Business

Working from home as a therapist can leaving you needing therapy!

Choosing not to work from your own home as a therapist can help you enjoy many advantages. The main benefits of renting a therapy room is that you will be able to separate your home life from your work life. You will be more motivated to build your therapy business because of this and finding a space to rent can be very easy.

When choosing a therapy room rental, you should consider the location. When working from home it can be difficult for clients to find you, public transport may be limited and neighbours may become irritated with constant comings and goings and clients parking. You should choose a room make sure the location is central and be easily accessible for your clients. For instance, some people may choose your therapy room because it is located near a cafe or shops. In conclusion, choosing a high quality rental room instead of offering therapy sessions in your home can help you enjoy all the above advantages.

Why bother to work in an office at all?

Office workers have had a roller coaster year, some have continued to work in a socially distant office environment, others have worked remotely from home. Society has proved it is possible to work from home but the Jury is still out on the social effects and the effectiveness of home working.

(1) Working together leads to increased creativity and innovation. The office environment encourages competition and new ideas. Offices are a breeding ground for new ideas and the sharing of information creating knowledge and innovation. Research on the effects of home working reports a decrease in productivity, inspiration, creativity and innovation. A drop in staff motivation and focus was also noted.

(2) Office space enables collaboration. It is thought that remote working reduces collaboration and employee activity. This in turn will lead to companies looking at regrowing their physical office footprint. Team collaboration is more feasible in an office environment. People are social creatures, face to face interactions help people build trust, understanding and a sense of shared mission. It also leads to greater problem solving. Although staff may have opportunities to work part-time from home this cannot replace the need for co-working creating team dynamics and the sharing of best practice.

(3) Sharing Space Boosts Productivity. A huge threat posed by remote working is the degradation of the social bonds that are necessary to produce teamwork. Remote working makes it difficult to know if your team accepts you and respects your work. Communicating electronically often leads to misunderstandings and prevents the subtle physical signals that make up so much of human communication. Remote working limits external stimuli and can trigger a physiological and psychological response similar to animlas entering hibernation. This can lead to a natural slow down where people sleep more and get more forgetful. Working in an office enables quicker, more effective communication, better problem solving and greater productivity.

(4) We are humans, we have a social need! People need a sense of community which helps satisfy our need for social engagement. In-person contact is crucial for brainstorming and debating ideas. People need eye contact, body language, joking, laughing and socialising. For years people have met longtime friends, business partners, even spouses in the workplace. Some scientists fear that extended periods of working from home will not only damage productivity but will build a mental health crisis.

Is there a market for flexible working spaces?

Flexible office space is a flexible alternative to traditional office solutions, affording companies and individuals the possibility of having a versatile office space solution. Flexible workspace is also known as shared office space or flexispace. This type of office space is fitted with basic equipment, like desks and chairs, but in a comfortable professional environment. This setup that allows employees who normally work from home or telecommute to have a physical office for a few hours every week or every month.

Unlike in traditional offices, space allocation in flexible workspaces is not fixed, so businesses can maximise the efficiency and therefore value. Post Covid emploers and employees are questioning the need for traditional offices where employees spend most of their working day at their desk, flexible workspace solutions allow staff to work from different locations and to only work from the office when necessary.

Generally speaking, flexible office space gives business owners access to fully equipped office premises without the associated costs, long-term lease duration or contract terms.

Flexible office space is also known as temporary work space. Traditional leases and license agreements cannot always accommodate the needs of businesses through every stage of their development. For instance, some companies may need to take up additional office space during a particularly busy period, but cannot commit to a long-term lease. Other firms may need to vacate their current premises while they look for more suitable long-term space. Start-ups may want to rent office space on a temporary basis before committing to a specific location. In cases like these, flexible office space is an ideal solution, as it provides the kind of flexibility that traditional office space cannot offer.

There are other reasons why flexible office space may appeal to some business owners. Reduced overheads are one of the most commonly cited advantages of flexible workspace. Generally speaking, flexible offices are cheaper than their traditional counterparts. Fixed monthly costs make financial planning easier and allow companies to manage their budget more accurately, helping them reduce their overheads.

Salon’s moving into Office Spaces? Learn how the Workspace is changing.

Since 2015, a growing number of clinics and salons have joined our Business Centre’s and flourished in our community.

ABC4D Baby Scanning was the first clinic to join our community, since then we have welcomed Holistic Therapists, Psychologists, Counsellors, Physiotherapists and Podiatrists. We can even adapt space to meet HIS regulations.

Since Covid, the Hair, Beauty & Cosmetic sector has had to reinvent itself. Passing trade is a thing of the past making Shop fronts redundant and clients are nervous of the busy and uncontrolled environment associated with chair rentals.

Salons are having to look at reduced appointment numbers and therefore need to reduced costs.

Chair rental and room hire within a traditional salon is not cheap, it’s not your space and often comes with constraints. Renting your own salon can be prohibitively expensive with long leases and expensive running costs.

I have a beautiful salon without the hassle I associate with having my own salon! I can get on with doing what I love!

Renting salon or clinic space within one of our managed business centres has many advantage for the Hair, Beauty & Cosmetic sector including:

• Fixed Costs
• Flexible License Agreements
• Luxury Communal Facilities
• Safe & Secure Environment
• 24 hour access
• Secure Door Entry
• CCTV
• Fibre Optic Broadband
• Business Community

Most Hair, Beauty & Cosmetic technicians have their loyal clients and use social media to advertise their services. With passing trade a post-covid no-no there are few advantages to having a shopfront. In fact, quite often the client prefers discretion when receiving a treatment and doesn’t want people staring in at them.

An additional advantage to joining our business community is being part of a network, you will be suprised how much business you will get through this network alone!

The answer to the Town Centre conundrum is pretty straighforward

In 1993 I was studying Marketing at University and was employed for a few weeks by the Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry to carry out market research about the changes that were taking place in Ayr town centre. Strathclyde Regional Council was being disbanded and in a dying act decided to finish off Ayr town centre as a shopping destination once and for all.

In a bid to reduce the impact of the new out of town retail park the councils retail policy limited the amount of out of town retailing. This resulted in many leisure and retail opportunities going to Kilmarnock, meanwhile Ayr continued to decline both in and out of town.

What nobody realised at the time was how the advent of the internet, faster connection speeds and the development of e-commerce would affect physical retailing.

The market research I conducted was aimed at the various businesses that were going to be affected by the changes that were coming. I remember interviewing the main players at the time, M&S, BHS, The Kyle Centre and many of the small shops and businesses that operated in the town centre.

It was clear that it was the smaller businesses that were most concerned, they were responsible for their own livliehood and out of town retail parks weren’t an option for them.

Renting salon or clinic space within one of our managed business centres has many advantage for the Hair, Beauty & Cosmetic sector including:

• Fixed Costs
• Flexible License Agreements
• Luxury Communal Facilities
• Safe & Secure Environment
• 24 hour access
• Secure Door Entry
• CCTV
• Fibre Optic Broadband
• Business Community

Most Hair, Beauty & Cosmetic technicians have their loyal clients and use social media to advertise their services. With passing trade a post-covid no-no there are few advantages to having a shopfront. In fact, quite often the client prefers discretion when receiving a treatment and doesn’t want people staring in at them.

An additional advantage to joining our business community is being part of a network, you will be suprised how much business you will get through this network alone!

What do you need to consider when choosing office space?

When looking for office space in Ayr there are many factors to consider. We spend a lot of our time at work so finding a place where you feel settled and happy is important, but what else should you think about?

1. Location Town centre or out of town? Town centres are more convenient in terms of surrounding facilities such as cafes, shops and other businesses. A town centre location can give a higher profile for your business and makes you feel like a part of a community. Town centre business centres and offices also help regenerate our towns which are suffering from a rapid decline in shop front retail.
2. Paying for the space you actually need A huge benefit with Business Centres is you only pay for the space you need. With communal facilities, you don’t need your own kitchen and toilet facilities.  Business Centres also offer the ability to expand or contract, if your business grows you can move to a larger space within the Business Centre without great expense. Alternatively if your business requires less space this can usually be negotiated.
3. Costs For many who leave Business Centres to take on their own premises it can be a shock. The stress, time and expense of setting up your own utilities, buildings insurance and keeping on top of maintenance is often underestimated. there are also restrictive long term leases, personal guarantees and hidden costs. In a well run business centre, all costs should be transparent and fixed for the length of your agreement. This reduces a lot of the hassle associated with having an office space and lets you get on with your job!
4. Safety and Security This is an important factor when choosing your office space. When considering a location make sure you visit it at different times of the day and evening to get an accurate idea of the environment. Some business centres have 24 hour access, it is essential that the proper security measures are in place to keep you and the building safe. Secure door entry is a must and a good CCTV system is essential. Look for good quality locks and alarms and ensure there is an adequate fire alarm system. The safety of your team is a serious consideration. Make sure that COVID-19 policies are in place and are adhered to.
5. Technology This is a huge factor when looking for the right fit. There are few businesses today that can run without good internet provision, especially with the rise of cloud storage and online meetings. To maximise productivity and professional communication, look for a business centre with good fibre optic broadband, a firewall to ensure safe even distribution and preferably a back up line. This also facilitates good VOIP another service worth considering.
6. First Impressions Does the building give a good first impression? You want clients, suppliers, future staff members to walk in and get a good first impression of your business. This will be both the look and the feel of the surroundings, the communal areas and of course, your office suite. Another benefit of renting space in a quality business centre is they are often located in a prestigious address that your business couldn’t necessarily afford or justify otherwise.
7. Parking Whether you choose town centre or out of town, parking is important both for your staff and your clients. Check the surrounding area at different times of the day. Ask about on street parking, car parks, and if there is free parking locally. A blend is best as it means cars will come and go freeing up spaces for your clients when visiting your premises.