Blog Post

Working from home or taking your laptop to a coffee shop sure does sound like a dream, but the harsh reality is often a combination of distractions, a lack of motivation and little interaction with others. The alternative is coworking and this is why coworking works.

Over the past ten years, coworking has really taken off. A co-working space is a place that you can go to daily, sit down at a desk and work amongst like-minded people within a structured atmosphere. These spaces offer an office style environment that cultivates creativity and advances professional relationships, thus, leading to growth.

In a co-working space, you’ll find yourself surrounded with accomplished individuals who will soon become an extension or asset to your business.

Reciprocal business is often at the root of co-working relationships and companies at The Long Barn work with each other’s clients and customers by recommending each other’s services to their peers and connections.

For SME’s to survive in today’s tough climate, growth is important. Working within a co-working setting is motivating, inspiring and calming. Surrounding yourself with other entrepreneurs is bound to keep your ideas driven and dynamic. Scoping out clients through conversing with fellow members at The Long Barn increases profits and helps new skills be learnt.

At The Long Barn our members are busy working on their own passion projects and this buzz will drive you on to make your own business a success!

Why book a meeting room? For most SME’s, start-ups or freelancers, the luxury of hosting a stylish meeting within their own office does not always exist but if they book a meeting room, they can ensure their meetings are as productive as possible.

Even for companies who have good meeting room facilities at their company HQ, there is still a lot to be said for utilising external meeting rooms. This enables them to access the best possible facilities and creating a sense of occasion, thus increasing productivity.

The main purpose of any meeting room is to provide both the facilities and atmosphere that enable effectual and decisive meetings. Meeting rooms can impress and inspire your guests, be they clients or employees and excellent facilities ensure your meetings run smoothly and efficiently.

An external meeting room will often be managed by a dedicated team, meaning you can arrive and focus solely on your business, leaving menial tasks such as preparation and catering to somebody else. This results in a clear mind, focussed on the task at hand. Plus, you eliminate the likelihood of being interrupted by colleagues or day to day business issues!

By investing in an external meeting room, you create the sense of occasion, meaning attendees approach the session with the correct mind-set. The excellent facilities, hospitality and quality catering only add to this atmosphere and guarantee that you have the best possible chance of holding a productive session that benefits your business.

At The Long Barn, we have meeting room facilities that you would be proud to welcome your guests to and a dedicated team on hand to ensure that your session goes as smoothly as possible.

Our meeting rooms are frequently hired by a wide range of different businesses, for a variety of different sessions and we will always do our utmost to ensure that every clients need is met.

Don’t take our word for it, here are some more great reasons for renting a meeting room!

For more information on our meeting rooms, click here.

Whether you’re just starting out as a new business or have been established for some time, finding and managing a suitable office can be another stress to add to the list. coworking could be the answer.

Thankfully, due to their flexibility, collaborative nature, amenities and space for growth, shared offices are the perfect places for start-ups and small businesses to call home.

Around 10 years ago, co-working spaces were created to combat the problems faced by businesses trying to establish themselves in a world of crippling costs and unaffordable office solutions.

Coworking offices were immediately filled with otherwise isolated freelancers, exciting start-ups (Instagram and Uber both started life in co-working spaces) and small businesses with a handful of employees looking for that big company atmosphere.

Fast forward a decade and tech giants spearheading the digital world are now recognising the benefits of co-working spaces and are beginning to transition into collaborative offices, as an alternative to being based in corporate style HQ’s.

So far, Microsoft, IBM and Dell have all followed the trend and here in the UK Santander and Grant Thornton have embraced the movement. Even HSBC recently staffed 300 employees inside an office owned by WeWork in Hong Kong.

The power of their employees working alongside interesting creatives, tech wizards or business minded professionals is appealing to bosses at these giant companies.

Positioning their employees in coworking spaces alongside hubs of freelancers and innovative start-ups allows these bigger businesses to tap into their skills and thus increase the productivity and motivation of their workers. This is brilliant news for up-and-coming start-ups looking to get noticed.

For companies like Microsoft, keeping their ears on the ground and scoping out the businesses of the future is a strategy executed to ensure that they maintain a part of the community which feeds tech trends and influences masses.

We can all learn something from small and agile start-ups, no matter what their service is or what they sell and the big companies who acknowledge that are able to stay both current and dynamic in their business. It’s a common thought that where start-ups lead, corporates follow.

For large companies, embracing coworking can also be very cost effective. Finding the right co-working space at the right price, with the added amenities built in, can be much more practical than renting a bland office block.

Another benefit is that a coworking office may be closer to home for some employees. This, when paired with flexible working and a shorter commute, can certainly benefit employee happiness, which will ultimately result in greater productivity and a decrease in both sick days and staff turnover.

In America 65% percent of companies are expected to use co-working as part of their office portfolio by 2020. So, why not try co-working in Surrey? See our packages here...

If you are interested in finding our more about Accrue Workplaces and our flagship co-working building The Long Barn, click here. www.accrueworkplaces.co.uk

Networking has long been accepted as a powerful business tool and an excellent form of organic marketing. If done correctly, it can offer excellent returns, far greater than any required investment. Purely based on the law of averages, increasing your number of professional interactions will increase your chances of meeting individuals who you can benefit from commercially.

The key to productive and successful networking is “give and take”. It is vital that you learn to share information and accept that your initial thought should be to give before receiving. Don’t start out by requesting a favour, start by offering support and referrals, creating a strong relationship and earning a future favour in return. Show how you can help your network, so that your network will want to help you.

There are many networking benefits and we have outlined a few below:

Referrals –  This is the most obvious benefit and the reason why many business owners participate in networking events. A referral is a high quality lead and gives you access to a customer via a trusted source, increasing the chances of them using your services.

Opportunities – Opportunities from networking can come in various forms, including; joint ventures, client leads, partnerships, and business or asset sales, amongst many others. Look into each and every opportunity and analyse in isolation. Do not jump on board with every opportunity that comes your way as the opportunities you decide to take should align with your business goals and warrant the required investment.

Connections – You will have no doubt heard it a million times – ‘it is not what you know, it’s who you know’ and that is why the power of networking is so important for business people and professionals. If you want to build a successful business, you will need to have a great source of relevant connections in your network that you can call on when you need them. Networking provides you with local connections and really opens the door to talk to highly influential people that wouldn’t otherwise be easy to talk to.

Advice – having like-minded business owners to talk to will become extremely helpful. Networking will allow you to tap into an area of expertise that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to find/get hold of. These people are sharing your journey, at various stages and are perfectly positioned to offer opinions and support you.

Raising your profile – Getting noticed and raising your business profile is a massive benefit of networking. Attending regular business networking events will get your face known. You can then help to build your reputation as a knowledgeable, reliable and supportive person by offering useful information or tips to people who need it. By simply being present and at the forefront of people’s minds will increase the chances of people remembering you when they, or people they know, do need your business services.

Do you struggle with networking confidence? Here is a great article on how to network successfully – click here! 

If you are interested in getting involved in any of our upcoming networking events, please contact a member of the team for more information.

Coworking is currently a buzz word in the world of business but is coworking right for everyone?

When taking the plunge and venturing in to the world of business alone, one of the first things you need to consider, is where you are going to work.

Whether you are a consultant, start up, recently formed SME or even an established company, your work space is vital to both the success of your business and your quality of work life.

Traditionally, business owners were limited to medium and long term leases in a conventional office environment, in which they would be charged a cost per square foot for the floor space on offer. The other alternatives would have been serviced offices, which offer basic equipment and support, or to work from home or in a coffee shop.

Over the last 10 plus years, the growth of Coworking as a concept and the ever increasing number of global communities has given business owners an another choice. It offers the flexibility of monthly rolling contracts, which reduces risk, whilst also offering a complete product, over and above the tangible elements on offer.

Coworking can be considered an investment, adding value to your business through the countless networking events and unique community you subscribe to. If done right, you will be surrounded by likeminded people, from various industries, resulting in an inspiring and sociable environment.

Coworking spaces also manage everything you would need, allowing you to simply turn up and worry about your business, further improving your output.

This does come at a premium per square foot but if you would rather commit to a long term lease and feel that you or your business could benefit from this stimulating environment, then Coworking may be for you!

If you are interested, take a look at our packages!

Also see this great article on whether Coworking is right for your small business.

5 Benefits of Coworking:

Are you tired of working from home? Have had enough of moving from coffee shop to coffee shop? Maybe you have just had enough of the rigidity that comes with long term office space leases – well Coworking may be for you.

This change could be the inspiration you need to improve your quality of life and increase business productivity. Here’s 5 reasons why:

Networking and collaborating: Coworking gives you access to immediate networking opportunities, both professionally and personally. When you are Coworking you will become part of a diverse community of professionals, from a variety of business sectors and walks of life. These communities are both encouraging and resourceful as members can trade services and support each other whenever possible.

Avoiding loneliness: It is very easy for freelancers, consultants and entrepreneurs to suffer from loneliness, especially given the fact that it has become more and more common for people to work up to 12 hours days. By working in a Coworking space, you will benefit from the interactions with the other members, social events and business events too. Working from home can be restricting, lonely and quite frankly, boring – surround yourself with like-minded people and join a Coworking space!

Increased Productivity: Sometimes, just getting up in the morning and dressing for work is enough to get you in “work mode” and facilitate a productive day. Many people who do not work in an office can get complacent, allowing distractions to reduce their productivity. By being part of a working community, you assign a certain amount of accountability, giving you incentive to dress right, arrive early and work hard. This can only benefit your business!

Flexibility: The traditional working environment stipulates a set structure, with regards to the days tasks and hours whereas Coworking encourages flexibility. A flexible environment with various seating options, meeting rooms and facilities, plus 24/7 access. In addition, there are no long term leases, with simple monthly rolling contracts. Coworking understands that every day business requires you to adapt and therefore offers a space that facilitates this.

Education opportunity and events: Coworking businesses actively encourage networking through a variety of community events ensuring that our members maximise the benefits that come with being part of the community. Business growth and quality are life are key to a successful community! This can subsequently increase marketing and revenue opportunities, as well as broadening your horizons through access to enriching material. You will have fast and easy access (mostly free) to interesting events and education opportunities ranging from lectures about entrepreneurship and startups, to yoga sessions and happy hours!