. The networking opportunities are endless, and there’s always a potential to grow your client-base just from chatting over lunch with the people who are working around you. On top of this, if this building offers meeting places (most of them do, and can be booked out to a schedule) your clients would get a feel that your business is much more open to co-habiting with others – creating a friendlier image for your business. For example, Autonomous has a hybrid working app that allows you to book office space and choose any available desk you want to work at.

5. SET UP A HOME OFFICE

If your business does not overly depend on client meetings, or most of your work involves you grinding it out on a computer, then a home office is possibly the most cost-effective office space that can meet your needs. If you ever do need to network, or meet clients, then you can always schedule a meeting at a local restaurant, bar, or public meeting place. Whilst you can work most of your hours from the comfort of your home, mere minutes away from your fridge and oven – gone are the days of expensive microwaveable lunches! By dedicating a specific budget to kitting out a home office, you can set up an efficient workspace affordably, whilst also  avoiding the commute to and from work.