You decide to start set up your own business in recruitment. There’s just you and a colleague, it’s a big gamble and you spend half your time excited for the future and half scared you’ve made the wrong decision. You start working from home, everything is about keeping your costs to a bare minimum while you try to establish your company and gain a presence in the world of recruitment.
You get some interest and a few loyal clients have promised to use your services, but it’s hard to compete with the bigger, well-known companies when your invoice address is your home address; you look for a more professional and established image.
The Business Address:
A business address is a registered postal address where businesses can have all their mail correspondence delivered, signed for and either held or forwarded on. Businesses can use the address to create an illusion that they have an office base in that location. It separates home addresses from business addresses and makes business appear more established. A business address at DBS starts at: £30 pcm (+ VAT).
Your business is starting to take off, you are in the swing of managing your marketing and delivering on your promises to clients. Your ability to find the best candidate for the position means your business potential is growing, due to word of mouth recommendations. Originally you liked the informality of meeting candidates in coffee shops and hotel lobbies, but now you want more structure. Your clients want interview ready, fully prepped, candidates. You need to find affordable but professional environments to interview.
Meeting Rooms:
Meeting rooms for 2-6 people are ideal, the formal environment encourages professionalism and efficiency. Minimal interruptions and Wi-Fi/refreshments all catered for are a must. Delegates arrive, are greeted by reception, who then show them through to your room, ensuring you have everything you need. There is parking onsite so you don’t have to worry about either of you finding a space to park and how long that will take. Meeting rooms at DBS are from just £10 per hour (+ VAT).
It’s going well, your use of the meeting rooms has definitely helped you extract the very best from your candidates. So much so, you are now out of the office more than you are in it! This means you keep missing calls from clients wanting updates, and you missed out on an opportunity to win a new client, as you were interviewing for 4 hours straight and missed the call. If things are to continue you need to hire a receptionist who can filter out the pesky sales calls and ensure you respond to important calls as soon as possible. A full, or even part time, receptionist would stretch your budget for the business, whilst it is still in its infancy.
Telephone Answering (the full Virtual Office):
With your own number, telephone answering is a personalised service. Our office team will answer all calls in your company name, as a member of your staff – a receptionist but for a fraction of the price! Your sales calls are filtered and important calls, transferred through to you or messages taken/emailed, if you are unavailable. Telephone answering with a Business Address at DBS starts from £70 pcm (+ VAT)
Things are truly progressing now and your business is starting to really gain momentum. It’s been hard work with moments of doubt, but you can finally see your plans unfolding to potential success. You and your colleague now need someone to take over the sales and marketing of the business so you can focus on managing your clients and sourcing the best candidates. You need someone to be out networking and introducing your business to other businesses in your area. You don’t want to bring another person in to your home, as you are out interviewing most of the time. You’re not quite ready for an office as you are cautious of making any contractual financial agreements right now. What’s needed is something in-between but affordable and flexible.
Co-working:
Co-working is a communal office base providing a desk to work from, on a flexible basis. You can pay by the day or on a month by month basis, only paying for the days you need. This means you, your colleague and your new sales and marketing executive can all work flexibly from an office base. The office is ‘ready-to-go’ with equipment, furniture, IT, telecoms and refreshments. You can also use it as a place to network and grow your business. Co-working at DBS starts from just £7 a day.
The business is going well, and you are now looking to hire additional staff to manage your accounts. Co-working is no longer suitable as you need privacy for your accounts and a permanent office base. You are still wary of adding financial commitments to your business, especially whilst you begin to hire additional staff. You worry about the unexpected costs associated with leasing an office; legal fees, business rates, utility increases, maintenance and cleaning.
Serviced Office:
A serviced office is an all-inclusive office rental. You have one monthly bill which includes your business rates, utilities, IT (with onsite support), telecoms, cleaning, maintenance, legal fees, hygiene, health and safety, parking, refreshments, communal areas and reception services. You can sign minimal commitment contracts of 3, 6 or 12 months – a flexible way of being cautious in an uncertain financial market. Serviced offices at DBS start from £400 pcm (+ VAT).
Wow, business is going well! You are recruiting a finance manager for a large blue chip company! You have a candidate you think would be perfect, but she’s based in London and you wish to interview her, then prep her the day before her interview with the board of directors – this contract is worth a lot to your company and can really help you take the business to the next level. This candidate is already in an enviable job position and you head-hunted her personally, you need somewhere for her to stay that’s impressive.
Serviced apartment:
Overnight stays in the serviced apartments offer a home from home, rather than simply a room with W/C facilities. It has 2 en-suite king-sized bedrooms, with kitchenette, dining and lounge areas, private parking and full Sky HD TV package included. DBS overnight stays are from just £99 per night.
Success! Your woman got the position, the company are willing to pay for her accommodation for 3 months whilst she relocates. This was the company’s only initial concerns with hiring her; the associated stress of finding her suitable accommodation during her relocation. Luckily you were already prepared for this.
Serviced accommodation:
Stays last from 2 weeks to 12 months. Serviced accommodation provides an apartment or house for those relocating to the area or visiting on secondment. The rental is inclusive of all household utility bills and is fully furnished with weekly linen service and cleaning. Long term stays in DBS accommodation are from £27 per person, per night.
If you think dbs could help you, whatever stage your company is at, please contact Julie Vallance our General Manager on jvallance@dbs-centres.co.uk to discuss in more detail or CLICK HERE to enquire.