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There’s a lot to think about when you’re looking into renting office space for your business. You’re going to want to weigh everything from how much space you need to who your landlord will be and what their reputation is.
Given that renting office space will most likely end up being one of the biggest expenses for your company, you don’t want to rush into making a decision — due diligence is essential. This will include making sure that the space accommodates your current needs, while leaving some room for your company to grow.
One of the first big questions you’ll have to answers is if shared office space is the right choice for your business.
To Share or Not to Share? That is the Question
Shared office spaces, such as WeWork and Regus, were once thought of as a realm for freelancers and other one-man-bands. However, co-working communities have quickly become a viable option for many small and medium businesses, as well.
According to Statista, “In 2017, there were 542,000 people working in co-working spaces in the U.S., and this is forecasted to increase to about 1.08 million in 2022.”
Despite the popularity and the projected growth of co-working communities, the type of office space can be a double-edged sword. This is most exemplified by social aspects of the space.
On the one hand, shared office space can seriously hamper the productivity and efficiency of your company due to excessive distractions outside your control. Because shared office space is less structured than traditional offices, there are often a lot more blurred lines with regards to socializing. For example, is your employee over there chatting with someone on his break time, the company clock, or is it work related?
You simply don’t have the time — or energy — to babysit in those situations. You have to be able to trust that your team isn’t getting distracted to the point that it’s putting you behind schedule.
On the other hand, there is a serious advantage to being around other entrepreneurs and business owners who are tackling similar issues as you. The best spaces are going to host networking events from happy hours to educational workshops that can give you a chance to mingle with like-minded people.
Additionally, if you’re in an office with a many other startups, you’ll be more likely to grab the attention of angel investors searching for their next Warby Parker.
Though a shared office will give you and your team the chance to show up and get straight to work, there are going to be limitations on what you can do with regards to decor and designing the setup of the office.
Of course, once you’ve settled on whether you want shared office space or your own office, there are still plenty of factors you’ll need to consider, such as how much space you need.
How Much Space
Nailing down exactly how much square footage your business really needs is one thing you’ll want to do early in your search for an office. Without having that figure, it’s hard to know what places will be a good fit for you.
If you end up with too much space, you’re burning money, which can be hard for a young business to survive. If you don’t have enough space, you’ll end up taking a hit on efficiency and productivity, which can also leave you burned. Tenant Broker Noah Turner from CBIZ Gibraltar Real Estate Services says this “Effective space programming is essential in not only determining how much space you need both today and in the future but also how you use your space – from private offices and dedicated workspaces to shared functions and collaborative areas within a space.”
To start, you should aim to answer a few basic questions:
- How many employees do you have?
- How many employees do you plan on adding in the next five years?
- What kind of staffing will you be adding?
- Does everybody need to have their own desk or can they share desk space?
First knowing how many employees you have helps you to determine a rough estimate of how much office space you’ll need. More specifically, the range for office space is usually between 150 and 350 square feet per employee. However, this will vary some depending on your industry, employee density, and required common space.
Use a Broker
There is a temptation by many entrepreneurs when they’re first getting their feet wet and renting office space to cut corners wherever they can — it’s part of the so-called “lean” business model. However, cutting the wrong corner can end up costing your business substantially.
One such corner you’ll want to avoid cutting is hiring a commercial real estate broker. Unless you’re renting a piece of property from your Uncle Vinnie, and he’s given you an offer “you can’t refuse,” you’re going to be best off having a professional on your side when it comes to finding the right office space with the right lease.
Part of this is because it can be overwhelming to deal with finding office space and securing the best-possible lease. You have a business to run and clients to meet and employees to take care of. If you add what is essentially a full-time job on top of all of that, you’re setting yourself up for a rapid burnout. “Hiring a real estate professional, specifically a tenant representative, is necessary to ensure you understand all aspects of the negotiation process, as well as maximize your leverage in the market. An experienced tenant broker will help educate you on all the critical variables that go into a deal, both economic and non-economic, so you can be positioned to make the best business decisions for your office space.” (Turner)
Additionally, a broker will have firm knowledge of the landlord landscape. They will know which landlords are going to be flexible and who is motivated to go the distance to accommodate a tenant. They’ll also know which landlords have a reputation for burning business owners and causing serious damage to young businesses. Broker
Lastly, and this is not to be overlooked, your broker is going to be able to take you clause-by-clause through your lease agreement explaining everything and clarifying anything you might be unsure of, such as: if there’s a fire, who pays for the water damage from the sprinkler system?
Final Thoughts: Expert Tips for Renting Office Space for Your Small Business
Renting office space for your business is no small feat. And, unfortunately, mistakes at this point can be very costly. Keep in mind exactly what you’ll need, including room for growth, then set a clear budget.
Then, you’ll be best off reaching out to an expert with your basic ideas and allowing them to sift through what properties are out there, arranging tours of office spaces for you.
With a broker on your side, not only will you be taking a huge burden off your shoulder, you’ll have someone to help negotiate your lease agreement, ensuring there are no pitfalls in the contract’s language.
Another aspect of renting office space you’ll want to consider at this stage? Making sure you have the funds to make it happen! Learn more about Wellen’s Capital Advance options.
40 Comments on “Expert Tips for Renting Office Space for Your Small Business”
This is some really good information about office rentals. It is good to know that you should think about leaving some room for your office to grow. That is good to know if you want to open a business.
It sure caught my attention when you said that the growth in the use of co-working spaces in the U.S. is forecasted to increase to 1.08 million in 2022. This information is helpful since my wife and I are considering leasing a co-working space to help with our work needs. We always work from home. Sometimes, the kids would distract us from doing our jobs efficiently. That is why we are considering renting one that is near our home in order to do our jobs proficiently and effectively.
Really this information is very much informative and I am glad that I found this useful blog and as a part of my research this blog is really very much motivating.
That’s a good point that you should consider how much you plan on growing your company in the next few years. I would want to make sure that I don’t get an office that will be too small for all the employees in a few years. I’ll have to get a slightly bigger space than I think I need so that the company has room to grow.
I agree with what you mentioned about effective space programming and how it is essential when leasing office space. The right office space can make your business thrive in a healthy environment. If I were to own a company, I would make sure to find a real estate professional that can help me find substantial office space in town.
You make a great point that remembering to find a space that allows your company to grow is very important. I think that being able to have an office or workspace of any kind needs to be not crowded, otherwise people can’t focus. I like thinking about a large office area with only a few people working at desks, it makes me think of how much potential that place has.
thanks for the comment, Sandra!
It’s great you talked about how to make the most out of office space since there are smaller companies that choose to rent spaces offered by larger groups of offices available. The reason for this is those small offices would find it better to rent out space while working their way up towards getting an address to call their own and it would save them more money in the meantime. If I had the chance to look for space listings then I would want to make sure that it would be big enough to host a small office’s worth of people.
Nice share!
I agree that most of teh business tends to follow the cutting corners techniques to save up not knowing that finding a commercial rental space need a broker to help them with teh entire process. I think this is actually cost-effective in teh long run as they will be the right fit to teh building that suits them and avoiding any extra costs. I think your article is helpful to that business who are having thought of hiring real estate services in finding the best commercial space rental.
I like your advice to figure out the exact square footage you need for your business early on. This would be useful so you can more easily research properties available to rent online. It could also help when you visit potential office spaces you’re considering leasing since you can walk around and get a feel for where everything will go and whether it will be able to give the comfort to keep everyone productive and happy while working.
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I like how the article explains that you should try to figure out how much office space you need so you can find the right office. I don’t have very many employees in my company so I don’t need a very big office space. Thank you for the tips on finding an office space.
Thanks, Mia. Please check back and keep reading!
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My sister is looking for new office space because she will be expanding her business and she wants to make an impression to new clients. It was mentioned here that a shared office will give her and her team a chance to get straight to work right away. Furthermore, it’s recommended to consult trusted businesses when in need of office space.
It’s interesting to know that you need to determine the space that you need for your rented space. My husband is thinking about moving his office, and we are looking for advice. I will recommend him to hire an expert to make sure he finds the best office for her business.
My husband and I want to start our business soon, so I wanted tips on renting office space. I didn’t know sharing office space with other companies could spark educational workshops and the chance to mingle. I’ll have to keep that in mind as I browse for offices I like, so our business can succeed with original ideas, thanks to this post!
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I liked that you mentioned you need to consider how many employees do you have before renting a commercial space. My husband will move his office to a commercial space, and we are looking for advice about how to find the best place available. I will call a real estate agent to help my husband find a great commercial space.
I liked that you explained that you should consider if the space you want to get will have enough space for you. Also, it might be smart to consider how you will get stuff into the office. After all, if your furniture is too big to get into the door you will have a very stressful move-in day.
I like that you said that when leasing an office space is recommended to have an expert by your side to help you with the lease agreement. My friend wants to rent an office space to start his business. I’m going to share this information with him so that he can end up with a good agreement.
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Thank you for explaining that to get a good fit you need to know how much space you need. My boss has started a small business with about twenty employees. With that in mind, we’ll have to find an office rental.
Agree about hiring a professional – it’s one of the best cards to use when the decision making becomes too complex, won’t hurt to be informed on various tips from experts! Thanks for this
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My daughter is looking for an office space to expand her digital marketing firm. I thought it was smart that you suggested figuring out exactly how many square feet you need to function so that you can be efficient and productive. I hope she can get help to find the right office space in Peoria for her company.
Always good to look at clever ways of monetizing your space assuming you have a good deal on the space.