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By Bond Collective Staff

It doesn’t matter if your business is you and your co-founder or you and 200 others, setting team goals can be difficult. But despite how demanding the process can be, it is essential for the success of your business.

In this article, we’ll discuss seven tips that will help streamline your goal setting and give your team a head start toward improving the way they work.

7 Tips For Setting Successful Team Goals

1) Identify What You Want To Achieve

The very first step for setting successful team goals is identifying what you — the manager or owner — want to achieve.

You can start by examining where your business is lacking and setting a goal to shore up this deficit. Or you can start by establishing targets you’d like your business to reach over the next weeks, months, and years.

Either way, make sure that the goals are a stretch but that they’re not impossible for your team to achieve.

2) Make The Goals Measurable

Sometimes, it can be tempting to set general goals, like “have more fun” or “provide a better customer experience.”

Those are admirable ambitions, but they are too subjective to be of any real use. How do you know if your team is having more fun or if they are providing a better customer experience?

The best way to set objectives that work is to make them measurable and assign them a target number.

For example, you might set a team goal of 75 percent work satisfaction on three out of four quarterly performance reviews. Or you might aim for a 25 percent increase in satisfaction from online customer-service surveys through the first six months of the year.

With these types of measurable targets, you can quickly and easily see whether your team has achieved its goals or not.

3) Set Team Goals First

This may seem like an obvious tip since the whole article is about setting team goals, but wrapped up in those plans are other, individual goals that team members may want to work on.

We’ll discuss those personal goals in the next tip, but it’s vital to set the team’s purpose before turning your attention to individuals’ objectives.

Your team goals provide structure and guidance to each member and give them a place to put their focus.

Within the context of the shared goal, each employee can formulate their own plans for bettering themselves in a way that contributes to the overall success of the main goal.

4) Set Individual Goals Second

Setting individual goals under the umbrella of a team goal is an efficient way to ensure that everyone is working to further the aims of the business as a whole.

For example, you may set an overall goal of a 10 percent decrease in customer attrition in the first two months of the year. But how is each individual on the team going to contribute to achieving that goal?

One team member may need to increase sales, while another team member may need to improve their productivity. Those are their individual goals.

You should give each team member a specific point on which to work — or let them formulate their own — that, when reached, will make achieving the larger goal much easier.

5) Establish Deadlines And Stick To Them

Deadlines give your team structure and demand that they be accountable for their actions.

If you don’t set a deadline — and stick to it — it’s all too easy for your team to “kick the can down the road” until they’ve forgotten all about the goal and haven’t achieved anything significant.

When setting deadlines, don’t be afraid of failure. Your team may fall short of the metrics by the project end date, but this just shows you where they need to improve. Or perhaps the goal requires more time.

Meeting or failing to meet deadlines gives you a very real indication of where and how to improve the goal itself for better success.

6) Track Progress

Once you’ve set team goals, individual goals, and deadlines for everything, make sure you track the progress of each task to ensure that your team is staying focused on the end result.

Checking in at least once per week helps you see when and where you may need to make corrections, what’s working and what’s not, and how you can allocate resources to improve the prospect of success.

Tracking the progress of the goals also helps team members stay motivated. They can see the headway that they’ve already made and formulate new ways to improve.

7) Support Your Team

For the best results from start to finish, support your team and help them focus on achieving their goals. This is definitely not the time for a laissez-faire management style.

Take the time to:

• Make sure they understand what they need to do to achieve their goal

• Give them the tools they need to stay productive

• Define milestones for each goal

• Schedule regular individual and team reviews to keep everyone on track

When you support your team, you give them a better chance of being successful in all they do.

15 Examples Of Team Goals

It can be difficult to set team goals that are specific, relevant, measurable, and attainable — especially when you’re first getting started.

To help you in that regard, we’ve listed 15 examples of team goals that you can use verbatim or customize for the unique needs of your business.

• Read at least one business-related book every two months

• Deliver customer service and support with an 85 percent or higher satisfaction rating

• Reduce customer contact volume by five percent

• Revise and refine business strategy by the end of the fiscal year

• Review all client accounts above $10,000 biannual spending and schedule strategy meeting

• Onboard 10,000 new online customers per quarter

• Secure startup funding to cover 12 months of activity

• Increase Facebook likes, Twitter followers, or other social media metrics by 50,000 in six months

• Hold two on-site interviews per week in May, June, and July in order to hire a new manager by August

• Secure $20,000 in sponsorship commitments for October charity event by May

• Prepare for a product launch in September by finalizing pre-launch guidelines, tasks, and deadlines before April

• Follow the office-move checklist to complete the transition and be back to 100 percent by July

• Reduce overtime by 20 percent before December 15

• Ensure that 100 percent of the team has been trained on the new technology by the end of the month

• Conduct at least one team-building activity per month

Give Your Team The Best Chance For Success

The location where you work has a profound impact on your team’s chances of achieving their goals. If your current office space is less than ideal, your team’s focus, creativity, and morale will take a hit.

That’s why it’s vital to base your team in an office space where you can take advantage of a professionally designed and maintained environment. Bond Collective does all that and much more.

Bond Collective offers boutique coworking environments that are available immediately for businesses of all sizes. At Bond Collective, you can choose from a variety of workspace options, such as:

• Open-plan coworking spaces

• Dedicated desks

• Private offices

• Conference rooms for 5-20+ guests

And when you partner with Bond Collective, you don’t just get a beautiful space that fits all of your needs. Each and every work environment also comes with exclusive amenities you can’t find anywhere else.

Whether you rent by the hour, the month, or the year, you’ll get:

• 24-hour access Custom build-outs

• Comfortable furnishings

• Access to small and large conference rooms

• Networking events

• Mail service

• Daily on-site cleaning

• Bike storage

• Rooftop lounge area

• Photo & sound studio (at Gowanus location)

• Complimentary fresh fruit

• Complimentary beer, coffee, and tea

• Bike storage

• Private meeting & phone booths

• Office showers

• Guest reception and greeting

If you’re looking for a spacious, well-appointed collaborative workspace to boost your productivity and transform your business for the better, experience the best that modern office spaces have to offer.

Tour any one of our gorgeous Bond Collective locations in the United States, including New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Illinois, Tennessee, and Texas. Then become a member of Bond Collective to take advantage of our coworking spaces, dedicated desks, and private offices.

To get started or to learn more about the advantages of coworking spaces for digital nomads, remote workers, and businesses of all kinds, visit BondCollective.com today or call to find out more about everything we have to offer.

Come experience first-hand how the boutique work environments at Bond Collective can benefit your business.

The performance review process is typically rife with stress for both reviewers and reviewees, which is why learning how to write a performance review is essential for managers and owners of businesses large and small.

Managers often struggle to temper positive feedback with the need for improvement. And, when all is said and done, employees may end up confused about how to apply the feedback to their day-to-day activities.

All this stress, misunderstanding, and misapplication is avoidable if those in supervisory positions approach the process in the right way. In this article, we’ll show you how to write a performance review that motivates and inspires your team to greatness.

What A Performance Review Is (And Isn’t)

A performance review IS NOT an opportunity to criticize your team or an individual therein. Criticism without positive reinforcement is counterproductive and does nothing to improve the way your employees work.

Rather, a performance review IS an honest evaluation of an employee’s (or team’s) performance — both good and bad.

Think of the review process as a way to praise the positive aspects of their performance while bringing to light areas where they can improve.

When you base your performance review on these two metrics — praise and improvement — you give your employees the information they need to grow within their positions and benefit the business as a whole.

Things To Consider

Before you start thinking about how to write a performance review, you should:

1. Define the skills and qualities you’ll review

2. Choose a grading scale

3. Create a review template

Defining the skills and qualities you’ll review helps you organize your thoughts and prevents you from jumping from one topic to the next without any order or logic.

To help you choose the skills and qualities to review, write down the fundamental components that are necessary to do the job well.

Examples include:

• Attendance/dependability

• Ability to accomplish goals and meet deadlines

• Communication

• Problem-solving

• Collaboration and teamwork

• Quality and accuracy of work

Once you have defined these components, you can decide on a grading scale.

Choosing a grading scale is dependent on the specific needs of your business. Some businesses use a letter grade (i.e., A, B, C, D, F), while some use a number system (e.g., 1 to 5 or 1 to 10). Others use percentages (i.e., 50%, 80%, 98%).

Whatever system you settle on, make sure that the performance review is easy to read and communicates the information clearly and concisely.

Creating a template well in advance of when you actually write the performance review allows you to focus all of your energy on getting the praise and improvement right instead of worrying about margins and fonts.

Having a form on hand also adds consistency to the process and makes it easier to get started. That’s beneficial for you and your team members.

Now that you have a basic idea of what your review form should look like, let’s discuss the basics of how to write a performance review.

How To Write A Performance Review

1) Review The Job Description

Many managers wonder where to start when it comes time to write a performance review. The easiest way to begin is to review the job description of the employee being reviewed.

Regardless of the position, ask yourself these questions as the basis for the rest of your review:

• Did the team member satisfy all the responsibilities and requirements listed in the job description?

• Were there certain aspects left lacking?

While you’re looking at the job description, make sure it’s up to date. Has the position changed since you wrote the description? Have you introduced new duties since the employee joined the team?

Only when the job description is up to date and accurate will you be able to provide a fair performance review.

2) Examine Past Performance Reviews And Goals

Reviewing goals set at the last several performance reviews — and then determining whether or not the employee reached those goals — is one of the best ways to quantify their performance.

Did they improve their completion rate? Did they make more sales in the last six months than in the previous six months?

With those successes (or failures) in mind, you can help the employee recognize their strengths and weaknesses.

3) Look At The Big Picture

Don’t let the most recent activity of your employees be the basis for your evaluation. In order to be fair and effective, base your performance review on everything that has happened since the last review, not just the past week or month.

When you look at the big picture — not just the time last month when the employee saved a big project or missed a critical deadline — it can help you be more objective with your feedback.

4) Consider Peer Feedback & Self-Appraisals

You can get a more complete picture of your employees’ performance by asking their coworkers for feedback. Use that feedback to fill in gaps that you may have missed in your own assessment.

It can also be informative to your analysis if you ask the employees themselves how they think they’re doing.

Peer feedback and self-appraisals are key components that give you a 360-degree view of your employees’ performance.

5) Establish A Purpose For The Performance Review

For each employee, ask yourself this question:

What message do I want them to have fresh in their mind when they leave the room?

The answer to that question is the purpose of the employee evaluation and will be different for each and every team member. It might be a specific skill they need to work on, an advancement, or more responsibility.

Whatever the case, make this message the theme of the performance review, and reiterate it multiple times so the employee understands.

6) Use Appropriate Language

The words you use are just as important as the message — or the purpose — you’re trying to communicate in your written performance review. That’s why it’s vital to use appropriate language.

Be as clear and specific as possible without sounding artificial, and avoid overused terms like “good” and “great.”

Opt instead for action words, like:

• Knowledgeable

• Honest

• Decisive

• Responsive

• Thorough

• Dedicated

These types of words are more descriptive and will be more meaningful as feedback.

7) Set Goals For The Employee

Toward the end of the written performance review, set goals for the employee and outline specific actions they need to take — and deadlines they need to abide by — to reach those goals.

Then, reiterate the purpose of the evaluation you established earlier in order to reinforce the specific goals you’ve set and keep the message at the top of the employee’s mind.

8) Start And End With A Positive

Think of your performance review as a sandwich: the positives are the bread and the negatives are the meat, lettuce, and condiments.

Always start your performance review with a positive message. This puts the employee in a favorable frame of mind and makes them more amenable to the suggestions for improvement that come later.

When you reach the conclusion of your review, include one more positive piece of feedback.

Chances are, the last thing they read will be what they remember most. If that last thing is negative, it could affect everything they do when they return to work.

End on a positive note — even if the employee has plenty of things to work on — so they feel good about themselves and secure in their job.

Performance And Work Environment

Performance is closely tied to where you work, so give your team a greater chance for success — in their reviews and in the business as a whole — by providing the best work environment right from the start with a coworking space at Bond Collective.

Bond Collective offers boutique coworking environments that are available immediately for businesses of all sizes. In addition to our unique office settings, members also enjoy convenient amenities, such as:

• Private-label mail service

• Daily on-site cleaning

• Free black-and-white printing

• Guest reception and greeting

• Insanely fast Wi-Fi 24-hour access

• Concession

• food market

• Bike storage

• And much more…

If you’re looking for a spacious, well-appointed collaborative workspace to boost your productivity, improve performance reviews year after year, and transform your business for the better, experience the best that modern office spaces have to offer at Bond Collective.

Tour any one of our gorgeous Bond Collective locations in the United States, including New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Illinois, Tennessee, and Texas.

Then become a member of Bond Collective and take advantage of our coworking spaces, dedicated desks, and private offices to suit all your business needs.

To get started or to learn more about the advantages of coworking spaces for digital nomads, remote workers, and businesses of all kinds, visit BondCollective.com today or call to find out more about everything we have to offer.

By Bond Collective Staff

Ask the question, “What is a virtual office?”, and you may expect to get an answer straight out of a science fiction book or from the cutting edge of computer-generated virtual reality (VR). But a virtual office is less complicated than it sounds and is available right now to help your business succeed.

What Is A Virtual Office?

There are several definitions for what is a virtual office floating around out there. Type the words “define virtual office” in Google’s search bar and you’ll get this:

The operational domain of any business or organization whose workforce includes a significant proportion of workers using technology to perform their work at home.

Honestly, that’s much more complicated than the concept of a virtual office should be. Here’s a simpler definition:

A virtual office service is a way for your business to establish a mailing address without the expense of leasing and staffing your own office.

As a freelancer or startup, can you afford a workspace on Broadway in New York City? Possibly, but the chances are slim. By securing a virtual office at Bond Collective, you can have that impressive address — and much more.

Our friendly staff will accept and store packages and mail so that your business can appear professional and established with a business address, even while you continue to work out of your home, garage, or the corner coffee shop to keep costs low.

Simply stop by Bond Collective during business hours and any one of our Community Managers will be happy to show you to your private mailbox and retrieve your packages. They’ll even help you box and ship outgoing packages and letters so you don’t have to fight the crowds at the post office or shipping store.

And while you’re there, you can purchase a day pass to our coworking space or conference room, where you will be able to work in style and luxury with like-minded entrepreneurs and digital nomads from around the world.

That’s a virtual office and that’s what it can do for you and your business. But the benefits don’t stop at mail service and a place to set your laptop.

Benefits Of A Virtual Office

1) Cost

How much would it cost your fledgling business to rent an office and staff it with a receptionist between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.? Probably more than you want — or can actually afford — to spend at this point.

With a virtual office, you pay pennies on the dollar (maybe even fractions of pennies on the dollar) when compared to running your own place. That helps you keep costs low when you need to the most.

2) Professional Image

As a freelancer, entrepreneur, startup, or small business, it’s vital that you channel as much of your capital toward growing your brand. That means your office space — and the image it projects — may take a backseat to other necessary expenses right now.

But with a virtual office, you can establish and maintain a professional image without having to worry about securing your own space, decorating it, furnishing it, and all the headaches and expenses that go along with it.

3) Infrastructure

Infrastructure is second only to rent when it comes to pain points for a developing business. Getting the services you need for a brand new space is extremely expensive, not to mention time-consuming.

With a virtual office, all of that infrastructure is included in the low monthly fee. You don’t have to worry about the heating, the cooling, the internet, and who’s supposed to work when.

4) Time

A virtual office pays dividends with time. It removes the hassle and stress of managing your own larger workspace while at the same time, giving you and your team more hours in the day to focus on and grow your business.

5) Location

When you set up a virtual office, you also get the street address associated with the building. That can do wonders for the image of your business and brand.

For example, at Bond Collective, we have some of the finest, most prestigious addresses in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Philadelphia, so you don’t have to settle for a second- or third-tier address somewhere else.

6) Networking

A virtual office gives you a legitimate reason to network with other business-minded professionals without having to go out of your way or out of your comfort zone to do it.

Most virtual offices, like those at Bond Collective, are maintained in coworking spaces where entrepreneurs, freelancers, and business team members of all sorts hang out, work, and intermingle.

Imagine meeting, talking to, and getting advice from a potential partner, investor, or CEO while checking your mail. That’s a possibility — actually, a probability — when you set up a virtual office at Bond Collective.

7) Flexibility

As we mentioned above, most virtual offices have some type of coworking space attached to them. That means that at Bond Collective, for example, you have the flexibility of upgrading from a mailing address to all the amenities that such spaces have to offer.

Not only could you rent a hot desk (a first-come, first-served space), a private desk, or even a private office (while still preserving your mailing address), but you also receive access to conference rooms, meeting rooms, and services such as:

• 24-hour access

• Guest reception and greeting

• Black-and-white printing

• Luxurious furnishings and beautiful decor

• Photo & sound studio

• Private phone booths

• Rooftop lounge

• Pet-friendly spaces

• Complimentary fresh fruit, beer, coffee, and tea

• Tasty treats and beverages for purchase

All of that for one low monthly fee. Plus, you can upgrade or downgrade your membership anytime you want.

So if you’re renting a virtual office in August, you can expand to a private desk in October and contract to a hot desk in December. That’s unprecedented flexibility that is generally unheard of in business.

8) Comfort

We challenge you to find a post office or shipping center anywhere in the United States with workspaces and decor as fine and luxurious as those at Bond Collective. “What does this have to do with a virtual office?” you ask. If you’re like most on-the-go entrepreneurs and employees, you can literally work from anywhere.

Now think about this: would you want to set up your laptop in the corner of your local post office? Absolutely not! But check your mail at a virtual office in any one of Bond Collective’s six locations and you’ll be treated to some of the finest workspaces you’ve ever seen.

So if you’re struck by inspiration or you get an important call from your biggest client, you don’t have to try and do business in a busy public area. Instead, you can purchase a day pass (or find a corner lounge) and conduct your business in style and comfort.

9) Convenience

Convenience may not be something you consider when thinking about a virtual office, but once you experience the heart of business and social activity, you’ll never want to work anywhere else.

That convenience also extends to public transportation and overall accessibility of the virtual office. Bond Collective’s coworking spaces are located in some of the most convenient areas of cities across the country so you don’t have to worry about anything but getting the job done.

10) Front-Desk Support

The best virtual offices — like those at Bond Collective — provide front-desk support to streamline your workflow.

Not only does the front-desk support accept, sort, and forward your mail and packages, but they can also field any phone calls from clients and customers while you’re focusing on your work.

That saves you the difficulty and expense of hiring and maintaining your own full-time staff.

11) Market Presence

Not only is a virtual office an excellent way to maintain a workspace in your hometown, but it is also one of the best ways to establish a foothold in a new market. With a virtual office, you can set up a local address and phone number without having to spend your hard-earned capital on a long-term lease.

Then, when you go to visit, explore, and research the potential market, your virtual office becomes a workspace away from your workspace…without the cost of buying or renting a physical location full-time.

12) Easy Setup

By nature of their design, virtual offices lend themselves to quick and easy setup. You don’t have to remodel the space, connect utilities, or buy furniture and equipment. Everything is already there and ready to go.

All you have to do is bring your team and their necessary technology and you’re ready to get to work. What takes days, if not weeks, with a conventional office, takes an hour or less with a virtual office. That’s ease of setup like you’ve never experienced before.

13) Inspiration

Working from home, the corner coffee shop, or even your own dedicated space can be incredibly isolating and demoralizing — even for your team.

14) Technology

Transporting a laptop is an easy task these days. But when you add in the necessary routers, cables, Wi-Fi modems, and printers necessary for even just one person — let alone a team — you’d need a truck to get to work every day.

But when you work from a virtual office, everything but the laptop is there and waiting for you to plug in and go. That makes getting to and from work a much easier prospect.

15) Productivity

A virtual office removes many of the day-to-day concerns that managers face when their team works from a conventional, leased space. A quick scan through this list reveals just a few.

When you don’t have to worry about overhead, utilities, and cleaning anymore, you and your team can focus on being as productive as possible.

Is A Virtual Office Right For You And Your Team?

A virtual office is an excellent solution in a variety of situations. Do any of these apply to you?

• You’re an entrepreneur just assembling your team.

• You’re a freelancer working in a home office and don’t want to use that physical address for business-related correspondence.

• You’re a digital nomad who needs to maintain a mailing address for paychecks and invoices while you’re away.

• You run a startup and you don’t have the capital to secure and staff a space of your own yet.

• You’ve traveled from another state or another country and you need a mailing address to get your business started and lend it some legitimacy with investors.

• You’re in the process of setting up a satellite office and need a place to receive bills and the like.

• Your team works remotely online, but you still need a central business address.

• You want a more secure address for accounts receivable payments.

There are so many situations in which a virtual office would make running your business easier. It doesn’t matter how large or small your company is, a virtual office is right for you, your team and your business.

Establish An Impressive Address At Bond Collective

Don’t let the difficulty and expense of maintaining a physical space get in the way of growing your business. Establish an impressive address and give your freelance career, startup, or small business everything it needs to succeed by reaping the benefits of a virtual office at Bond Collective.

Bond Collective’s Virtual Office offering allows business owners and entrepreneurs to establish a business address without the added expense of paying for actual office space.

With a Virtual Office from Bond Collective, there are no more missed delivery slips, no more lost packages, and no more stressing over mail forwarding. Our friendly staff accepts packages and mail from all the major carriers. Additionally, we will store your packages and mail so that you can pick up your items whenever it’s most convenient for you.

Simply drop by during business hours and any one of our Community Managers will be happy to show you to your private mailbox. They’ll even help you box and ship outgoing packages and letters so you don’t have to fight the crowds at the post office or shipping store.

Even better still, the benefits of our Virtual Office Space extend far beyond your packages and mail. With a Virtual Office from Bond Collective, you can create credibility for your business without the cost and headache of keeping an actual, physical office. This is ideal for international entrepreneurs and business owners who are just starting out in the United States.

Our Virtual Office Space offering also helps companies of all sizes reduce the costs associated with overhead — one of the largest expenses businesses contend with. That savings can mean the difference between success and failure in the current fast-paced and competitive business climate.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a digital nomad, a startup, or a business (large or small), our Virtual Office Space offering can help take your business to the next level regardless of where you are in the world.

Visit any one of Bond Collective’s many locations in the United States, including workspaces in New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Illinois, Tennessee, and Texas. Then take advantage of our coworking spaces, dedicated desks, and private offices to suit all your team’s needs.

To get started or to learn more about virtual office and coworking benefits, visit BondCollective.com today.

By Bond Collective Staff

If you’re a startup entrepreneur transitioning to a coworking space, your office move may be as simple as packing your laptop and a few personal items into a backpack. But for a large business planning a transition to a coworking space, the process can quickly devolve into chaos.

Fortunately, you can defuse most difficulties with a bit of planning and forethought.

Addressing the details early and making arrangements beforehand will streamline the process enough that moving your 50+ team from its current location to a more suitable coworking space will feel like just another day at the office.

In this article, we’ve created a step-by-step guide for the smoothest office move possible.

How To Successfully Plan And Execute An Office Move

1) Start Early

If your office move involves more than one or two people and their equipment, there will be a long list of logistics to organize and coordinate. It’s best to start planning early so you have plenty of time to make sure your office move procedures are firmly in place before the big day arrives.

You can even begin preparing before you’ve secured a new space. For example, you can create a destination map and make changes to the new office (see steps below) at the very end of the process after you’ve done almost everything else.

2) Designate One Place For All Information

Your office move — regardless of size and complexity — is going to generate a great deal of paperwork. You’ll have notes, contracts, to-do lists, inventories, schedules, insurance records, maps, diagrams, and spreadsheets (just to name a few), and it all needs to be easily accessible at a moment’s notice.

We suggest digitizing this information (e.g., scanning or taking a picture of physical documents) and storing it all in the cloud. That way, you can view the details of your move anytime, anywhere.

3) Set A Budget For The Move

Moving an office — with all its personnel, furniture, equipment, and supplies — is a complicated process. Because there are so many variables involved, you need to work hard to keep the spending under control.

The best way to do this is to meet with owners and upper management to carve out a budget for all move-related expenditures. How much is reasonable to spend on a moving company and what exactly would you like to have done?

Some moving companies, for instance, only transport items from point A to point B (and will charge less), while others take care of all the planning, logistics, and preparation for you (and will charge more).

Within the moving budget, it’s also essential to include any furniture, equipment, and supplies that you plan on purchasing to outfit your new space.

Before finalizing the budget, be sure to set up a payment and approval process for all move-related expenses. Will you use a specific company credit card? Will you submit invoices? If the latter, who has to review the invoices before you can proceed with the purchase?

Establishing these details early on in the planning stage will make everything easier once the actual move gets going.

4) Announce The Move

Once you’re committed to the office move, plan a detailed announcement for your employees.

Whether you choose to announce the move via hard-copy letter, email blast, or video, be sure the information is comprehensive and tells your team everything they need to know.

Here are a few examples of information to include in your announcement:

• Reason for the move

• Location of the new office (e.g., building name, address, floor, etc.)

• Features of the new office

• Moving dates (if you have these planned already)

• Employee responsibilities prior to the move (e.g., steps they can take to help the process go smoothly).

• Future information the employees will receive

An advantage of announcing the move early on is that it will help you get the steps firm in your mind. Preparing for the announcement will reveal any gaps in your master plan that you can then shore up so everything proceeds smoothly.

5) Meet With Your Team

After you announce the move, gather your team to talk about the upcoming event face-to-face. Reiterate the details of the announcement, and then ask for input from your employees about their needs for — and concerns about — the new workspace.

Items might include:

• Design recommendations (e.g., designate a quiet space)

• Seating changes

• Workspace needs (e.g., privacy screens, adjustable desks)

• Equipment needs (e.g., upgrade printer/copier)

It is also beneficial to send out a survey after the face-to-face meeting to gather any personal preferences — seating changes or a team switch, for example — that your team members may not have felt comfortable expressing in a group setting.

6) Produce A Timeline For Your Office Move

Before you make any plans, produce a timeline for your office move. You don’t need every single detail at this stage, just the broad strokes.

To ensure that the timeline is as realistic as possible, discuss it with your team members. And give yourself plenty of time to complete the project. A small move can take up to three months to prepare, while a large one can take eight months to a year to organize.

7) List What You Have And What You Need

Making a list of what you have and what you need — be it furniture, equipment, appliances, or supplies — will help prevent overspending when it comes time to outfit the new office space.

Don’t overlook tools and supplies you use every day, like trash cans, coffee mugs, silverware, napkins, rags, cleaning chemicals, and other essentials.

And if you won’t be moving presentation equipment like wall-mounted whiteboards, projectors, or video screens, be sure to include those on your “Need” list so you’ll have them in place from day one.

8) Create Strategies To Maintain Workflow During The Move

Moving your office takes a great deal of time and effort, not only on your part but on the part of your employees as well. Sometimes an office move can take a year or more to accomplish. You can’t afford for the business to stop during that time.

Prevent team members from losing focus by creating strategies to maintain workflow during the move.

These strategies may involve more hands-on managerial involvement to keep team members engaged on project deadlines that occur during the move or negotiating the beginning of new projects until after the move is complete.

Whatever strategies you come up with, be sure to communicate this information to managers and team members alike so everyone knows what to expect once the move gets underway.

9) Create An Origin Map

During the planning stage, create a diagram of your current office space (i.e., an origin map).

On this map, group team members (or even entire departments) and their furniture and supplies by name, color code, or some other indicator. For example, you might designate your art department as blue, your IT department as red, and your customer service department as yellow.

This becomes useful later on when labeling boxes and transferring said boxes from the moving truck to the proper area in your new office space.

10) Create A Destination Map

If you’ve already secured your new office space, create a diagram (e.g., a destination map) of that working environment.

You can then arrange your existing team members in the new space and identify any potential problems that space may create. It’s best to uncover those issues before starting your office move so the actual transfer of personnel and property proceeds as smoothly as possible.

11) Design A New Office Layout

Once you have a destination map, and perhaps a general floor plan, begin designing the new office layout.

Be sure to take into account the input you received from your team members way back at the beginning of the planning process so you can arrange things for optimal workflow.

Putting the new layout on paper can also help you identify potential problems with the new space (e.g., a larger work area that needs more desks or a few temporary walls) that you can then address before you move in.

12) Make Changes To The New Space Before The Move

Make any changes to your new office space before you move in. It’s much easier (and cheaper) for construction, electrical, and IT crews to work in an empty space.

If you install new power outlets, knock out walls, and run networking cable before moving, your team will have an easier time getting settled and back to work.

13) Secure A Moving Company

Hiring a moving company is one of the most critical tasks for a successful office move.

If possible, secure a company that specializes in this type of transport. They will have all the experience, tools, and supplies (not to mention recommendations and helpful procedures) to make your move as painless as possible.

14) Arrange For Supplies

Regardless of the size of your business, you’re going to need boxes, tape, labels, and other supplies. Assemble these supplies early so they’re ready to go when you are. You can even start boxing up non-essential items before the big day to cut down on packing time.

15) Take This Opportunity To Downsize

In the months and days leading up to your office move, review your inventory and identify items you no longer need. Shred old records. Organize an office warehouse sale for filing cabinets, desks, chairs, etc.

This will help reduce the amount of furniture and boxes you’re left with to coordinate and move.

16) Create Labels For Boxes And Spaces In The New Office

Now is the time to put the naming designation you created in steps four and five to work. For example, mark each box with the employee’s name and color code that corresponds to where they’ll work in the new office.

When you have access to that space, label each area with the appropriate color code so that the movers know where to put each box.

17) Coordinate Origin And Destination With An Item Spreadsheet

Keeping track of all the boxes and furniture involved in an office move can be a logistical nightmare. We suggest creating a spreadsheet beforehand so you know what you’ve got and where it goes.

Your spreadsheet should include information such as:

• Date item moved

• Type of object (e.g., box, table, chair, etc.)

• Color

• Name of employee to whom the object belongs

• Origin building and floor

• Destination building and floor

• Team name

• Manager

• Notes

During and after the move, you can refer to this list to ensure that nothing gets lost in transit.

18) Meet With Your Team Again

Your team members will have questions. Meet with them again before the big day to provide essential information that may not have been available before, including:

• Parking

• Access credentials

• Neighborhood information

• Features of the new space

• Routine changes

• Layout of new office

That way, your team members will feel comfortable making the move from one office to another.

19) Clean Both Spaces

Before your office move, arrange for a professional cleaning company to thoroughly scrub the new space. If you’ve made any modifications to the office, there will be dust and debris. It is much easier to clean up any messes before you start moving large furniture and boxes in than after.

It’s also important to clean your old office space after everything is out. Many leasing companies will charge you extra for this service, and the price is usually quite a bit more than you would spend if you hired a third party.

20) Unpack

Before you start tearing open boxes in a rush to unpack, consider conducting this part of the office move as the opposite of the organized method you used to pack it all up.

You already have the records and processes in place from the packing stage, so simply run them in reverse for an organized, stress-free (or at least less-stressful) conclusion to your office move.

21) Celebrate

Once you’re all unpacked and settled in, take some time to celebrate your smooth and successful transition. Then get back to work.

Make Your Office Move Easy With Bond Collective

With Bond Collective, your office move is easier than ever.

If your team is already working in one of our beautiful coworking spaces and needs to expand to dedicated desks or even a private office, it’s only a matter of packing your laptop and personal items and walking the few steps to your new work environment.

If you’re moving from an outside location to one of Bond Collective’s six convenient locations, the process is much the same. All your team needs are their laptops and personal items. We provide the furniture and amenities.

Your office move can be as easy as plugging in your computers and getting to work.

No lengthy planning. No complicated packing. Just a seamless and simple move.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re relocating one person or 100 people within a Bond Collective space or across the country, we’ll make the transition as painless as possible.

Our specially curated workspaces combine the best of modern decor with the professional appearance and ambiance that every business needs. You’ll also enjoy industry-leading amenities, including:

• 24-hour access

• Custom build-outs

• Conference rooms

• Curated events

• Insanely fast WiFi

• Black-and-white printing

• Networking events

• Mail service

• Complimentary beer, coffee, tea, and fresh fruit

• Daily on-site cleaning

• Mothers’ rooms

• Rooftop lounge

• Bike storage

• Photo and sound studio (Gowanus)

• Complimentary spa water

• Guest reception and greeting

• Private meeting and phone booths

• Office showers

When you partner with Bond Collective, you can avoid the headache and stress of an office move and focus instead on keeping your team engaged and performing at 100 percent.

For more resources to help you manage your business or to learn more about the advantages of coworking spaces for digital nomads, remote workers, and businesses of all kinds, visit BondCollective.com today.

Do you want to improve the productivity of your team and keep your business on the road to success? Focus on diversity in the workplace.

In this article, we’ll define diversity, tell you why it’s an essential part of every successful business, give you some tips on building a diverse team, and discuss the benefits of diversity in the workplace.

The Importance Of Diversity In The Workplace

Diversity in the workplace is about bringing people from different cultures, backgrounds, personalities, and viewpoints together to work as a team.

The primary reason why diversity in the workplace is essential for productivity — and, ultimately, success — is because businesses are more global than ever before.

Right out of the gate, new companies can serve a wide array of countries and cultures. Even within a single country, the opportunity to provide goods and services to diverse ethnic groups is a very real possibility.

If your business isn’t prepared for that, productivity suffers.

Whether you run a large corporation or a small business, diversity will help your team be more productive and your business stand out amongst its competitors.

How To Build A Diverse Team

The key to working toward diversity in the workplace is to find the best employees for your team — regardless of their race, culture, personality, beliefs, nationality, or viewpoints.

Diversity can take many forms, so don’t try to make your team or your business look like someone else’s. Do what’s best for your unique situation and you’ll set your business on the road to success.

Here are some tips for building a diverse team.

Tip #1: Promote An Active Interest In Diversity

The first step toward making diversity a part of your company is to promote an active interest in the concept.

In the past, you may not have given much thought to the makeup of your team. Now, though, it’s time to actively focus on diversity and promote its importance to your employees.

That may require everyone — including you — to start dealing with some unconscious thought processes and behaviors. It may not be easy, but when you care about increasing diversity, your business, your team, and your productivity will thrive.

Tip #2: Tap Into The Diversity You Already Have

You may think your team is fairly homogeneous, but look closer. It may be more diverse than you realize.

Take the time to get to know your existing employees. Find out about their backgrounds, their experiences, their likes, and their dislikes. You may be able to tap into the diversity you’ve already got in your current team.

Tip #3: Promote From Within

Consider and recommend the best employees for advancement regardless of their nationality, culture, or background. When you do that, it shows that you value their work, not their race.

When you get in the habit of promoting from within with an eye toward diversity in the workplace, other managers will begin to send candidates your way to help round out your team’s abilities.

And once you’ve started, this self-perpetuating cycle can have a significant impact on the diversity and productivity of your team.

The Benefits Of Diversity In The Workplace

1) Positive Reputation

One benefit of diversity in the workplace that managers and owners often overlook is its power to give your business a positive reputation both within your customer base and amongst other businesses.

Companies that dedicate themselves to fostering a diverse team develop a standing within the business community as being better than their immediate competitors, more socially responsible, and more relatable to diverse customers and markets.

So, if a client or customer has to decide between your business and another identical business, they’ll choose the one with the better reputation as a diverse employer — yours.

That’s an intangible you can’t pay for. You have to physically put in the time and effort to build diversity in your business. Only then will you reap the rewards.

2) Broader Customer Base

Even the smallest businesses are no longer trammeled by geography and distance. The internet and affordable shipping have opened the world up wide.

But as easy as it is to reach the far corners of the globe, you still have to deal with cultural differences, novel viewpoints, and, of course, language barriers.

Assembling a diverse team with knowledge of other cultures helps your business move past these barriers and unlocks access to a much broader customer base.

3) Efficient Problem-Solving

Inefficient problem-solving — a common speed bump for most teams — creates delays in workflow, drops in productivity, and implementation of solutions that aren’t quite right.

What is the source of inefficient problem-solving? Often, it’s a lack of diversity in the workplace.

A diverse team has a wide range of skills, viewpoints, knowledge, and experience from which to draw. Team members can leverage that life experience to reach better solutions in a shorter amount of time.

That makes problem-solving more efficient and, ultimately, better for your business.

4) Extensive Talent Pool

Building your team with diversity as a primary goal opens your business to a much more extensive talent pool.

With access to a wide range of cultures, ages, and experience levels, you give your business a much better chance to find exceptional candidates that will fill your needs and fit in with your company culture.

5) Effective Decision-Making

Every business is faced with multiple decisions each day. Some are basic and relatively unimportant. Some are complex and integral to your success.

Ineffective decision-making — like ineffective problem-solving — can cripple your productivity, cause unnecessary delays, and subject your team to undue stress.

Diversity among your employees improves the decision-making process as a whole, allows your team to see more of the consequences of their actions, and helps them make more informed choices.

6) Enhanced Profitability

When your diverse team makes better decisions and solves problems faster, your business will have a significant advantage over its competitors.

That advantage translates into intangibles like:

• Improved productivity

• Higher-quality products and services

• Deeper business insights

• An overall reputation for success

And when you harness those intangibles, your profits will increase as a result.

Think about it in terms of cause and effect:

1. You create a diverse team

2. They make more effective decisions

3. They solve problems faster

4. The intangibles mentioned above develop in your business

5. Profits increase

A more successful business starts with building a diverse team.

Workplace: The Other Half Of The Equation

While the major focus of this article deals with diversity, the setting where that diversity exists — the workplace — plays a significant role in the productivity of your team as well.

Even the most diverse team ever created will experience losses in productivity if they don’t have the right work environment. 

You can ensure that your team has the best workplace possible by basing your business in a coworking space like those at Bond Collective. 

There’s no need to go through the stress, strain, and expense of building your own workplace from the ground up. Bond Collective has already done that for you. Your team just needs to move in and get to work.

Each of our shared working environments incorporates inspiring design elements, like natural light, open floor plans, tasteful and professional decor, and multipurpose workspaces to inspire you and your employees to greatness.

And at Bond Collective, the benefits don’t stop with the workspace itself. In addition to our unique work settings, members also enjoy amenities like:

• Unlimited black-and-white printing

• Daily on-site cleaning

• Guest reception and greeting

• Private-label mail service

• Mothers’ room

• Lightning-fast Wi-Fi

• Concession food market

• Conference Rooms

• Networking and curated events

• 24-hour access

• Bike storage

So if you’re looking for a way to promote diversity in the workplace and increase your team’s happiness and productivity, become a member of Bond Collective.

Visit any one of Bond Collective’s many locations in the United States, including workspaces in New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Illinois, Tennessee, and Texas. Then take advantage of our coworking spaces, dedicated desks, and private offices to suit all your team’s needs.

To get started or to learn more about the advantages of coworking spaces for digital nomads, remote workers, diverse teams, and businesses of all kinds, visit BondCollective.com today.

By Bond Collective Staff

Communication in the workplace is an essential component of your business’s success. Without it, you can’t build strong teams, finish projects successfully, or grow your business in the face of challenges.

But even basic communication is a nebulous quality that can be difficult to implement and perfect. 

In this article, we’ll make communication in the workplace more tangible and give you five ways to improve the communication in your office. 

What Is Workplace Communication?

At its most fundamental, workplace communication is simply the exchange of information and ideas between one or more individuals who work for the same company or organization.

But communication in the workplace goes well beyond simply trading information back and forth. In business, it’s about the effectiveness of your words rather than just the words themselves.

When you send a message, are your team members receiving that message accurately? Does the person on the opposite end understand how this information affects them or what they need to do?

If you answered no to either of those questions, you need to work on improving the effectiveness of your communication rather than throwing more information at the other person.

Making your communication clear and concise can drastically improve the way your teams and your business work. Here’s how.

Why Communication In The Workplace Matters

1) Builds A Strong Team

Strong teams produce strong results. And few things bring a team together like effective communication.

When your team members consult with each other (and you), bounce ideas off each other, consider novel opinions, and discuss their progress, they are more likely to coalesce as one unit rather than a conglomeration of disparate elements.

Communication in the workplace makes that “one-for-all-and-all-for-one” attitude possible.

2) Avoids Confusion

When you exercise effective communication, you can avoid the confusion that sometimes comes with managing a team.

You’ll be able to delegate tasks, manage conflict, build relationships, and motivate your team members clearly and concisely so that everyone knows what they are supposed to do the first time you explain it.

Not only does that save time, but it also saves the individual irritation that team members feel when they’re confused about instructions, tasks, or responsibilities.

3) Promotes Innovation

Innovation relies on creativity and feeling free to express that creativity to others. When your team members are reluctant to share their ideas because of poor communication practices in the workplace, innovation suffers.

If you promote effective communication and keep the lines of discourse open between all individuals on the team, everyone will feel free to be more creative and to pass their thoughts on to others.

That’s good for your team and for your business.

4) Stimulates Growth

Poor communication hampers business growth. Effective communication, on the other hand, stimulates growth because it eliminates uncertainty and doubt. 

When your team members are clear on what you want them to do and convinced as to its efficacy, they will be more likely to work through processes and projects at a rapid pace rather than getting hung up on roadblocks and speed bumps along the way.

Without those obstacles slowing everything down, your business can grow like never before.

5) Gives Everyone A Voice

The engagement and satisfaction that your team members experience rely heavily on whether or not they believe their voice is being heard.

Effective communication in the workplace provides that outlet so that everyone feels they have a say in how things get done.

When each member of the team feels valued and that they are a part of something bigger, the way they think about their job — and their performance within that position — improves drastically.

How To Improve Communication In The Workplace

1) Explain Your Decisions

Team members may feel free to share their ideas, but if you dismiss those ideas out of hand — even if for legitimate reasons — communication suffers because no one knows why the good idea their co-worker shared didn’t get traction.

It’s true that sometimes what looks like a good idea won’t work because of other, unperceived variables. But when you know about those variables and don’t tell anyone, the team as a whole suffers.

Make it a point to explain your decisions to avoid this breakdown in communication. Tell your team why a certain idea won’t work or why a proposed process improvement isn’t feasible.

Armed with that information, they can then begin looking for ways to overcome the obstacle. 

2) Ensure That Your Message Is Clear And Accessible

Clarity and accessibility are vital if you want to preserve the lines of communication in your business. To achieve this, speak plainly and in a way that is easily understandable (accessible) to your intended audience.

Give clear and polite commands when necessary and avoid ambiguous language whenever possible. Refrain from using jargon unless team members use it often and it simplifies the communication process.

It will take some practice to achieve clarity and accessibility in all of your workplace communication, but the benefits far outweigh the sacrifice.

3) Deliver Understandable, Achievable Goals

Whenever you’re giving instructions or outlining goals, make sure each member of your team understands — and is capable of achieving — those objectives.

Failing to do so puts undue pressure on your team and can undermine the success of a project. Before revealing your plan to the team, write down what you want to say and review it for clarity and accessibility. 

Is the purpose of the goal obvious with the knowledge your team members have? Does the goal need a great deal of explanation? Can you refine what you say to make your meaning more understandable?

Once you’ve refined your words to be as clear as you can make them, ask another manager or your supervisor to review the goals and see if you can improve the message. 

4) Choose The Right Medium

Communication in the workplace takes many forms. From email to IMs to hard-copy memos to face-to-face delivery — there’s a best-possible format for different types of messages.

If you need to communicate a quick reminder about a due date, a simple instant message or printed memo on everyone’s desk is effective. But for major changes in policy and procedure, a face-to-face meeting is best.

When considering which medium to use, take a few moments to think about how you would feel receiving the information. Would email make it feel too impersonal? Would hard copy be better for record-keeping purposes?

Pairing your workplace communication with the right medium for the job ensures that your team receives and perceives the message the way you intended.

5) Encourage Progress Reports And Updates

As a manager, you can encourage progress reports and updates as a way to keep yourself informed but also as a way to keep everyone involved with the team and the business.

This is especially vital when you’re coordinating a remote workforce, but it’s also very effective at forging strong bonds between team members working side by side in the same office.

Effective Communication Begins With Where You Work

Where you work — your office environment — has just as much of an influence on communication as do the suggestions above. If you’re constantly worried about maintaining your office space, communication will suffer.

Remove that worry from the equation and focus on improving team communication by basing your business in a coworking space like Bond Collective.

At Bond Collective, we’ve designed our workspaces with your team’s communication, engagement, and productivity in mind.

Each of our shared office environments incorporates inspiring design elements like natural light, open floor plans, vivid colors, and multipurpose workspaces to facilitate communication and motivate your team to greatness.

We provide all of the tools your team needs to get the job done right the first time, such as:

• Lightning-fast WiFi

• Free black-and-white printing and copying

• Access to conference rooms, private booths, and social areas

• Photo and sound studio (Gowanus only)

• Guest reception and greeting

• Regular on-site cleaning

We even go the extra mile to provide amenities you can’t find anywhere else, like:

• Mail service

• Complimentary beer, coffee, tea, water, and fresh fruit

• Other food and beverages for sale

• Office showers

• Bike storage

• Rooftop lounge area

• Mothers’ rooms

• Pet-friendly environments

• Curated and networking events

So, if you’re looking for a workspace that allows you to focus on improving communication rather than the day-to-day details of maintaining an office, consider becoming a member of Bond Collective.

You can take advantage of our coworking spaces, dedicated desks, and private offices to suit all of your business needs.

Visit any one of Bond Collective’s many locations in the United States, including workspaces in New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Illinois, Tennessee, and Texas. Or call us to find out more about everything we have to offer. 

And to learn more about the advantages of coworking spaces for digital nomads, remote workers, and businesses of all kinds, visit BondCollective.com today.

By Bond Collective Staff

Looking for ways to save money and help the environment? Create a sustainable office.

But what exactly are sustainable offices? What impact does one have on your business and the planet as a whole? And what steps can you take to transform your work space into an eco-friendly environment?

In this article, we answer those questions and give you 12 ways to create the best sustainable office and work space.

What Is A Sustainable Office?

A formal definition for “sustainable office” is remarkably difficult to come by. Search results tend to cluster around building practices — like large windows, greywater treatment, and roof-top green spaces — that are better for the environment.

But sustainable offices don’t have to be brand-new builds. In fact, some of the best sustainable offices are in decades-old buildings. It’s not the construction materials that count; what goes on inside the walls is what really matters.

So, what constitutes a sustainable office? A work space that promotes ecological and environmental balance by reducing — or avoiding entirely — the depletion of natural resources.

Before we talk about the specific steps you can take to transform your office, let’s talk about why sustainability is vital for the success of your business.

The Impact Of Sustainable Offices

Even small changes can have a significant impact on both the environment and your bottom line. 

For example, one big-box store programmed its cooling system to turn on at 75 degrees Fahrenheit instead of 74 degrees. As a result, the store used 30,000 fewer kilowatt-hours and saved over $3,000 annually. All of that from a one-degree change in office temperature. 

And that’s just a single example. Imagine the environmental and fiscal impact you can enjoy by making multiple changes to the way your office operates.

For a business that is already working hard to maximize savings (and may be running out of options), creating a sustainable office is an easy and effective way to reduce expenses even further while helping to save the environment.

The Best Ways To Create A Sustainable Office

Office-Wide

1) Form A Sustainable Office Team

Instead of doing all the work yourself, form a sustainable office team to brainstorm changes, implement new ways to go green, and encourage their teammates to abide by the new rules.

2) Incorporate Green Challenges

Green challenges are a fun way to encourage your team to adhere to your sustainable office policies.

For example, challenge everyone to go a month without using disposable utensils and offer free coffee or snacks as a reward.

3) Instate An “Everything Off At Night” Rule

There’s no reason to leave lights, computers, printers, and other electronic devices on when no one is there to use them.

Make it a policy that everyone has to turn off their equipment when they leave for the night. And the last person out needs to make sure they power down all of the communal tech (printers, copiers, etc.) so that everything is off at night.

Kitchen

4) Recycle Everything

Set up recycling bins for everything from aluminum cans to plastic bottles to paper products. To avoid confusion, post signs that detail exactly what belongs in each bin.

5) Set Up A Composting Station

In addition to recycling solid waste, set up a composting station to recycle food scraps. Donate the leftovers to a local farm or community garden who will turn it into planting material and fertilizer. 

6) Use Reusable Dishes And Utensils

Yes, disposable dishes and utensils are easier. But using reusable foodware keeps paper plates, plastic forks, and straws out of the local landfill.

Be sure to establish clear expectations about dishwashing so your kitchen doesn’t become a dirty mess.

Break Room

7) Choose Green Cleaning Products

The chemicals in cleaning products can harm the environment just as much as the solid waste you generate in your kitchen. And don’t forget the thousands of paper towels you go through tidying counters and tables.

Choose biodegradable, nontoxic, and petroleum-free cleaners along with washable microfiber cloths for a truly sustainable (and clean) office environment.

8) Opt For Reusable Cups And Mugs

Just like the paper plates and plastic utensils, styrofoam and cardboard cups significantly impact the environment. Stock your break room with reusable cups and mugs, and encourage your team to bring in their own.

9) Turn Off The Lights When No One’s In The Room

Lights aren’t necessary when no one’s in the room. Post signs by light switches to remind your team members to turn off the lights when they leave.

Alternatively, you can install motion-detector switches that will turn off the lights when there is no movement for five minutes.

Main Work Space

10) Print Double-Sided Copies

Printing double-sided copies of documents cuts your paper bill in half and prevents reams of paper from sitting in landfills.

Program your printers so that the default setting is double-sided, but show your team members how to switch to single-sided in case they need it. 

11) Reuse Failed Print Jobs As Scrap Paper

Don’t throw your paper away. Use it as scrap paper instead. Place a bin next to the printer where your team members can discard failed print jobs (single-sided jobs especially).

Encourage them to reuse that paper for notes or brainstorming. Consider cutting a stack of scraps into 5.5 x 4.25-inch rectangles. These make great scratch pads.

12) Replace Incandescent Bulbs With Compact Fluorescent Or LED Bulbs

Compact fluorescent and LED bulbs last longer than incandescent bulbs and use less energy.

As your old incandescent bulbs burn out, replace them with one of the other options for a sustainable office that is less expensive to light.

Start Small

Two of the many nice things about creating a sustainable office are:

• You can start small and increase from there

• Changes don’t have to be expensive

In regard to starting small, you don’t have to implement all of the suggestions on this list at once to have a very real and beneficial effect on the environment and your bottom line.

Instead, choose one practice and see how it goes. After a few weeks or a month, add another practice. Soon, your work space will incorporate all of the suggestions on this list and you’ll have created a truly sustainable office.

Before you rush out and spend a big part of your hard-earned capital on eco-friendly solutions, remember that changes don’t have to be expensive or even cost anything at all.

Simply encouraging team members to turn off the lights when they leave a room conserves electricity and saves money. You don’t have to spend a dime.

When you look for ways to create a sustainable office without changing the way your team operates and without exhausting your resources, you truly help both your business and the environment. 

Save Money And The Environment In A Coworking Space

You can save money and the environment in a coworking space like Bond Collective. At Bond Collective, startups, entrepreneurs, freelancers, small businesses, and even large corporations work together in the same space.

In the process, they share costs, save money over a conventional lease, and reduce the environmental impact they would have if they all maintained their own office space.

The flexible office environments at Bond Collective give you everything you need — technology, infrastructure, furniture, amenities — to get the job done right and allow you to focus on your work rather than the day-to-day operations.

Your team can work from a hot desk (a first-come, first-served area), a dedicated desk, a private office, or a suite of offices and save money in the process. 

Membership at a coworking space like Bond Collective is a fraction of what you would pay to maintain your own office. Plus, you can change your membership from one month to the next.

Work from a dedicated desk in December, switch to a private office in January, and go back to a dedicated desk in February. This allows you to expand and contract your work space footprint as your needs dictate.

All of those factors — and many more — make the coworking spaces at Bond Collective the sustainable offices of the future.

Visit any one of Bond Collective’s many locations in the United States, including workspaces in New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Illinois, Tennessee, and Texas. Or call us today to find out more about everything we have to offer. 

And while you’re at it, schedule a tour to experience first-hand how the boutique work environments at Bond Collective can benefit your business.

By Bond Collective Staff

The modern innovative office is more than just a place to sit and do work. It’s a tool that promotes productivity, engagement, focus, collaboration, and growth.

Office spaces have changed over the decades to accommodate new technology and promote a better way for employees to work. To this day, the modern office continues to evolve as businesses try new things to reduce stress and improve performance.

The unique thing about the innovative office is that it’s different for every company. What works for one business might not work for another. A great deal of what makes an innovative office effective depends on company culture and how employees like to work.

In this article, the office-space experts at Bond Collective introduce you to six innovative office solutions for the 21st-century business.

6 Innovative Office Changes

1) Cloud-Based Workspaces

Cloud-based storage and software have been on the rise for several years now. Innovative offices are beginning to see how they can use this novel technology to make their data more secure and allow their employees to work from anywhere there’s an internet connection.

In case you’re unfamiliar with exactly what “the cloud” is, it refers to software and services that run on the internet instead of on a local desktop or server in your office.

With cloud-based services, you and your employees can access apps, documents, and data through a web browser like Microsoft Edge or Firefox. Examples of well-known cloud-based utilities include:

• Netflix

• Google Drive

• Microsoft OneDrive

As an innovative office solution, a cloud-based workspace paired with a strong Wi-Fi signal allows your team to work from anywhere in (or out of) the office.

No one is tied to their desk anymore, and groups and individuals can roam the space and “set up shop” wherever they feel inspired in the moment.

2) The Internet Of Things (IoT)

The Internet of Things (IoT) encompasses a broad range of innovations, including internet-connected appliances and tools as well as what many are calling “smart dumb things.”

With the Internet of Things, your innovative office can connect standalone technology — like refrigerators, lights, and toasters — together into a network that communicates with you and helps you get things done faster and easier.

Imagine a supply-room shelf that notifies you when it’s time to reorder paper. Or lights that you can program with your smartphone to dim and change color to match the human body’s natural circadian cycles.

That’s the Internet of Things, and businesses are now beginning to incorporate this novel technology into their workflow to create a truly innovative office.

Take that technology a step further and you’ve got a way to turn common objects like walls, floors, ceilings, furniture, and work surfaces into virtual computer screens.

The technology works by projecting lasers onto any vertical or horizontal surface to create a sharp, crisp interactive display.

With this tool, your team could turn their favorite conference table made from reclaimed wood into a collaborative workspace that they can all access for brainstorming sessions or fast and easy data exchange.

Like the Internet of Things, this novel technology is still developing, but businesses are already seeing improvements in the way their teams work.

3) Altered Reality

Virtual reality (or VR) is perhaps the most well known of the new “altered reality” technologies that are currently being developed by some of the biggest names in the business.

In addition to VR, tech firms are developing augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR).

Augmented reality makes use of smartphones and web cameras to add digital elements to a live view. The most notable examples of this technology — though not business-related — are the hugely popular Pokemon Go game and Snapchat lenses.

Virtual reality ups the ante, so to speak, and completely immerses the user in the digital experience by shutting out the physical world.

With VR devices such as the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and Google Cardboard, users can transport themselves to any real-world or imagined environment and interact with objects and other users therein.

Mixed reality combines both AR and VR in a manner that allows real-world and digital objects to interact. MR technology is still evolving and improving, but Microsoft’s HoloLens is a good example of how capable and useful this technology can be.

With augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality, businesses could replace 2D conference calls on TV screens with 3D meetings where attendees from around the world can interact with team members and digital objects in real-time without leaving their offices.

Imagine an architecture firm meeting with clients in a VR space where they can all view, deconstruct, and manipulate a digital model of the building under construction.

That’s the potential that altered-reality technologies hold for businesses of all kinds.

4) Smart Glass

Smart glass — also known as dynamic glass — offers users the ability to program or change the tint of the glass with a smartphone, tablet, or desktop computer.

Smart glass can factor in such variables as:

• Time of day

• Sun exposure

• Cloud cover

• Light angle

The glass can then adjust to prevent glare, preserve indoor temperature, and provide an optimal view from inside.

In its early stages, smart glass is helping businesses save energy by reducing heating and cooling costs. But as smart glass technology improves, it could incorporate even more functionality, including the ability to:

• Become opaque from the outside while still being transparent from the inside

• Double as a work surface

• Transform into an interactive display

• Change from window to communication device (e.g., FaceTime) at the touch of a button

Coupled with microprocessors, smart glass could become a significant advance in the quest for the modern innovative office.

5) Digital Whiteboards

Digital whiteboards are another technology that is making the innovative office a thing of the present rather than a thing of the future.

The whiteboard — a.k.a. marker board, dry-erase board, wipe board, dry-wipe board, and pen-board — has been around since the 1960s and has become a fixture in many offices, meeting rooms, and other work environments.

In recent years, the whiteboard has taken a huge leap forward thanks to built-in computer processors that allow the whiteboard to act as an interactive display and computer monitor.

Team members can write on the surface of the digital whiteboard, then save or print for future reference.

Digital whiteboards are ideal for:

• Brainstorming sessions

• Note-taking

• Presentations

• Conference calls

Like many of the other innovative office solutions on this list, as digital whiteboards continue to develop, businesses will find new ways to incorporate them into their workflow.

6) Quiet Time

In comparison with the other innovations on this list, quiet time is decidedly low-tech.

Many businesses are finding that setting aside 30 minutes, 60 minutes, or even 120 minutes a day for uninterrupted work (i.e., quiet time) will actually improve employee productivity.

Most often, quiet time takes the form of silencing and stowing smartphones and mobile devices so they won’t distract users with constant notifications and alerts. Quiet time also helps prevent team members from answering calls, checking messages, and browsing social media.

There are even apps available for iOS and Android that allow users to set a timer during which they cannot access the apps that are most distracting to their workflow.

Coworking Is The Innovative Office Of The Future

If you want to create the best, most innovative office possible without the stress, strain, and expense of building your own from the ground up, base your business or your team in a coworking space like those at Bond Collective.

Each of our shared working environments incorporates inspiring design elements like natural light, open floor plans, tasteful and professional decor, and multipurpose workspaces.

At Bond Collective, the benefits don’t stop with the office space. In addition to our unique work settings, members also enjoy amenities like:

• Daily on-site cleaning

• Guest reception and greeting

• Private-label mail service

• Daily on-site cleaning

• Lightning-fast Wi-Fi

• Concession food market

• Conference Rooms

• Black-and-white printing

• Networking and curated events

• 24-hour access

• Bike storage

If you’re looking for an innovative office that is sure to increase your team’s happiness and productivity, become a member of Bond Collective.

Visit any one of Bond Collective’s many locations in the United States, including offices in New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Illinois, Tennessee, and Texas. Tour our gorgeous facilities and then take advantage of our coworking spaces, dedicated desks, and private offices.

To get started or to learn more about the advantages of coworking spaces for digital nomads, remote workers, and businesses of all kinds, visit BondCollective.com today.

By Bond Collective Staff

If you’re curious about coworking space benefits for your startup, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, the experts at Bond Collective show you why your business will thrive in a coworking environment.

16 Coworking Space Benefits That Will Help Your Startup Thrive

1) Low Overhead

The necessities of today’s modern office space make it one of the largest expenses your fledgling startup will face. Furniture, decor, technology, repairs and maintenance, cleaning — these costs add up quickly and can put a serious dent in your working capital.

But with coworking spaces, everything is taken care of. You and your team can walk in, find a place to gather, do your work, and leave. All for a low monthly fee that is considerably less than you would pay if you maintained your own office.

When you weigh the benefits of a space, like the coworking space in DC, against the benefits of owning and operating your own office, you’ll quickly see that a coworking space makes good sense (and cents).

2) Inspiration

When you work on one product or service hour after hour, day after day, you tend to form a tunnel vision of sorts. It’s necessary to focus on building your startup, but when you’ve repeatedly looked at the same problem, your creativity and drive can begin to suffer.

In a coworking space, there’s never any shortage of inspiration. You’re always surrounded by unique individuals with new and innovative ideas. Strike up a conversation in the kitchen or the lounge with a freelance coder, writer, or entrepreneur, and you’re likely to find ways of thinking that you hadn’t considered before.

3) Collaboration

Chances are, your startup could benefit from the insights of an expert in another field. Maybe your product or service is prime for an app. Or maybe your value statement could use a bit of tweaking. If your startup occupies its own office space, you have to go out and find someone with the skills you need.

A coworking space, on the other hand, puts you in close proximity — often side-by-side — with professionals from a wide variety of business types. This close proximity allows you to collaborate with CEOs, marketing reps, graphic designers, editors, photographers, and specialists of all sorts.

4) Infrastructure

What is infrastructure in an office environment? It’s all those little things that make work easier but aren’t obvious at first glance. Look around every office space and you’ll see the furniture, the decor, and the technology.

But who stocks the pantry? Who fills the water cooler? Where do team members store their gear (e.g., bikes, bags, coats, etc.)? Who cleans the kitchen and tidies the lounge after everyone’s gone home? Who controls the heating and cooling?

These unseen factors can have just as profound an effect on the quality of your work as the technology you use. And when you maintain your own office, this infrastructure is all on your shoulders.

At a coworking space, those infrastructure details are handled for you. At Bond Collective, for example, members enjoy amenities like daily on-site cleaning, bike storage, concession food market, complimentary spa water, and much more. It’s like having a concierge taking care of your needs every day.

5) Professional Image

As a startup, it’s crucial to dedicate as much of your capital toward product or service development as possible. That means your office space takes second place (or even third or fourth place) on your list of necessary expenses.

Because of those priorities, the appearance of your office may suffer at the beginning. That can seriously deter you from entertaining or meeting with clients at your office.

But with a coworking space, you get a professional image right from the start. At Bond Collective, all members benefit from guest reception and greeting, beautiful decor, luxurious workspaces, and 24-hour access to conference rooms and multiple locations. With a coworking space, you can keep your capital where it needs to be — focused on your product or service — without sacrificing the professional image you desire.

6) Comfort

The comfort of your office space is essential for helping your team members stay focused, engaged, and productive while they work. That same comfort can go a long way toward impressing the customers and clients who visit your office.

As a startup, can you afford plush settees, comfy sofas, adjustable-height desks, and ergonomic chairs? Probably not at first.

In a coworking space like one of Bond Collective’s six locations, comfort is built in. We decorate and appoint all of our coworking environments with the finest that luxury has to offer. That way, your team members and guests will be happy and productive all day long.

7) Productivity

If you’ve ever worked at home or by yourself in a rented space, you know the difficulty of staying motivated and productive. That’s because working alone (even if you’re in a coffee shop surrounded by others) means that you’re only accountable to yourself for your productivity, making it hard to complete necessary tasks.

When you work in a coworking space instead of at home alone or in a coffee shop, you’re more aware that you are indeed there to work. You now need to consider what you wear rather than staying in your pajamas or throwing on a pair of shorts and flip-flops.

This simple act of dressing professionally and walking into an office where others are working can greatly increase your focus, productivity, and efficiency.

8) Community

Startups usually begin with the efforts of one or two individuals. Some startups even stay that way — with only one or two workers — for quite some time, which can make developing your startup into a full-fledged business an extremely lonely endeavor.

That isolation can have a negative effect on your focus, your mental well-being, and, ultimately, your product or service.

Moving your operations to a coworking space opens the door to a vast community of like-minded individuals. This gives you the social interaction you need to keep yourself energized, engaged, and inspired to do your best work.

9) Networking

As a startup, you’re acutely aware of the importance of networking. You need those connections — those resources — to help your business prosper. But with all the time and energy you’re putting into getting your enterprise off the ground, who’s got time to attend networking events?

Imagine if you could network with other professionals while you work? Running your startup out of a coworking space makes that possible. Day in and day out, you’ll be surrounded by entrepreneurs, freelancers, business owners (and their teams), consultants, and experts of all sorts.

You can use those connections to improve, evolve, and refine your product or service. You won’t get that working out of your own office space.

10) Flexibility

Flexibility is essential for developing a successful startup. One day you’re running smoothly with 10 employees, and the next you suddenly need 20. A few months later, you’re ready for 30 employees (or to go back to 10). Packing 20 employees in an office meant for 10 (or vice versa) can put a serious damper on the productivity, creativity, and overall happiness of your team.

One of the many coworking space benefits is the ease with which you can expand and contract the amount of space you use. Start with space for 10 in May, then expand to space for 25 in June. Monthly membership options make upsizing or downsizing easier than ever.

11) Effectiveness

Energy and mindset are an essential part of working at a startup. Working in a coworking environment makes your team more effective — higher energy, better mindset — through a combination of interaction with others and accountability for their work.

You can’t get that by isolating your team in their own space.

When you translate effectiveness into dollars, you’ll quickly see that the financial costs of basing your startup in a coworking space are much lower than the financial benefits a coworking space creates. And when benefits exceed costs, your business will thrive.

12) Business Mindset

Taking your startup seriously can be difficult at first, when you’re doing most of the work at your kitchen table or a corner booth at the local coffee shop.

But when you make the trip to a coworking space, you and your team members create a business mindset that you can’t generate any other way.

A business mindset means better focus, improved creativity, and increased motivation to get the job done. For a startup that thrives on those qualities, business mindset is a coworking space benefit that many businesses can’t do without.

13) Reliability

Directing your startup’s activities from your favorite cafe is fine initially, but the uncertainty associated with working from public places — it’s too noisy, it’s too crowded, you can’t find a seat — is counterproductive to building your business.

To really grow your startup, you need reliability and stability. A coworking environment provides the space you need when you need it so that you don’t have to worry about noise, crowds, or where to sit.

14) A Professional Mailing Address

We’ve talked about the importance of a professional image and how a coworking space gives your business the look and feel you need to impress clients and customers. But a big part of that is having a mailing address separate from your home address.

Coworking spaces help you establish a professional mailing address so you never have to miss the delivery of your packages and letters again.

Overnighting the must-have equipment to your fourth-floor walkup is often hit or miss. Will you be there when the package arrives? Will the delivery service leave the package in the hall if you’re not?

And if you do miss the delivery, do you have to wait another day to get your hands on the merchandise?

When you base your startup in a coworking space, mail service is taken care of for you. Delivery services can drop off your letters and boxes with guest reception, who will store them until your arrival. No more worrying about missing the supplies you need to keep your project and your business moving forward.

15) Structure

Working from home has its own set of advantages. But the abundance of distractions that come with working in your house or apartment quickly outweigh the benefits.

TV, pets, your family, your bed — these distractions can pull your focus away from what you should be doing to build your startup into the business you know it can be. At a coworking space like Bond Collective, the distractions you find at home are nonexistent.

And while the temptation to take a nap can occur everywhere, you won’t have to contend with the impulse to binge-watch your favorite show because you’ll be “at work” and surrounded by other like-minded individuals.

Running your startup from a coworking space helps you keep your work life separate from your home life, lends your day structure, and gives you a reason to get out of the house.

16) Support

As an entrepreneur, it’s all too easy to begin doubting what you are doing is right. It can be frightening when you remove the safety net that comes with working for someone else and being a small part of a large machine.

This self-doubt can cripple your efforts to make your startup a success. It can be even worse if you isolate yourself by working from home or a public place. Even in a crowd, you can be by yourself.

At a coworking space, though, you are surrounded by fellow entrepreneurs, business owners, and teams who can provide support to help you push through your self-doubt.

Regardless of industry or niche, everyone encounters the same types of issues. Talking to someone about what you’re experiencing can get you out of your head and give you the opportunity to find out how someone else conquered their doubt and moved on to bigger and better things.

Find A Coworking Space Tailor-Made For Your Startup

Finding a coworking space for your startup doesn’t have to be a monumental task. Reach out to Bond Collective. Whether you’re a business of one or 100, we can help you find a space that is tailor-made for your brand.

The coworking spaces at Bond Collective give you the flexibility and affordability to work the way you want without the extra headache of a long-term commitment. This gives your startup the best chance for success.

Work from a dedicated desk in May and June; upgrade to a private office in July, August, and September; and then downgrade to a first-come-first-served desk in October.

This can help you deal with the ebb and flow of team members throughout the year and save your much-needed funds for building your business. You can’t do that with a conventional lease.

Plus, with a coworking space, you don’t have to skimp just to get ahead. A quality coworking space, like Bond Collective, gives you and your team everything you need so you can focus on the work rather than whose turn it is to clean the bathroom.

You’ll enjoy amenities such as:

• Conference rooms for 2 or 20+

• Private meeting and phone booths

• Guest reception and greeting

• Professional image

• Unlimited black-and-white printing

• Fast, reliable WiFi and ethernet

• Mail and package handling

• Porter service

• Nightly office cleaning

• Fresh fruit, snacks, and weekly breakfast

• Complimentary spa water, craft beer, and coffee

So don’t let office space destroy your dream of becoming an entrepreneur. Start your journey on the right foot by partnering with Bond Collective. We can help you reach your goals.

Visit any one of Bond Collective’s many locations in the United States, including workspaces in New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Illinois, Tennessee, and Texas. Or call us today to find out more about everything we have to offer.

Then become a member of Bond Collective and take advantage of our coworking spaces, dedicated desks, and private offices to suit all your business needs.

To get started or to learn more about coworking space benefits for digital nomads, startups, remote workers, and businesses of all sizes, visit BondCollective.com today.

By Bond Collective Staff

The modern office space truly is a thing of beauty. Gone are the endless rows of cubicles that made employees feel like rats in a maze (or a cage). They’ve been replaced by expansive spaces, vibrant colors, and natural lighting and materials. 

This shift from closed to open office design has had a profound effect on the happiness, productivity, and creativity of employees in modern offices everywhere. Not to mention providing a significant wow factor for the clients who visit these modern works of architectural and design art. 

But how do you go about transitioning from a more traditional, closed office environment to a new, modern office space? In this article, the experts at Bond Collective will tell you everything you need to know about designing the perfect office for you, your team, and your clients.

What To Strive For When Creating A Modern Office Space

We’ll address some specific suggestions for designing a modern office space in the next section.

In this section, though, we’ll give you the broad strokes of what a modern office space should look like, how it should feel, and the effect it should have on those who spend their time there.

1) Stimulates Creativity, Collaboration, And Communication

The three Cs of business — creativity, collaboration, and communication — are a set of behaviors that all managers strive to promote in their team members. When the three Cs permeate everything your employees do, the result is high-quality work.

There are many ways managers and business owners can stimulate creativity, collaboration, and communication, but one of the most effective is through the environment in which their employees work.

You can stimulate creativity by incorporating bright colors into your design elements. Whether it’s a theme that extends throughout your office space or just splashes of color here and there, bright tones can elevate your employees’ creativity and help them work better.

Similarly, you can promote collaboration and communication through the arrangement of desks, furniture, and technology. As we mentioned earlier, we’ll delve into the details of this concept in the next section.

But it goes without saying that cubicles and private offices do not lend themselves to the type of collaboration and communication that you’re looking for.

2) Reduces Stress And Anxiety

In addition to stimulating the three Cs, modern office spaces should also serve to reduce stress and anxiety.

For example, industrial design elements — such as exposed metal, unfinished stone, and sharp corners — have their place as an aesthetic. But used too much, they can give your team members the sense that they are just a cog in a much larger machine.

That in itself can cause stress and anxiety to flourish.

We’re not saying you have to avoid industrial design elements altogether — some of our favorite office spaces have industrial components — but, rather, that you should temper their effects with softer, more inviting components like cushy couches, overstuffed chairs, and a more natural color palette (e.g., greens, blues, yellows, etc.).

These appealing elements help to reduce the stress and anxiety that the fast pace of modern business tends to promote.

3) Allows Team Members To Focus And Concentrate When Necessary

As we mentioned above, a modern office space should promote collaboration and communication. But there’s a fine line between just the right amount of collaboration and communication and too much.

Your team members also need a place to focus and concentrate on their own or in small groups. Your workspace should provide for this necessary activity. If it doesn’t, you run the risk of alienating the segment of your workforce that needs to be quiet and still to get things done.

At first glance, this may seem at odds with the idea of stimulating collaboration and communication. But, in reality, it’s the opposite side of the coin.

Through collaboration and communication, your employees refine the big ideas. Then they need to dig into the details by themselves to truly understand where the concept is going.

As such, your office should provide space for both of these activities to occur simultaneously. That way, your team members can transition from each activity when the need strikes them without affecting anyone else.

4) Portrays A Professional Image For Clients And Customers

While certain areas of your office space may be whimsical, strange, or just plain chaotic, other areas should portray a professional image for visiting clients and customers.

Typically, this means that you should design the front-facing areas — such as reception, visitor’s lounge, and conference room — in a more clean, uncluttered, and professional manner.

Then, when a big client comes to visit, you’re not scrambling around trying to tidy up the busy collaboration space in order to convey the refined image your company needs.

Separating these two distinct areas — client-facing and employee-facing — and designing them to be functional, user-friendly, and professional is key to making the best impression possible on those who visit your business.

5) Incorporates Biophilic Design

More and more modern office spaces are incorporating natural elements — also called biophilic elements — into their design aesthetic.

Biophilic design revolves around the premise that humans have an inherent need to connect with nature. When they make that connection, they enjoy better health, heightened concentration, increased creativity, and improved work performance.

There are many ways to add biophilic design to your office space. The easiest and most effective are:

• Natural materials such as wood and stone

• Natural light through large windows or glass ceilings

• Plants that convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and purify the air

• Running water like fountains, streams, or waterfalls

• Views of nature through windows or even via paintings and pictures

Though some design elements (like running water and large windows) may not be practical in all cases, the other biophilic components are fairly simple to include in your modern office space.

6) Feels Like Home

Another excellent way to inspire your team to greatness is to design their workspace so that it feels like home. This doesn’t mean dirty dishes in the sink, clothes on the furniture, and empty pizza boxes on the table. Rather, it means that the office space is physically and mentally comfortable.

Including bright and comfortable furniture, a ping-pong table in the lounge area, and even a recreational swing or slide can make the modern office space more relaxing and stress-free.

These elements give team members a way to take short breaks to give their bodies and minds time to rest, recharge, recover, and remain productive throughout the day.

At the same time, employees can use these “homey” areas to collaborate with their coworkers or discuss work-related problems. It gives the activity a relaxed feel — like you’re shooting the breeze with a friend after a hard day’s work — that can make people feel more comfortable, creative, and open to new ideas.

Now that we’ve discussed the general issues of workspace design, let’s drill down to some specific examples of how you can get the most out of your modern office space.

Three Key Components Of The Modern Office Space

We’ve simplified the process of designing a modern office space by dividing it into three essential categories:

1. Workspace

2. Technology

3. Team Members

For each key element, we’ve provided four tips to help you develop an up-to-date office space that reflects your particular brand.

1) Workspace

Allow For Variety And Flexibility

New, modern office spaces allow for a variety of different work environments. Think of these environments as subdivisions of your larger space. You’ll need places for quiet work, places for collaboration, and places for socialization.

You can further improve your workspace by encouraging layout flexibility. Modular furniture gives your team members the option to rearrange an area to suit their needs at the moment. That makes for a much more hospitable environment.

Incorporate Active Furniture

The variety and flexibility you plan for in your workplace writ-large extend all the way down to the individual pieces of furniture you choose. For a happier, healthier team, incorporate active furniture instead of relying solely on your standard desk and chair setup.

Active furniture includes the likes of ergonomic chairs, pedestal stools, saddle chairs, adjustable-height desks, and even treadmills and bike chairs. Having a variety of seating and work-surface options allows your team members to change positions often and helps them avoid the physical strain that comes with sitting for eight hours every day.

Tame The Noise

When planning a modern office space, sound reduction should be a primary concern. Large, open spaces are notoriously noisy and can seriously affect your team’s productivity.

You can minimize this problem by using sound-abatement tools, such as:

• Soft furniture (e.g., fabric couches and chairs)

• Acoustic ceiling and wall panels

• Curtains

• Quiet keyboards

• Vinyl flooring (rather than natural wood or ceramic tile)

• Noise-canceling headphones

• Plants

Any (or all) of these options will significantly reduce the noise pollution common to large, open office spaces.

Add Outdoor Spaces

Don’t forget outdoor spaces when planning your office design. If you have access to a patio, balcony, roof, or other open-air environment, furnish it with chairs, small tables, and maybe a bean-bag-toss game or two.

These outdoor spaces give your team members a change of scenery and allow them to get some fresh air and recharge their batteries. They also make for great meeting and collaboration areas.

2) Technology

Ensure Data Access Anywhere In The Office

Modern office spaces are built around the idea that team members should be able to work wherever they want. That means that they need to have access to their work (their data) anywhere they go in the office.

From a design perspective, it means providing a strong Wi-Fi signal in every nook and cranny, and ensuring that there are plenty of Ethernet ports (Cat5/Cat6) everywhere work might be done.

Go Wireless

The wireless concept extends to more than just working with Wi-Fi. It incorporates such things as:

• Wireless charging solutions

• Cords hidden within walls, floors, and trays

• Recessed power outlets built into desks and tables

• Cordless phones

• Bluetooth headsets

All of these solutions can reduce the clutter of a large, open office and give team members more flexibility over where they choose to work.

Provide Collaboration Tools

The right collaboration tools can make or break your team’s productivity. A whiteboard and colored markers aren’t enough anymore. Now, modern offices are incorporating smart boards (digital whiteboards), wireless projectors, and touchscreen displays and presentation monitors to make collaboration easier.

The importance of collaboration even extends online. Cloud-based group apps allow everyone on your team to work together on the same project regardless of what device they’re using — or even where they’re located in the office.

Support A Wide Variety Of Devices

When choosing the technology for your modern office space, be sure to provide support for a wide variety of devices. Some of your team members may prefer to work on a desktop. Others may prefer to work on a laptop. Still others may do their best work on a tablet or mobile phone.

Regardless of the device your employees choose, or even if they choose to use all three throughout the day, the transition from one to the other should be as seamless as possible. If it’s a hassle to go from desktop to tablet, productivity will suffer.

3) Team Members

Give Team Members The Freedom To Work Anywhere

From day one in your new modern office space, give team members the freedom to work anywhere in the office that suits them. That may mean that one day they spread out in the lounge, the next day they isolate themselves at a desk, and the next day they sit on the floor in a corner. 

Some team members may even work in all three of the above spaces in the span of three hours. As long as they’re being productive, it shouldn’t matter where your employees work.

Focus On Wellness

Your modern office space should contribute to the health and wellness of your employees. Remember, a healthy team member is a happy and productive team member. 

Stock the pantry with healthy foods. Move the furniture to make room for yoga classes. And offer in-office kitchen events where team members can whip up a meal and eat together. These and other wellness practices can help keep your team members more focused on and engaged in the work at hand.

Train Employees To Work Differently

Assigned seats and workstations are the norm in most schools and traditional office environments. However, in the modern office space, team members may not have a desk that’s all their own. 

Instead, employees are encouraged to use the different areas of the office for different purposes (collaboration, focus/quiet, socialization, etc.). But because the idea of an assigned seat is so ingrained in our behavior, you may need to train your employees to work differently. 

Make it a part of your onboarding process to show new employees how they can use each unique area of your office and to help them see that they don’t have to sit at the same desk every day to be productive.

Preserve The Traditional Office For Certain Jobs

Certain jobs demand a more traditional office space. You don’t want your CEO and VP formulating strategies and conducting private business for everyone to see and hear. 

Similarly, you don’t want your sales team (who are always on the phone) to disturb the creativity and focus of your other teams. That’s why private offices and separate, dedicated spaces for certain positions are still necessary even in today’s modern office design.

Obtain A Modern Office Space Without All The Work

Designing a modern office space is a lot of work. It takes planning, forethought, imagination, and time — commodities that might be exhausted keeping your business and your teams running smoothly. But you don’t have to start from scratch. 

Bond Collective has created several boutique coworking environments that are available immediately for businesses of all sizes. In addition to our unique office settings, members also enjoy amenities like:

• Private-label mail service

• Daily on-site cleaning

• Custom build-outs

• Guest reception and greeting

• Insanely fast Wi-Fi

• 24-hour access

• Concession food market

• Bike storage

Visit any one of Bond Collective’s many locations in the United States, including workspaces in New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Illinois, Tennessee, and Texas. Then become a member of Bond Collective and take advantage of our coworking spaces, dedicated desks, and private offices to suit all your business needs.

To get started or to learn more about the advantages of coworking spaces for digital nomads, remote workers, and businesses of all kinds, visit BondCollective.com today.

By Bond Collective Staff

Ask 10 people what makes an office design great and you’ll get 10 different answers. Yes, an office must have a floor, a ceiling, and four walls (though the number four is debatable as well). But after that, there’s really no limit to how you decorate the space. 

That said, some office designs are better than others. And not just better in terms of aesthetics, but better in terms of having a profound influence on your team’s creativity and productivity.

So how can you design an office your whole team will love? The workspace experts at Bond Collective give you 10 office design ideas to make every room — large or small — the best it can be. 

Using Office Design To Create The Right Atmosphere

Creating the right atmosphere is an important part of office design. A well-designed office and the tone it communicates can impact your team’s efficiency, productivity, morale, and overall attitude. That same well-designed office also communicates volumes about the business to your clients and customers. 

A pleasing, organized, modern office interior design promotes confidence and speaks of success to those who experience it. That said, it’s important to understand that what works for one business may not work for another. It all depends on the tone, image, and overall brand you’re trying to create. 

Do you want to convey sophistication and professionalism? Go with dark, rich colors paired with straight, clean lines. Do you want to convey a more fun and creative vibe? Choose bright, flashy colors combined with busy prints and curvy lines. 

Which style is right for your business? Only you can answer that question. Your choice, though, will then influence how you layout, decorate, and furnish your workspace.  

Preparation And Planning Are Key

Before deciding on the office design you like, or the “trendy” new look your friend’s business chose, invest some time in preparing and planning.

Identifying what works for your business — which may be different from what other businesses are doing — will reap dividends in intangibles like productivity, engagement, focus, and improved team dynamic.

Here’s how to discover the office design that is perfect for a group of two or 200.

1) Observe Your Team’s Dynamic

The best way to find the office design and layout that works for your business is to observe your team’s dynamic.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• How does the team use their current space?

• Where are the bottlenecks in traffic flow?

• What are the obstacles in collaboration?

• What works in the current office design?

• What doesn’t work?

• What complaints about workspace does the team make on a regular basis?

As to this last question, don’t be afraid to ask your team directly what they want in an office space. They’re the ones using it every day and will likely have some good suggestions on how to improve the design.

2) Design With Company Culture In Mind

Your business has its own unique company culture that differs from the company culture of every other business. An effective office design will recognize and celebrate these distinctive differences in a manner that is all your own.

These defining characteristics give your business personality and help attract — and retain — clients, vendors, partners, and top talent. An office design that reinforces your company culture can even amplify team spirit within your business.

To identify your company culture, sit down with your team and define — in words and images — the personality you want your business to convey. Then design your office space accordingly.

3) One Size Does Not Fit All

Every business is different. In fact, every team within a business is different. They each function in their own unique way. That means that a one-size-fits-all approach to office design doesn’t work in most cases.

For example, some teams work better when they have several hours of quiet time each day. Cubicles or semi-private workspaces might serve you well in this instance.

Other teams, however, need to be in constant contact in order to answer questions, come up with solutions, and access a collective knowledge base. Isolating these individuals — even with something as basic as a cubicle — would interrupt that dynamic.

So what works for one business or one team won’t work for another. You have to identify the variables that affect your team the most.

4) Reimagine Space Allocation

Past office design paradigms allocated space based on title. The president and vice-president of the company had the biggest offices. Senior sales staff had smaller offices, managers yet smaller offices.

And so on down the ranks of employees it went to the newest members of the team, who may only have six to eight square feet of workspace.

In recent years, though, the tide is turning. Businesses are realizing that it’s more effective to allocate space based on the time a person spends in the office, not their title.

In fact, upper management may spend more time out of the office than in, so their workspace is wasted the majority of the day.

On the other end of the spectrum, an engineer often spends 80, 90, or even 100 percent of the day in the office working on various projects. They need a larger workspace than the salespeople who are out in meetings 75 percent of the time.

5) Rethink Essential Technologies

The office design that is right for your business will depend in large part on the essential technologies that your team uses on a regular basis.

For example, wired technology restricts employee movement and keeps them in one place for most of the day. Wireless technology, on the other hand, allows employees to move from one place to another without restrictions.

Though the debate between wired and wireless is one of the largest issues you’ll face, other technologies will have a significant impact on your business as well. It’s vital to identify the essential technologies that influence your team.

In the process, don’t be afraid to rethink how your business might use necessary tools in the future. When you plan for such a change, you make designing the perfect workspace easier and more straightforward.

6) Put Collaboration High On The List

When planning your new office design, put collaboration high on the list of “must-have” elements. Collaboration is the new model in business — and for good reason: it works.

Many small businesses and entrepreneurs get their start in a large, open room where everyone can talk to everyone else. As those businesses and startups grow, they often move into more traditional offices with walls and doors and dividers.

In the process, they lose the original “buzz” that made their success possible. But you can keep the buzz alive in your business by encouraging collaboration through your office design.

We’ll discuss some easy ways to do that in the 10 Tips For An Inspiring Office Design section below.

7) Base Your Office Design On Activities

As you observe your team, make note of the main activities they perform each day.

For example, they may check email and voicemail first thing when they arrive (often called “touching down”). From there, they move to a full team meeting. After that, they may break off into smaller groups to work on a project and, eventually, work solo for a while before taking a lunch break.

Use these main activities — touching down, team meeting, small group activity, and solo work — to design the office space that satisfies the unique needs of your team.

As you’ll see in the next section, there are plenty of ways to make even the smallest work area more flexible so that your team can tailor the space to their current activities.

10 Tips For An Inspiring Office Design

1)  Offer A Variety Of Seat And Desk Options

When considering your office design, plan for a variety of seat and desk options. Ergonomic chairs, stools, couches, adjustable-height desks, cafe tables, and communal tables (just to name a few) are all excellent options to include in your workspace.

These options may not seem like a crucial consideration, but they are. Especially now that medical professionals recognize the negative health impacts of sitting for long periods of time every day. 

Give your team the choice to work in a variety of different positions and they’ll be happier, healthier, more creative, and more productive.

2) Hide The Wire Clutter

Modern workers rely on electronic devices to get their work done. The cords that power and charge those tablets, printers, copiers, laptops, monitors, and phones can seriously clutter workspaces and hinder productivity.

Going wireless is one excellent solution. But for those devices that haven’t cut the cord yet, find ways to keep that snarl organized and out of the way. If at all possible, conceal the cords in the wall, in the floor, or along the backs of furniture. 

3) Choose Natural Light

Gone are the days of row upon row of white fluorescent lights. We now know that the human body responds better to natural light. That natural light improves your team members’ moods and helps them stay focused and productive for longer periods of time. 

While it’s likely impossible to put a window in every office, you can furnish your workspaces with lights that give off softer wavelengths. Harness the power of natural light by taking advantage of the lighting options available in today’s marketplace.

New technologies allow for office lighting to change automatically from the cooler greens and blues that occur in the morning to the warmer yellows and reds that occur in the afternoon. This allows you to vary the color temperature of your office lights to mimic what happens outdoors.

4) Take Down The Walls

When choosing your office design architecture, stay away from solid floor-to-ceiling walls, or even half-wall cubicles, whenever possible. Instead, opt for glass partitions — or no partitions at all. This open-concept office design promotes a collaborative and engaged workforce.

If you need to carve out a more private space, consider installing frosted glass brick or some other opaque material. Options like these allow for plenty of natural, ambient light while still giving you the privacy you need.

5) Bring The Outside In

Natural accents like plants, exposed concrete and wood floors, reclaimed wood desktops, and painted steel are simple ways to bring the outside in. These touches have the added benefit of making team members feel more comfortable. And when they’re more comfortable, they’re more focused, creative, and engaged.

6) Inspire Your Team With Color

Drab colors do nothing to encourage creativity and hard work. That’s why modern office designs incorporate vivid colors into the walls, floors, ceilings, and furnishings. 

Whether you’re organizing different areas according to a certain color scheme or simply scattering pops of color around the office, studies have shown that varied bright hues can boost productivity, creativity, and overall happiness. 

7) Set Up Multipurpose Workspaces

The large tables found in old libraries were often used as flexible workspaces. They allowed for a variety of work — from writing to research to drawing — to be done alone or in groups as the need arose. 

You can incorporate that same multipurpose workspace concept into your modern office design to promote solo and collaborative work of all different kinds. 

No longer do you have to dedicate space to a specific task. Now, you can design your office’s workspaces for a multitude of purposes — from quick team pow-wows to studious research tasks.

8) Decorate With A Variety Of Materials And Textures

Material and texture can have a significant influence on the quality of your team’s work. Few people want to stare at smooth, bland plastics all day. 

That’s why office designers are gravitating toward the use of a variety of materials — from rough wood to soft fabrics to textured plaster and more — throughout the workspace. These textures stimulate a sense of productivity and wellness in the people who experience them every day.

9) Promote Collaboration With Mobile Furniture

Collaboration is vital to the success of your business, meaning that collaborative work areas are more necessary than ever before. Meeting together and then breaking into smaller groups keeps the inspiration flowing. But finding a workspace for those smaller groups can quickly kill the creative vibe. 

To make this process easier, set up your collaborative areas with furniture that you can easily move, roll away, nest, fold up, or break down completely. This gives your employees the ability to cluster together after a team meeting to keep the brainstorm session rolling.

10) Foster Community With A Lounge Area

While a small workstation is still an important part of your employees’ workday, wireless technology allows employees to take their work with them to different spaces. A designated lounge area provides a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere where employees can build community, collaborate, and unwind while continuing to work on the project at hand.

It’s also beneficial to position the lounge area near — or as a part of — the main entrance of your office where the reception desk is located. When a visitor (be it a client or a prospective employee) walks in and sees all the activity, they’ll immediately get a sense of what your business is about.

The Ideal Office Space

At Bond Collective, we know how to design an office your whole team will love. Every one of our shared office spaces incorporates all 10 of the tips on this list (plus countless other design factors). 

If you’re looking for a workspace that will increase your team’s productivity, consider becoming a member of Bond Collective. Take advantage of our coworking spaces, dedicated desks, and private offices to suit all your business needs. When you work at Bond Collective, you’ll be surrounded by extraordinary design that will take your teamwork to the next level.

Visit any one of Bond Collective’s many locations in the United States, including workspaces in New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Illinois, Tennessee, and Texas. Or call us today to find out more about everything we have to offer.

To learn more about the advantages of coworking spaces for digital nomads, remote workers, and businesses of all kinds, visit BondCollective.com today.

By Bond Collective Staff

Office environment plays a critical role in the way you work. If you can’t get comfortable or if important items are not easily accessible, your productivity, focus, and inspiration will suffer. Instead of giving up and calling it quits, use these office hacks to improve your working environment.

21 Best Office Hacks

1) Personalize Your Space

Encouraging your employees to personalize their spaces can add a dash of inspiration to an otherwise dull environment. Items like pictures, amusing sayings, and even some of the office hacks on this list make your employees’ desks more lively and stimulating.

And if you and your team work remotely or from different locations where you can’t leave your personal belongings overnight, carry a few of your favorite items in a backpack and unpack one, two, or all of them when you find a place to work.

Even just setting one item on the table at your favorite coffee house can help make the space more familiar and user-friendly. When you’re done for the day, repack the items in your bag so they’re ready for wherever you work tomorrow.

Not sure how to personalize your workspace for inspiration? Here are some simple, easy-to-incorporate suggestions:

• Pick your favorite color and place three or four items of that color on your desk

• Scatter various-colored items along the perimeter of your desk

• Choose brightly colored items to boost productivity, engagement, and overall happiness

• Incorporate various materials and textures on your desk (e.g., wood, fabric, metal)

These simple office hacks will promote a sense of wellness and creativity throughout the day, wherever you happen to work.

2) Make A Template For Easier Hanging

Need to hang an item on the wall with specific holes (like a power strip)? Make a photocopy of the back and use it as a template to mark where to drill or nail. You’ll get the perfect placement every time.

3) Corral Cords With A Metal Basket

Is that cord tangle under your desk driving you crazy? Hide the mess with a metal basket.

Screw four metal cup hooks into the underside of your desk around the perimeter of the metal basket (be sure to give your knees plenty of room to move). Then run all your cords through the basket to keep them corralled.

Using cup hooks instead of screws or nails makes for fast installation and removal. Just push the basket up until it’s flush with the desk, turn two of the hooks 90 degrees, and remove the container for easy access.

You can even run cords out at all angles to accommodate numerous devices.

4) Place A Plant On The Corner Of Your Desk

Want to reduce your stress and anxiety? Want to boost your morale and productivity? Want to transform your workspace from sterile to inspiring? Add a plant.

This simple and inexpensive office hack is a low-maintenance solution that will make you happier and more at ease, resulting in increased focus and engagement.

A small bonsai tree or cactus is ideal for this office hack. They are hearty, easy to transport (they fit in a backpack or tote bag), and don’t take up a lot of space on your desk.

5) Spice Up Your Office Supplies

Office supplies — like paper clips, thumbtacks, binder clips, and other tiny items — can be nearly impossible to organize. Instead of hiding them in a drawer, use a spice rack to keep them tidy and on display for all to see.

6) Repurpose A Spring For Notes And Letters

Letter holders are a wonderful way to keep notes and correspondence organized. But for those of us on the go, they can be difficult to carry. That’s where this office hack comes into play.

Remove a spring from an old pen (or buy a bigger one for more stability) and stack your notes and letters horizontally between the rolls of wire. Quick, easy, organized.

7) Wear Earplugs Or Noise-Canceling Headphones

If you work in a noisy environment but you really need to focus, considering wearing earplugs or noise-canceling headphones. They may not block the sound completely, but they will reduce it enough that you can tune it out.

And if you choose noise-canceling headphones, you can always queue your favorite work music to help you concentrate.

8) Tidy Your Desk With Tape

If you want to be happier and healthier while you work, wherever you work, tidy your workspace with this quick office hack.

Wrap some packing tape around your hand with the sticky side out. Then start cleaning. Crumbs, pencil shavings, shreds of paper, even small pieces of broken glass will stick to the tape and can then be easily discarded.

This office hack is especially useful for cleaning hard-to-reach places that collect a lot of dust and crumbs. Your computer keyboard is a prime example.

Keyboards are one of the dirtiest tools on your desk, and cleaning them can be a real pain. So much so that you’re likely to skip this important step. The next time you’re tidying up your working environment, use this office hack instead of overlooking the place that needs cleaning the most.

Run a strip of clear tape through the spaces between keys to extract all the dust, crumbs, and dead skin cells that pile up with repeated use.

9) Transform A Cassette Case Into A Smartphone Stand

Remember cassette tapes? They were all the rage before CDs (which were all the rage before MP3s and streaming music).

While cassette tapes are pretty much useless in modern society, the cases they came in make for excellent smartphone stands.

Open a cassette tape case all the way, place it on your desk, insert your phone, and you’ve got an inexpensive yet effective stand that’s both a conversation starter and a nice piece of nostalgia.

10) Mount Your Tablet With Self-Adhesive Hooks

Want to free up desk space and declutter your work environment? Try this office hack.

Press two self-adhesive hooks to the wall and place your tablet in the grooves. Now you can see your device while you work without having to hold it.

11) Clean Your Dirty Screen With A Coffee Filter

Whether you use a large desktop monitor or a small tablet screen all day, those surfaces are going to get dirty.

In the absence of a microfiber cloth (which is the best option), use a clean coffee filter. The softness and high fiber count of the filter will remove even the toughest of smudges.

12) Control The Clutter

Let’s face it: clutter is distracting. The sense of disorganization that surrounds a cluttered workspace can seriously affect the happiness and productivity of your team. So before you attempt to improve your working environment by adding things, try removing things.

Here are a few suggestions for decluttering your office environment:

• Hire a commercial cleaner

• Go wireless if possible

• Invest in storage solutions

• Provide each team member with a personal storage space

• Minimize items on your desk

We’re sure that, with some thought, you’ll come up with plenty of unique ways to keep your office environment clutter-free.

13) Take A Natural-Light Break

New research shows that natural light has a significantly positive effect on mood, focus, and productivity. Get a healthy dose of natural light by sitting near a window or going outside every hour or two. Even just five minutes of light exposure is enough to improve your mood.

If sitting near a window or going outside isn’t physically possible, the next best solution is to use a small desk lamp that mimics natural light with softer wavelengths.

New technology even allows lamps like these to change automatically from the cooler greens and blues that occur in the morning to the warmer yellows and reds that occur in the afternoon.

14) Rig Up A Binder-Clip Headphone Hanger

Working in an open office is one of the best ways to collaborate, but it can be noisy at times. Headphones are the obvious solution, but they take up quite a bit of desk space if not stored correctly.

Instead of placing your headphones ON your desk, buy a large binder clip and clip it to the edge of your desk. Fold the arms back so they stick out away from your desk and hang your headphones there.

15) Consider A Mechanical Keyboard

Your computer is a crucial part of your working environment. Without it, you won’t get much done. And unless you’re using speech-to-text, the best way to code, write, or generally input information is via the keyboard.

Modern laptop keyboards are designed to be lightweight and compact but are less than ideal for long bouts of typing. A better alternative is the mechanical keyboard.

Mechanical keyboards are built around small, spring-mounted switches that offer a more tactile feel than the ubiquitous membrane keyboards that come with most laptops. These switches are more heavy-duty, will last longer, and can actually improve your typing speed.

As an added benefit, mechanical keyboards are somewhat larger than laptop keyboards and, therefore, allow your hands and arms to remain in a more ergonomic position. This is better for your posture, overall health, and work productivity.

Mechanical keyboards come in many different sizes — from the 40-percent layout that includes only the letter keys and surrounding command keys (Shift, Tab, Ctrl, Alt, Enter, etc.) to the full 100-percent layout that includes all alphanumeric keys, function keys (F1, F2, F3, etc.), command keys, navigation keys (arrows, insert, delete, etc.), and ten-key number pad.

Most mechanical keyboards will plug into any computer via a regular USB port, so you can integrate one into your system even if your laptop already has a keyboard.

You can also choose between various types of switches that allow for different touch and sound experiences. The latter is especially useful in an office environment where a quieter switch/key combination won’t disturb those working around you.

With all of the options and choices available, you’re sure to find a layout and setup that suits your needs.

16) Deep Clean Your Keyboard And Computer Monthly

Whether you choose a mechanical keyboard or use the keyboard that came with your computer, it’s vital that you deep-clean around and underneath the keys at least once per month.

Doing so prevents key breakdown and extends the life of your keyboard. It can even improve typing speeds and prevent misfires (instances when dirt interferes with the key so that it doesn’t register on the screen).

We’ve already talked about surface-cleaning your keyboard in office hack number eight, but it’s essential to get down between the cracks and underneath the keys (if possible) every 30 days to keep your keyboard and computer running smoothly.

What you’ll need to deep clean your computer:

• Isopropyl rubbing alcohol

• Microfiber cloths

• Cotton swabs

• Canned air

If you can remove the keys from the keyboard, do so. This isn’t possible with most membrane keyboards that come standard on laptops, so don’t force it. In these situations, just work around the keys.

Start by blowing short bursts of canned air into all the ports, jacks, and around the keys.

Next, wipe the screen and other large surfaces with a microfiber cloth. For tough, stuck-on material, wet a corner of the cloth with water or isopropyl alcohol and scrub gently.

Finally, dip a cotton swab in the isopropyl alcohol and clean the corners and crevices that the cloth can’t reach.

17) Stay Hydrated And Fed

One of the best office hacks to improve your working environment is staying hydrated and fed. It’s not as visible as many of the other tips on this list, but it can make the most difference in your productivity.

To ensure that you drink enough water throughout the day, label a water bottle with milestones you should reach during work hours.

For example, if your goal is to drink three cups of water before lunch, measure and mark one-cup increments on the outside of your water bottle. Label each mark with a time (e.g., 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m.) and then drink the allotted amount before that time.

While you’re drinking your water throughout the day, don’t forget to eat too. A healthy lunch is essential for keeping your energy level high. But nutritious mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks play a part as well.

Keep some granola bars in your briefcase or avail yourself of the free fresh fruit in your office when your stomach starts to growl.

If an apple or a pear just won’t curb your cravings during a particularly strenuous project, try this recipe for a quick and easy brownie in a mug.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup of flour

• ¼ cup of sugar

• 2 tablespoons of cocoa

• Pinch of salt

• Small pinch of cinnamon

• ¼ cup of water

• 2 tablespoons of light-flavor oil (coconut works well)

• ⅛ teaspoon of vanilla extract

Instructions

1. If your coconut oil has solidified, microwave everything but the water for 10 seconds.

2. Stir all the ingredients together before adding the water.

3. Measure ¼ cup of water into the mug and mix well.

4. Microwave on high for 1 minute.

5. If brownie isn’t cooked all the way through, continue microwaving in 15-second increments until it is.

Try mixing the dry ingredients (including the oil) in a sealable container at home before leaving for work. Then pour the ingredients into a large coffee mug, add water, and microwave according to the instructions.

Alternatively, you could just mix everything at home in a sealable microwave-safe container, add water at work, and microwave. That way, you don’t have to dirty another dish.

18) Fidget The Right Way

As we alluded to in the Stay Hydrated And Fed section above, improving your work environment starts with your body and mind.

One simple way to keep your mind firing on all cylinders is to allow yourself to fidget when you feel the need.

Research shows that manipulating physical objects with your hand can activate your brain in significant ways. So tapping your fingers on the desk, clicking your pen, or doodling during the workday can improve your creativity and cognition.

For a more focused fidgeting experience, try placing a fidget spinner, fidget cube, or stress ball within easy reach of your workstation. When you feel the need to stop and think, pick up the object, relax, and let your fingers do whatever comes naturally.

19) Rest Your Eyes

Another way that you can improve your working environment without actually altering the space around you is by taking the time to rest your eyes periodically throughout the day. Eye strain can lead to headaches and lost productivity, so it’s crucial to look away from your computer screen at regular intervals.

Follow the easy-to-remember 20-20-20 rule to keep your eyes fresh and free from strain. Here’s how to do it:

1. Set an alarm or countdown timer for 20 minutes.

2. When the alarm goes off, pause your work.

3. Look at an object at least 20 feet away from you.

4. Keep your gaze on this object for at least 20 seconds.

5. Restart the alarm or countdown timer and return to work.

Put simply, every 20 minutes, look at an object 20 feet away from you for at least 20 seconds.

You can also keep your eyes fresh by minimizing glare on your computer screen and filtering out some of the blue light from your display.

20) Stimulate Your Senses With A Fresh Smell

Want a simple office hack? Activate your sense of smell.

Certain scents can boost your mood, stimulate your creativity, and generally improve your working environment. A bouquet of fresh-cut flowers makes a nice olfactory addition to your workspace, as does a simple air freshener.

Whatever scent you choose, be sure it isn’t too powerful. While you may enjoy the smell of patchouli and lime, for example, others around you may not.

One way to avoid disturbing your workmates — especially in an open office layout — is to create a portable scent kit. Place a small amount of your favorite scented material in a sealable jar (diluted essential oils work well in this case).

When you need an energy boost or a quick bit of inspiration, remove the lid from the container, take a deep breath in through your nose, and then replace the lid. Repeat this activity several times during the day or as needed to stay focused.

21) Learn Keyboard Shortcuts

The way you work and your working environment are intimately intertwined. Any office hack that improves productivity and flow will make your workday more exciting and, dare we say, fun.

One of the best ways to streamline repetitive activities — especially when using a computer — is to learn and memorize keyboard shortcuts.

Key combinations such as Alt + Tab for switching between open programs, Ctrl + Tab for cycling through open browser windows, and Ctrl + C or Ctrl + V for copy and paste respectively can save you significant amounts of time.

Make a list of your most common non-keyboard activities, such as using the mouse to change font characteristics or highlighting text, and then find the equivalent keyboard shortcut. Post this list beside your computer and get in the habit of using the keyboard instead of the mouse.

The Best Working Environment With Or Without Office Hacks

Office hacks are fun and useful — up to a point. While they may solve minor problems in the short term, the DIY nature of some of these solutions can reduce the professional appearance of your working environment.

Instead of overwhelming your space with too many office hacks, get the best working environment right from the start with a coworking space at Bond Collective.

Bond Collective offers boutique coworking environments that are available immediately for businesses of all sizes. In addition to our unique office settings, members also enjoy convenient amenities, such as:

• Private-label mail service

• Daily on-site cleaning

• Custom build-outs

• Guest reception and greeting

• Insanely fast Wi-Fi

• 24-hour access

• Concession food market

• Bike storage

If you’re looking for a spacious, well-appointed collaborative workspace to boost your productivity and transform your business for the better, experience the best that modern office spaces have to offer.

Tour any one of our gorgeous Bond Collective locations in the United States, including New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Illinois, Tennessee, and Texas. Then become a member of Bond Collective and take advantage of our coworking spaces, dedicated desks, and private offices to suit all your business needs.

To get started or to learn more about the advantages of coworking spaces for digital nomads, remote workers, and businesses of all kinds, visit BondCollective.com today or call to find out more about everything we have to offer.

Come experience first-hand how the boutique work environments at Bond Collective can benefit your business.

By Bond Collective Staff

Finding the best manager is crucial to the success of your team and your business. Manager interview questions are a vital part of that process. Here are the 20 best interview questions to ask candidates.

35 Best Manager Interview Questions

1) Tell Me About Yourself

Though not technically a question, “Tell me about yourself” does generate the same type of response as the actual questions on this list. It’s also a gentle way to begin the interview process.

When you ask this question, you’re likely to hear some answers that start with information about the candidate’s personal life. Eventually, they should transition to how they became interested in being a manager and how they got started achieving that goal.

If you don’t hear relevant information about the job for which they’re interviewing, you may need to ask a more specific follow-up question to get the response you need.

2) Why Are You Looking For A New Job?

The answer the candidate gives to this manager interview question helps you evaluate whether he or she would fit in well with your company culture.

Listen for answers that express a desire for roles that are more challenging and opportunities to satisfy work-related goals and passions.

If the candidate is leaving their current job because of issues that are common to every business, they might not be the right choice for your company.

3) What Do You Know About Our Business?

The candidate’s answer to this question should indicate some prior knowledge about your business. They may have conducted research to find the information they need. They may have first-hand experience as a customer, client, or even competitor.

Either way, any detailed response reveals that the potential managerial hire likes what your business has to offer and is motivated to be a part of it.

If they know nothing about your company, other than that they want a job, they haven’t done their due diligence and shouldn’t be high on your shortlist of possible hires.

4) Why Do You Want To Work With Us?

This question is an ideal follow-up to, “What do you know about our business?” because it goes directly to the candidate’s motivation for applying for the job.

Asking this question — and the answer the individual provides — gives you insight into the benefits they perceive they’ll gain by working for your company.

If they reply with something about your stellar customer service or your business strategy, that’s a good sign. If they indicate that their interest is because your business pays the highest wage of all your competitors, that’s a bad sign.

If the candidate’s answer is vague, ask a follow-up question or two to get to the heart of the matter.

5) What Does Being A Manager Mean To You?

This manager interview question helps you understand how the candidate views their role as a manager.

If they see it mainly as a “give-orders-and-demand-results” position, they may not fully understand what your business needs from a manager.

Being part of a successful team means leading and following as necessary. It goes without saying that being able to step up to work in any capacity in order to better the business is a big part of a manager’s duties.

An answer that reflects this team ideal can help you determine if the managerial candidate is right for your company.

If necessary, take the time to delve deep into this question so you get a full sense of how well the candidate understands what it means to be a manager.

6) What Did You Do In Your Most Recent Job?

As a business owner, you know what skills and abilities you’re looking for in a prospective candidate. This manager interview question gets right to the heart of that issue.

If the candidate’s answer is dramatically different from what you’re looking for, they might not be the best hire right now.

7) What’s One Essential Skill You Learned In Your Most Recent Job?

When you hear the candidate’s answer, ask yourself, “Will that skill bring value to my company?” If you’re unsure about their answer, ask follow-up questions about their other skills to see if they can fill a void in your business.

It should also raise a red flag if the candidate can’t think of anything they learned in their most recent job.

We should never stop learning. And even something as seemingly mundane as learning how to stay better organized shows that the candidate is always looking for ways to improve.

8) If Hired, What Would You Do In The First 30-90 Days?

This is a good question to ask to get a sense of how well the candidate understands the responsibilities of a manager.

The successful candidate will explain what they need to get started and what parts of the company they would need to get familiar with. They might even give a specific example of where they would start (e.g., revamping and tracking the company’s email marketing).

In the end, you, the interviewer, might do things differently — and the candidate, if hired, might as well — but being prepared to answer this question reveals that the prospective manager knows your business, knows their job, is able to get to work on day one, and is excited to start.

9) What Other Jobs Are You Considering?

For the most part, candidates should be looking for jobs in similar fields. It doesn’t matter if they’re looking at other companies or even other niches within a specific skill set.

What might raise a warning flag would be if they’ve applied for non-managerial jobs as well as the manager position in your business.

10) What Are Your Salary Expectations?

At this point in the interview process, the candidate shouldn’t answer with a specific number. Rather, you want to hear that the individual is focused on finding the best fit for their skills and abilities.

Talking dollars should come at the end of the face-to-face interview — or even in a second interview if that’s what it takes.

This kind of “trick question” can tell you a lot about whether the candidate is right for your company.

11) What Can You Offer Our Business?

When a candidate answers this manager interview question, see how well it connects with your goals for the position and the job description you’ve written.

You want to hear what the candidate has accomplished in other jobs and how they will bring those same skills and abilities to your company.

12) What’s One Skill You’d Like To Improve?

There’s always room for improvement, and this question is another way to reveal if the candidate’s skills and methods mesh with your team and your business.

It also helps you see how the candidate embodies the information they wrote on their résumé.

13) Why Do You Think You’d Perform This Job Well?

An answer to this question gives you insight into what the candidate has to offer and is essential for making an informed decision.

Asking why they think they would perform well as a manager in your business helps you understand their unique strengths, skills, and level of experience.

Armed with that knowledge, you can choose the best candidate that most closely matches the unique needs of your company.

The valuable thing about this question is that it often elicits a response that, while similar to the “biggest management strength” question, is different enough that it provides a more complete picture of the individual you are interviewing.

14) What Kind Of Work Environment Are You Used To?

Managing a team is, by no means, an easy position in which to survive and thrive. Most businesses are full of high-pressure situations that can bring out the best (and worst) in your team members.

Those same high-pressure situations can also reduce the likelihood that a new manager will stay long enough to learn how to function in such a fast-paced environment.

Asking the interviewee what kind of work environment they are used to will help you understand whether they are well-suited to manage your team or not.

If you don’t get an informative answer the first time through, you may need to ask follow-up questions such as, “Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a high-pressure situation. How did you handle it?”

15) Tell Me About A Time When It Was Hard For You To Do Your Job. What Did You Do To Resolve The Problem?

Even the most skilled manager will find it hard to do their job once in a while. Maybe they had a problem with their superior. Maybe they had a conflict with a direct-report.

Asking this question can help you get a better idea of how the candidate will react when their job doesn’t live up to their expectations.

Did they exercise their problem-solving skills and figure out a way through the issue? Did they make excuses and push the blame off on someone else? Or did they prioritize their responsibility and resolve the problem as quickly as possible?

16) What Is Your Favorite Part Of Being A Manager?

Including this as one of your manager interview questions helps reveal the candidates’ knowledge of the position. Do their answers use common business and managerial terminology? Are they familiar with the nuances of managing a team?

Do their answers touch on why they want to work as in your business? Candidates’ responses can help you gain a better understanding of the person underneath the veneer they show at the interview.

17) What Is Your Least Favorite Part Of Being A Manager?

This interview question makes a great follow up to the previous question. There are always parts of the job that people dislike. But when a candidate’s answer to this question has to do with regular managerial duties, it might be a red flag that this person isn’t right for the position.

18) What Is Your Biggest Management Strength?

The answer to this manager interview question should describe the candidate’s biggest management strength and explain how it helps get the job done and benefits their team and your business.

Job candidates should understand (and verbalize) how their strength integrates with the strengths of your team to form a cohesive unit.

19) What Is Your Biggest Management Weakness?

A candidate who acknowledges a weakness recognizes that there’s an opportunity to improve. An answer to this manager interview question should reveal a trait that the candidate feels they can work on and perhaps how it has affected their work in the past.

Part of the answer should also indicate how the management candidate is working to improve.

20) How Do You Handle Conflicts Between Team Members?

This question provides insight into:

• The candidate’s maturity level

• How they handle stress

• How they hold themselves accountable for problems

• Their ability to deal with difficult personal situations

What happens between team members can affect the team as a whole. So if your management candidate can help colleagues let go of grudges and resentment, they can keep the team focused and engaged.

21) How Would You Describe Your Management Style?

If you’re looking for a specific management style in the candidate’s answer, rephrase this question to include the name. But don’t let it affect the interview if they mention another style.

Instead, ask them how they would approach, conduct, and complete a new project. Ask “What if…” questions to see how they adapt their style when problems arise.

22) What Do You Do When You’re Not Working?

Burnout is common among managers, so it’s important to maintain a healthy work/life balance. This question helps you get a sense of whether or not the candidate can maintain the busy life that comes with leading a team in your business.

23) How Would You Tell A Team Member They Are Underperforming?

Every candidate will have a different method for dealing with an underperforming team member. What you want to find out is if the interviewee will base their communication on what works best for each team member.

The candidate should be willing and able to motivate the team member in question positively rather than negatively.

24) What Was Your Favorite Experience As A Manager?

This interview question serves two purposes:

1. It gives you insight into what the candidate sees as successful management

2. It helps you gauge the level of excitement they feel about their successes

The story and how they tell it can give you an understanding of what being a manager means to them.

25) What Was Your Least Favorite Experience As A Manager?

Talking about failure is much more difficult than talking about success. So this interview question helps you see two things:

1. What being a “bad” manager means to them

2. How they handle their mistakes

Do they take responsibility for the problem? Or do they make excuses?

26) How Do You Define Success?

The answer to this manager interview question shouldn’t be one word (like prestige or money). And it shouldn’t be only about the candidate. Rather, you want to hear how they define success from the team’s perspective.

If need be, ask follow-up questions such as:

• “What small successes do you strive for?”

• “What large success do you strive for?”

It’s important to establish if the candidate’s definition of success matches your business’s definition. Because, ultimately, the way a candidate defines success will influence how their team gauges their activity.

27) What Does Being A Team Player Mean To You?

Asking a candidate how they define “team player” helps you gauge how well they will fit in with your current managerial staff and the team they are being tasked to lead.

The interviewee’s answer should show that they’re ready to do whatever it takes to get the job done and to be both a leader and a follower as the situation dictates.

28) How Would You Prepare For An Important Meeting?

Does the candidate do all the work alone? Or do they bring in trusted team members to assist and to gain valuable training? The way your interviewee prepares for an important meeting is indicative of the way they will manage a team and integrate into the existing business culture.

29) What Things Do Team Members Do That You Find Annoying?

You’ll hear some unique answers to this question, but what you really want to know is how the candidate handles those annoying behaviors.

If the candidate’s answer is brief or restricted to specific behaviors, ask them to elaborate on how they would deal with the situation.

30) How Do You Handle Stress On Your Team?

A good answer to this interview question is a story that relates an instance when the candidate successfully managed their team’s stress. If the candidate has never managed a team before, find out exactly how they would investigate and incorporate stress-management strategies.

31) How Do You Handle Stress Personally?

Stress, like conflict amongst team members, is a normal part of business. The successful management candidate should understand that and have developed their own personal strategies to mitigate and deal with said stress.

In the moment, perhaps they breathe deeply or count to 10. In the long term, perhaps they meditate, or exercise, or unwind with a good book.

Whatever strategies they employ, the manager candidate should be able to express in clear words how they handle the stress of the job without letting it get the better of them.

32) What’s Your Approach To Delegating Work?

If the candidate delegates work in alphabetical order, that would be cause for alarm. Ideally, you’re looking for the interviewee to verbalize that they would delegate based on aptitude and experience after examining the big picture.

33) How Would You Go About Terminating Someone?

Answers to this interview question will vary. But all should contain at least three key behaviors:

1. Use professional language and behavior

2. Keep Human Resources apprised

3. Document everything

Letting someone go is never easy. A candidate shouldn’t make light of the responsibility but, rather, do what needs to be done in the most professional way possible.

34) How Would You Motivate Your Team Members?

Motivation isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Successful candidates will understand that. They’ll relate a time when they successfully motivated their team or were motivated by their manager (and would like to emulate this experience).

Underneath it all, they’ll see the importance of getting to know their team members to find out what motivates them best.

35) What Does Your Ideal Office Space Look Like?

This manager interview question is a bit lighter than others on this list, but it can give you insight into how the candidate will assimilate into your working environment.

Do they thrive in a coworking space? Or do they work better in a private office? Can they keep their team members on task with lots of activity going on around them? Or do they need a space all their own to be the most successful?

If you’re forming a new team, you’ll find a space that fits everyone’s needs at Bond Collective. Your team can work from community spaces, hot desks (available on a first-come, first-served basis), dedicated desks (i.e., reserved), private offices, and conference and meeting rooms. There’s a workspace for everyone at Bond Collective.

For more resources to help you manage your business or to learn more about the advantages of coworking spaces for digital nomads, remote workers, and businesses of all kinds, visit BondCollective.com today.

By Bond Collective Staff

So you’ve got an idea for a startup. You’ve mapped out a business plan. You’ve secured capital. You’ve assembled your team. Now for the hard part: finding startup office space.

If that wasn’t daunting enough, add in the extra variable of finding startup office space in New York City, and you’ve got a monumental — and potentially expensive — task. What’s a budget-savvy entrepreneur to do? Let us help.

In this article, the office space experts at Bond Collective guide you through everything you need to know to find the best work environment for your startup.

Startup Office Space: Factors To Consider

1) Space

When shopping for startup office space, begin by calculating the minimum size of your working area. Allow for at least 100 square feet per team member. That works out to a 10-foot-by-10-foot space for each person. If your team is ten people strong (including you), you’ll need at least 1000 square feet of office space.

Next, consider what space you’ll need for technology (copiers, printers, servers, etc.), break room, bathrooms, reception, lounge, and storage. Add in those office essentials, and it’s easy to see how quickly you’ll need to double — or even triple — the basic 100-square-foot-per-person startup office space.

2) Occupancy Costs

Many entrepreneurs find the perfect-sized space and fail to factor in the occupancy costs. These hidden expenses include vital infrastructure, such as:

• Heating

• Cooling

• Electrical

• Water

• Gas

• Internet

• Maintenance

• Cleaning

Without these, your startup isn’t going anywhere. Be sure to ask for a utilities report before putting up a down payment on your ideal office. Occupancy costs can easily double the price you pay for the space alone.

3) Interior

When you own or lease your startup office space, it’s up to you to decorate the interior. You want your team to feel comfortable and enjoy coming to work, and you want your clients to be impressed with your professional image.

Given these considerations, you might decide to hire a decorator to help you make the right office design decisions. That can get expensive very quickly.

4) Exterior

Don’t forget to set aside money for the upkeep of the exterior of your building. The landlord or property owner will often cover major repairs, but if you need a sign, for example, that comes out of your pocket.

If you want to tweak the facade of your office so that your clients don’t get the wrong impression when visiting, you’ll have another hidden expense of finding startup office space in New York City.

5) Neighborhood

It may not seem like it at first, but neighborhood plays a big role in the success of your startup. It’s the very first thing your clients see, and it provides dining, nightlife, and other services for your team members.

6) Taxes

Depending on the terms you negotiate with your landlord, you may be responsible for property taxes at the end of the year. One common arrangement is for the landlord to pay the property taxes for the first year. After that, you pay part or all for the remainder of the lease.

Be sure to ask about any and all relevant taxes before signing a contract so that you’re not blindsided by surprised fees.

7) Flexibility

Will you need more or less space in the coming months? If your office doesn’t have a conference room, will you need one soon? These questions all speak to the issue of flexibility.

Even though you may have plenty of space right now, it can be incredibly difficult to expand (or contract) a leased office should the need arise. Generate a best- and worst-case scenario for your business, and shop for startup office space with those extremes in mind.

8) Total Lease Amount

Be sure to take into account any interest applied to the terms of your lease and identify any hidden fees before you sign on the dotted line. These extra expenses can have a dramatic effect on the total amount of your lease.

Location, Location, Location

Finding startup office space in New York City that is right for you comes back to the old real-estate adage: location, location, location.

First-time entrepreneurs and managers often skip to the advanced question, “Where should we set up our business?” before answering basic and intermediate questions that could inform their final decision, such as:

• What neighborhood is best for our company?

• What do we hope to receive from the area around our startup office space (e.g., nightlife, public transportation, shopping, dining, supplies for the business, etc.)?

• What is the rent difference between the various areas of the city?

• What is the availability of office space (e.g., inventory or supply) where we are looking?

• What is the state of demand in specific areas?

For example, residents of New York City divide the area south of Central Park (Lower Manhattan) into three general areas: Midtown, Midtown South, and Downtown.

Within those three divisions lie numerous smaller neighborhoods, such as:

• SoHo

• Greenwich Village

• Flatiron

• Tribeca

• Gramercy

• Financial District

• Chelsea

• Times Square

• And many others…

Each of those neighborhoods comes with its own unique character, desirability, availability, demand, and rent prices. That’s a lot of variables to contend with when you’re looking for startup office space.

Throw in Upper Manhattan, Brooklyn, and The Bronx (each with their own unique details) and you’ve got a long list of potential locations where you could base your burgeoning startup.

Ultimately, though, it all comes back to what’s right for your business. Just because one area of the city is growing by leaps and bounds doesn’t mean you have to find office space there.

Perhaps you prefer the Gowanus or Greenpoint areas in Brooklyn over the Financial District in the southern part of Manhattan proper.

Determine what you, your team, and your business need to work at a high level and then narrow down the office space to the locations that provide those factors.

The Cost Of Leasing Your Own Startup Office Space

Let’s look at a hypothetical situation to get a sense of the effort and cost involved in finding your own startup office space.

We’ll simplify the variables somewhat by assuming that the space is located in a desirable neighborhood like Midtown (e.g., 5 Manhattan West), and that the space is move-in ready (e.g., no redecorating required).

For 2,500 square feet, you’re likely to pay at least $15,625 per month. That breaks down to $2,500 per month for a 400-square-foot office (20’x20’), or $625 per 100 square feet (the minimum per-person space we mentioned earlier). Multiply that by 12 months, and you’ll pay $187,500 per year just in rent for your office space.

Rates may decrease depending on where your startup office space is located, but you’ll still have to factor in furniture, technology, decorations, modifications (interior and exterior), and any infrastructure your business might need that isn’t already established.

If those numbers seem a bit daunting — and perhaps out of reach for your startup — there is a better way to get the office space you need without the sky-high overhead and long-term commitment.

Coworking: The Best Way To Find Startup Office Space

Let’s go back to the eight factors that we discussed at the beginning of this article and see how coworking satisfies them all.

1) Space

Coworking spaces like Bond Collective offer a wide range of square footage to fit all your needs. Take advantage of open-floor-plan coworking spaces, dedicated desks, private offices, and even conference rooms. Coworking office space has it all.

Don’t forget outdoor spaces when considering startup office space. Outdoor spaces give your team members a change of scenery and allow them to get fresh air and recharge their batteries. They also make for inspiring meeting and collaboration areas.

Most leased office spaces don’t provide access to these open-air environments. If they do, they come at a premium that most startups can’t afford.

Coworking spaces, though, are different from regular leased space. Many of Bond Collective’s work environments, for example, connect with a patio, a balcony, or a roof that your team members can frequent should the need arise.

We also furnish these outdoor areas with chairs, small tables, and even a bean-bag-toss game or two. You can’t get that in a regular leased space.

2) Occupancy Costs

At a coworking space, occupancy costs like heating, cooling, lightning-fast Wi-Fi, water, and cleaning are often included in your basic monthly fee.

In a regular leased space, these necessities would be an expense over and above the premium you pay for the space itself.

So in a leased office, you may pay $900/month (likely much, much more) for just the space. You then have to factor in occupancy costs as well as furniture and equipment (see next section). These extra expenses can push your monthly outlay well above what you budgeted for your own startup office space.

With a coworking space, you pay $900/month for a fully furnished private office that includes heating, cooling, Wi-Fi, water, cleaning, and much more.

If your funds are in short supply — or better-served going toward other expenses — then basing your startup in a coworking environment rather than a conventional leased space is the best decision for your business.

3) Interior

With a coworking space like Bond Collective, you don’t have to go through the hassle (or expense) of redecorating. Each and every office environment is decorated to the nines. Your team will love working there, and your clients will be impressed with the professional image your office conveys.

You can’t get that with your own leased space. Just like the occupancy costs we discussed in the previous section, furnishing and decorating your office is an expense over and above what you pay to rent your own space.

Can your startup afford the quality of furnishings and decorations that your business needs to make a good impression on customers, clients, and investors? Can your business spare the downtime necessary to move and arrange the furniture as well as decorate the interior?

At Bond Collective, our team of professional designers has done all of that for you — without the cost and imposition of a typical redo. You and your team can move right in and get to work without having to worry about which type of desks to buy, where to put the copy machine, and what color to paint the accent walls.

4) Exterior

Just as with the interior, there’s no need to worry about the exterior of your startup office space when you opt for a coworking environment. That expense is taken care of for you.

Exterior repairs and improvements are one of the biggest hidden fees you’ll face when leasing your own space. This type of work is often the most complicated because it involves working around electrical and gas utilities as well as ensuring that heat and cool stay in and water and other elements stay out.

You certainly don’t want to tackle facade work on your own, so you’ll have to hire a professional, which can push the cost even higher.

But at Bond Collective, we have our own team of professionals who maintain the exterior elements that give identity, character, and image to your business.

You don’t have to worry about hiring a contractor or which brick would look best. All you have to do is focus on growing your startup into a successful business.

5) Neighborhood

Coworking spaces are located in a wide variety of desirable neighborhoods. Bond Collective, for example, gives you access to Bushwick, 55 Broadway, 60 Broad, Gowanus, and Flatiron, not to mention an event venue (The Mezzanine) in the heart of the Financial District.

What does that mean for your small startup? It means your team can meet for work in any number of locations around the city at no extra expense.

Your base of operations (i.e., where you work most frequently) may be Gowanus in Brooklyn, but imagine you’ve scheduled a meeting with important clients or investors who are staying in Manhattan and will only be in town for one day.

Think about the impression you’ll make when you offer to meet them closer to their hotel in one of Bond Collective’s Manhattan locations. They don’t have to make what can be a long trip across the river, and you can still host them in style in a spacious and professionally decorated conference room.

You can’t do that with a leased space.

6) Taxes

Operating your business out of a coworking space means that property taxes are not your responsibility.

Your team doesn’t have to worry about the accounting process of paying these taxes. Nor do you have to worry about due dates, late fees, penalties, or any of the other stress and strain that comes with dealing with the local, state, and federal governments.

All of that is done for you when you base your startup at a coworking space like Bond Collective.

7) Flexibility

When you lease your own startup office space, you’re locked in for the duration of the contract. That can cause serious problems if your revenue stream dries up. And let’s not forget how difficult it can be to upsize or downsize a leased space.

With a coworking space like Bond Collective, you pay by the month for only what you need. Want to expand or contract? Simply talk to one of our friendly community managers and they’ll make the transition easy.

As a startup, you may begin work with one or two people. During those lean days and months, you can get by just fine with a first-come-first-served desk.

As your startup grows, you hire more team members. It’s February now and both of those new hires will start work in March. You can switch your Bond Collective membership to private offices in just a matter of days and move your new, larger team in without delay.

Suddenly, though, the market takes a downturn and you need to let one of your team members go. A private office doesn’t make sense anymore, so you move your team to dedicated desks within the same location.

You can continue to expand and contract your workspace according to the needs of your team and your business and save money in the process. That’s impossible with a leased space.

8) Rent

This is where the difference between leasing your own space and renting a coworking space is most obvious. With a leased space, you’re on the hook for all the variables on this list. With a coworking space, everything is included in your membership.

Where you might pay $2500 for 400 square feet (e.g., a 20’x20’ office) in your own building, a coworking space of the same size might only cost ⅓ as much (or even less).

9) Amenities

We didn’t mention this variable in the Startup Office Space: Factors To Consider section at the beginning of this article because leasing your own space doesn’t come with any amenities — you have to provide them for yourself at your own expense.

But with a coworking space like Bond Collective, you’ll get amenities such as:

• Mail and package handling

• Porter service

• Mothers’ room

• On-site handyman

• Weekly breakfast

• Exclusive discounts and national partnerships

• Streamlined billing and booking portal

All of this (and more) for a low monthly fee that is a fraction of what you would pay in rent for a leased space of your own.

Help Your Startup Succeed

Don’t let the difficulty and expense of finding startup office space in New York City prevent you from taking your business to the next level. Give your startup everything it needs to succeed by reaping the benefits that a coworking space like Bond Collective has to offer.

At Bond Collective, you can choose from a variety of temporary office space options, such as:

• Open-plan coworking spaces

• Dedicated desks

• Private offices

• Conference rooms for 5-20+ guests

And when you partner with Bond Collective, you don’t just get a beautiful space that fits all your needs and boosts your productivity. Each collaborative workspace also comes with exclusive benefits you can’t find anywhere else.

Whether you rent by the hour, the month, or the year, you’ll get:

• 24-hour access

• Custom build-outs

• Comfortable furnishings

• Access to small and large conference rooms

• Networking events

• Mail service

• Daily on-site cleaning

• Bike storage

• Rooftop lounge area

• Photo & sound studio (at Gowanus location)

• Complimentary fresh fruit

• Complimentary beer, coffee, and tea

• Bike storage

• Private meeting & phone booths

• Office showers

• Guest reception and greeting

All of this (and much more) makes Bond Collective a true turn-key solution to all your startup needs. So if you’re looking for spacious, well-appointed startup office space in New York City, Bond Collective is the solution.

Visit any one of Bond Collective’s many locations in the United States, including workspaces in New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Illinois, Tennessee, and Texas. Or call us today to find out more about everything we have to offer.

And while you’re at it, schedule a tour to experience first-hand how the boutique work environments at Bond Collective can benefit your startup, small business, or large corporation.

To get started or to learn more about coworking space benefits for digital nomads, startups, remote workers, and businesses of all sizes, visit BondCollective.com today.

By Bond Collective Staff

When you think about how to become an entrepreneur, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by all of the unknowns in front of you. Don’t let that stop you from following your dream. It takes diligence and hard work, but becoming a successful entrepreneur is within your reach.

In this article, our experts give you a step-by-step beginner’s guide to help you build the business you want from the ground up.

How To Become An Entrepreneur

1) Examine Your Priorities

The first step in venturing out on your own to become an entrepreneur is to examine your priorities and decide how you want your work life and your personal life to look.

Ask yourself such vital questions as:

• How much financial stability do I need?

• Can I handle working long and variable hours?

• If money were no object, what would I do?

• What am I good at?

• What am I passionate about?

Asking — and answering — these types of deep, personal questions will help you decide if you want to become an entrepreneur or if you’re better suited to work within an existing business.

If the former is true for you, these questions will help you identify what type of business to start, what your priorities are, and what type of schedule you want to work.

Resources:

Everything You Need To Know Before You Start Working For Yourself

2) Research What It Means To Be An Entrepreneur

Your perception of what an entrepreneur does may differ widely from the actual reality of the situation.

The only way to know for sure what’s ahead of you is to research what it means to be an entrepreneur before you start.

Talk to entrepreneurs who’ve been in the trenches for a while and learn from their experiences. Harness the scope and scale of the internet to amass as much information as you can about the entrepreneurial adventure you’re considering.

Resources:

The 17 Best Entrepreneur Podcasts To Master Your Business

The 12 Best Entrepreneur Books Every Startup Founder Needs To Read

3) Decide Which Type Of Entrepreneur You Want To Be

The different types of entrepreneur each have their own skillset and traits for which they are more disposed.

By identifying those skills — and putting a name to your entrepreneurship — you give yourself the insight and the ability to hone your talents, overcome your weaknesses, and understand exactly how you’re meant to work.

Resources:

The 10 Types Of Entrepreneurs And Why You Need to Know Them

Solopreneur: 11 Tips For When You Are Forging It On Your Own

Digital Nomad | The Complete Entrepreneur’s Guide To Working From Anywhere

4) Choose Your Specialty

When you start exploring how to become an entrepreneur and examine your priorities, you’ll discover which business — which specialty — is right for you.

The business to which you’re best suited depends on a number of different factors, including:

• Your knowledge

• Your passion

• Your skills

• The way you want to work

Identifying your area of specialization will help you focus your time, energy, and money toward making your business a success.

Resources:

What Is The Difference Between A Startup And A Small Business?

5) Get To Know Your Market

Once you know what type of business you want to start, it’s important to get to know the market to which you’ll be selling.

Focus on questions such as:

• Who are my customers?

• How can I reach them?

• What products do they need?

• What influences their buying decisions?

• What would they pay for my product?

This type of research will give you an intimate picture of your potential customers and clients and help you tailor your message directly to them.

Resources:

Estimating Market Size: The Complete Guide For Startups And Small Business

Market Research For Startups: The Ultimate Guide For Entrepreneurs

6) Find The Right Place To Work

Finding the right place to work is one of the cornerstones of how to become an entrepreneur. In fact, where you work can affect how you work more than any other step on this list.

An extremely basic work environment — like working from home — can save you money, but it’s isolating and uninspiring. Owning your own space can give you the image and flexibility you need, but it’s incredibly expensive and out of reach for most entrepreneurs.

The best solution is a coworking space, like Bond Collective, where you get everything you need at an affordable price without tying yourself to a long-term lease.

Resources:

Open Office Floor Plan: 6 Pros And 6 Cons To Consider

Working Environment: What Teams And Solopreneurs Need To Be Successful

Coworking: What Is It And Is It Right For You And Your Team?

7) Acquire The Best Tools For The Job

Acquiring the best tools for the job is paramount if you want your entrepreneurial venture to succeed. In most cases, that means a good computer and fast, reliable internet.

Don’t be afraid to spend money on this resource. Getting more power (and storage and speed) than you need starting out will give you room to grow as your business does.

Resources:

10 Ways Technology In The Workplace Is Transforming Business

How To Maximize Your Team’s Work Productivity In 9 Easy Steps

8) Hire A Team

At some point, your workload will become more than you can handle on your own. Hiring a team of skilled, like-minded individuals will help you power through the work and keep your business on the road to success.

Resources:

10 Easy And Effective Team-Building Activities For Work In 2019

How To Manage A Remote Workforce From Anywhere With Internet Access

3Ps: Properly Managing People, Process, And Product

9) Raise Money For Your New Venture

You may have started out “boot-strapping” your business with your own funds. That’s admirable — and even recommended — in many instances. But, as your business grows, you’ll need to raise money from outside sources to keep everything running smoothly.

There are many different methods for obtaining money for your new venture, so don’t limit yourself to just one.

Check out the resources below for advice and guidance on bringing much-needed capital into your business.

Resources:

How to Find Investors For Startups And Small Businesses

The 14 Best Ways To Raise Money For Your Startup Or Small Business

Startup Funding: Different Funding Options And How To Secure Them

10) Work Hard And Develop Your Business

The steps on this list are nothing without hard work. That’s up to you.

Keep in mind that success isn’t automatic. But there’s nothing quite as satisfying as putting in the time and effort to create, grow, and develop your business into a self-sustaining entity.

Resources:

What Is Business Development And How Is It Different Than Sales?

Business Strategy: 7 Straightforward Tips For Building A Winning Business

How To Sell Your Idea | The Complete Guide

Establish A Professional Image While Learning How To Become An Entrepreneur

When you first start investigating how to become an entrepreneur, you have plenty of desire, drive, and energy. Money and image, though, are often in short supply.

Investment comes from outside sources, but your professional image is completely up to you.

Working from your dining room table or the noisy coffee shop down the street does nothing to establish just how serious you are about being a successful entrepreneur.

And don’t forget that your image — essentially, where you work — plays a significant role in raising money for your business and enticing talented team members to your door.

But, as an entrepreneur, will you be able to afford the type of work environment — and the image it creates — that is crucial for your success? You will if you partner with Bond Collective.

The coworking spaces at Bond Collective give you the flexibility and affordability to work the way you want without the extra headache of a long-term commitment. This gives your entrepreneurial efforts the best chance for success.

Work from a dedicated desk in July and August, upgrade to a private office in September, November, and December, and then downgrade to a first-come-first-served desk at the start of the new year.

This can help you deal with the ebb and flow of team members throughout the year and save your much-needed funds for building your business. You can’t do that with a conventional lease.

Plus, with a coworking space, you don’t have to skimp just to get ahead. A quality coworking space, like Bond Collective, gives you and your team everything you need so you can focus on the work rather than whose turn it is to clean the bathroom.

Whether you’re on your own or part of a team, you’ll enjoy amenities such as:

• Conference rooms for 2 or 20+

• Private meeting and phone booths

• Guest reception and greeting

• Professional image

• Unlimited black-and-white printing

• Fast, reliable WiFi and ethernet

• Mail and package handling

• Porter service

• Nightly office cleaning

• Fresh fruit, snacks, and weekly breakfast

• Complimentary spa water, craft beer, and coffee

So don’t let office space destroy your dream of becoming an entrepreneur. Start your journey on the right foot by partnering with Bond Collective. We can help you reach your goals.

Visit any one of Bond Collective’s many locations in the United States, including workspaces in New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Illinois, Tennessee, and Texas. Or call us today to find out more about everything we have to offer.

And while you’re at it, schedule a tour to experience first-hand how the boutique work environments at Bond Collective can benefit your business.

By Bond Collective Staff

There are few things more exciting than thinking about how to start a small business. But a great idea will only get you so far. At some point, you have to focus on the details that will transform your idea into reality and get your product or service to market.

In this article, our experts organize these essential details into a step-by-step guide that will help you build a strong foundation for your small business.

How To Start A Small Business

1) Work In A Similar Business

One of the best ways to decide if running a small business is right for you is to work in a similar industry for a while. You’ll discover if it is, indeed, the right fit for you.

You’ll also gain invaluable experience in such foundational business practices as:

• Customer service

• Networking

• Marketing

• Business development

• Team management

You can then transfer these real-life lessons to your own small business and give your unique venture the best chance for success.

2) Research Federal, State, And Local Laws

It’s imperative to research federal, state, and local laws when thinking about how to start a small business. While most laws apply to all businesses, some regulations affect certain industries more acutely.

For example, is your small business classified as a product or a service? Do you have to charge and report sales tax? Are there advantages to establishing a C-corp, an S-corp, or a sole-proprietorship?

When you understand the laws that apply to your particular small business in the early stages of development, you can avoid the difficulties and problems that come from trying to go back and correct things later.

Many regulations differ from state to state and city to city, so be sure to research based on where your business will be located. If it all seems like too much to handle, you might be better off working for an established small business.

3) Identify Your Target Market

One of the first steps you should take when you’ve decided to start a small business is to identify your target market. This is done through a process called “market research” — not to be confused with “marketing research.”

Market research provides insight into:

1. Customer demographics (sex, age, lifestyle, etc.)

2. How those potential customers will react to your product or service

3. Factors that influence customer buying decisions

4. Demand for what your business has to offer

5. Appropriate price points

6. And much more…

For an in-depth discussion about identifying your target market, take a few moments to read the informative articles below. Whether you’re thinking about how to start a small business or a startup, the concept is the same.

• Market Research For Startups: The Ultimate Guide For Entrepreneurs

• Estimating Market Size: The Complete Guide For Startups And Small Business

4) Build A Business Plan

Every business needs a plan. Your small business is no different. Be sure to include information about:

• Budget

• Accounting practices

• Target market

• Price structure

• Advertising and marketing

• Equipment needs

• Employee needs

• Mission statement

When complete, your business plan will show you exactly what you need to do to get your small business up and running. It will also provide a basis through which you can secure funding (if necessary) later on in the process.

5) Establish A Business Strategy

Contrary to popular belief, every business — small or large — needs some type of strategy if it wants to succeed. If you choose to forgo this crucial step, you’re setting your small business up to fail.

Business strategy is the middle tier — with corporate strategy above it and functional strategy below it — in what should be an all-encompassing organizational strategy that governs all of your company’s activities.

The benefits of building a business strategy early on are legion. At the most basic, though, a robust business strategy:

• Provides direction

• Reveals priorities

• Facilitates decision making

• Simplifies adaptation

These variables can help you get a head start on the competition.

6) Secure Funding

Depending on the small business you intend to start and your own financial situation, you will need to secure some level of funding in order to get the ball rolling.

Whether you need to purchase computers, office supplies, or parts for your initial product, the financing will most likely come from a bank or investors.

Alternatively, you can investigate government programs and grants designed especially for small-business owners like you.

For more details about securing funding for your small business, read these helpful articles:

• Startup Funding: Different Funding Options And How To Secure Them

• The 14 Best Ways To Raise Money For Your Startup Or Small Business

7) Find The Right Location

The right location for most small businesses once meant a storefront on a busy street. Now, though, many businesses are extremely successful without a physical location of any kind.

Which “location” is right for your company? That’s something you’ll need to decide in the early stages of planning.

Even if your small business operates online without a brick-and-mortar location, you and your team need a place to work that is comfortable, inspiring, and facilitates productivity.

8) Market Your Business Immediately

Don’t wait until “opening day” to advertise your small business. When you finally commit fully to the new endeavor (around steps four and five), start spreading the word about your product or service.

If you can do this without spending hard-earned capital (e.g., via networking, by posting flyers, through social media, and other guerilla tactics), you’ll position your small business for success.

9) Build Your Workflow Around Technology

Technology in the workplace is transforming the way businesses of all sizes manage their people, their process, and their product

You can ensure that your team — and your business — has what it needs right from the start by building your workflow around whatever technology is essential for your industry.

When building your processes, it’s better to overestimate your needs than to underestimate your needs. You can always go back and eliminate unnecessary or redundant technology later on.

The act of simplifying your workflow after the fact is easier and less expensive than trying to incorporate new technology into an existing process.

10) Hire A Team

Hiring a team to work within your small business may seem like a daunting task — more daunting, in fact, than any other step on this list.

But with help from the technology you incorporate in your small business, you’ll find that it’s not as challenging as you might think.

Here are three strategies to help you hire the best team for your small business:

• Seek diversity

• Find team members who fit into your company culture

• Don’t be afraid to hire skill over experience

Once you’ve assembled the perfect team, it’s time to get to work growing your small business and guiding it toward success.

Accelerate Your Small Business With The Best Work Environment

Whether you’re in the early stages of thinking about how to start a small business or you’re well along in the process, creating the best work environment will make everything you do easier.

Avoid the stress, strain, and expense of building an office from the ground up by basing your team in a coworking space like those at Bond Collective.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a team of one or a team of 50 or more, Bond Collective has the right work environment for your small business.

All of Bond Collective’s shared office spaces incorporate inspiring design elements like natural light, open floor plans, vivid colors, multipurpose work areas, and a whole host of other design factors that will motivate your team to succeed.

And at Bond Collective, the benefits don’t stop with the office space. In addition to our unique work settings, members also enjoy amenities such as:

• Lightning-fast Wi-F

• Guest reception and greeting

• Conference Rooms

• Daily on-site cleaning

• Black-and-white printing

• Private-label mail service

• Concession food market

• Networking and curated events

• 24-hour access

• Bike storage

• And much more…

Visit any one of Bond Collective’s many locations in the United States, including workspaces in New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Illinois, Tennessee, and Texas. Or call us today to find out more about everything we have to offer.

And while you’re at it, schedule a tour to experience first-hand how the boutique work environments at Bond Collective can benefit your business.

By Bond Collective Staff

Want to run your fledgling business better and give yourself every chance for success? Learn the answers to the questions, “What is a startup?” and, “What is a small business?”

In this article, our experts explain critical differences between the two types of businesses and reveal the best way to manage both.

What Is A Startup?

Look in any dictionary or type “startup” into your favorite search engine and you’ll find the following definition:

A newly established business.

Unfortunately, for most managers and entrepreneurs, that definition is too simple and doesn’t clarify key variables that are vital for their success.

To help you really understand what is a startup, we’ll rely on the following definition:

A short-term arrangement or system of organization designed to search for, identify, and adopt a repeatable and scalable business model.

By this definition, then, a startup is more than just a new product, service, or business. It’s an operation striving to prove its unique business model — not just adopt an existing version — as quickly as possible so as to have a significant impact on the current market.

We’ll discuss why these differences in definition are so crucial later on in this article. But first, we’ll answer the question, “What is a small business?”

What Is A Small Business?

The common definition of a startup — a newly established business — actually describes small business better.

A small business is a self-sustaining operation designed to:

• Generate revenue from the very first day

• Function without a major investment

• Work within an existing business model

A typical small business isn’t designed to create a brand new way to work. Instead, they adopt a tried-and-true model that works from day one so they can bring in revenue immediately.

An important caveat here is the word designed. Small businesses are designed to generate revenue from day one, function without major investment, and work within existing business models (in contrast to a startup which is designed differently).

The small business may, of course, open its doors and have zero customers, need significant investment to stay solvent, and, eventually, forge its own business model. But those are reactions to the market, not in-born traits as they are with a startup.

These definitions, though, only scratch the surface of what it means to be a startup and what it means to be a small business.

In the next section, we’ll dive deep into the differences between a startup and a small business to help you identify where your company exists within the market.

What Are The Differences Between A Startup And A Small Business?

Business Model

Business model — also known as intent or strategy — describes the goals of the company and how long it will take to reach those goals.

For a startup, the business model is to grow into a large business as quickly as possible — often skipping small-business status completely. Startups deal with big ideas that will:

• Take customers from existing, competitive companies

• Shake up the industry/niche as a whole

• Create a new market altogether

For a small business, the model is quite different. Small business owners fill a gap or provide a product within an existing market. They’re not looking to change the world or revolutionize the way they do business. They’re looking to create steady, long-term revenue.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) describes a typical small business as being independently owned and operated, organized for profit, and not dominant in its field. That lies in sharp contrast to the business model espoused by a startup.

Length Of Operation

In many ways, startups are designed to operate short-term (three to five years).

The volatility in their business model means that larger, extant businesses may buy them out, they may become a large business in their own right, or they may fail completely.

Small business, on the other hand, takes the opposite view. Owners, managers, and investors hope to create a company that consistently turns a profit and lasts a long time. They won’t change the world on the way, but they will be stable and stay in business longer than the startup.

Funding

Startups depend, in large part, on funding from outside sources.

Initial investment may come from the founder’s pocket, from friends and family, or from a traditional bank loan. Eventually, though, a successful startup will receive capital from the likes of:

• Venture capitalists

• Angel investors

• An initial public offering (IPO)

As more investors get involved, the founder holds less equity in — and less control over — the company as a whole.

Small businesses, on the other hand, depend on the profits they generate to sustain their growth.

Owners may start with their own money — or money from family, friends, or a bank — just like a startup, but they are less likely to “sell off” pieces of their business to interested investors. A small business owner wants to retain control over the company they started.

That’s not to stay that a small business owner won’t take on investors. But instead of receiving equity, investors in a small business enterprise may expect returns in the form of capital, stock options, or other monetary interest.

Risk

Startups, by nature, forge new paths through the business wilds. They often experiment with novel visions of how their product or service fits into the market.

This tendency toward trailblazing brings with it a great deal of risk. Yes, entrepreneurs conduct a lot of research before launching their startups, but it’s still an educated guess as to whether or not their idea is going to find a place in the market.

With a small business, there’s less risk that an idea won’t fit because the owner, manager, or entrepreneur satisfies a niche in an existing market rather than trying to create a brand new market from scratch.

Every business endeavor — startup or small business — comes with some level of risk. Startups are more volatile, but small businesses fail all the time as well. But when small businesses close their doors for good, it’s more often than not due to poor cash flow management.

Why Does The Difference Matter?

As you can see, a startup and a small business are two very different entities.

It’s vital to understand the difference because the distinction will influence and define the path your business takes from the very first day.

When you are able to answer the questions, “What is a startup?” and, “What is a small business?” and you understand the difference between the two, you’ll be able to address such key issues as:

• What are my expectations for the business?

• How do I plan on growing my business?

• Will I partner with anyone? If so, whom?

• How do I define success for my business?

When you have a solid grasp on the type of business you’re running, you’ll be able to focus your time, energy, and money to move your company down the chosen path — startup or small business — rather than hopping back and forth.

The Best Way To Manage Your Startup Or Small Business

The best way to manage your company — whether it’s a startup or a small business — is to provide your team members with the best working environment possible.

Your office space has a significant effect on how your team works. The layout, furniture, and overall atmosphere influence such intangibles as:

• Teamwork

• Productivity

• Creativity

• Organization

• Development

Where you choose to work can even affect the overall impressions of your customers, clients, and investors.

Instead of locking yourself into an expensive long-term lease and then spending your hard-earned capital furnishing the space, save money and time by teaming with Bond Collective.

Bond Collective can help you find a work environment that promotes teamwork, productivity, creativity, organization, development, and good impressions. You don’t have to worry about building them yourself. All you have to do is focus on your business.

Whether you need coworking space, dedicated desks, or private offices, Bond Collective has the best solution for you, your team, and your business.

Every Bond Collective membership comes with unsurpassed, industry-leading amenities, such as:

• Comfortable furnishings

• Luxurious decor

• Private meeting & phone booths

• Guest reception and greeting

• 24-hour access

• Mail service

• Daily on-site cleaning

• On-site kitchens

• Custom build-outs

• Access to small and large conference rooms

• Networking events

• Bike storage

• Rooftop lounge area

• Photo & sound studio (at Gowanus location)

• Complimentary fresh fruit

• Complimentary beer, coffee, and tea

• Weekly warm cookies

• Tasty eats and beverages for purchase

• Bike storage

• Office showers

If you’re looking for a spacious, well-appointed workspace from which to run your startup, small business, or even large corporation, take advantage of all that Bond Collective has to offer.

Visit any one of Bond Collective’s many locations in the United States, including workspaces in New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Illinois, Tennessee, and Texas. Or call us today to find out more about everything we have to offer.

And while you’re at it, schedule a tour to experience first-hand how the boutique work environments at Bond Collective can benefit your startup or small business.

By Bond Collective Staff

If you want your business to succeed, you absolutely must focus on three key variables: people, process, and product. The three Ps, as they’re often called, provide the highest return for your efforts because they act as the cornerstone for everything your business does.

It’s critical, then, that you understand how to manage your people, your process, and your product for maximum yield.

In this article, we’ll introduce you to the three Ps, provide insight into how you can manage them better, and show you what role work environment plays in this concept.

What Are The 3 Ps?

People

Even if you’re going it on your own as a solopreneur or a digital nomad, people are an integral part of your business.

Of course, “people” refers to your workforce — be they on-site employees or remote freelancers. But it also refers to all of the other relationships you need to keep your business running smoothly, including:

• Customers

• Vendors

• Suppliers

• Advisers

• Partners

• Investors

There’s a reason people come first in the people, process, product trilogy — without these stakeholders, your business would flounder. It benefits you to put significant time, effort, and, yes, money, into cultivating these relationships.

Your business depends on it.

Process

Process, as a large-scale concept, is the actions your business takes to perform a specific function. Businesses of all sizes have myriad processes, including:

• Delivering a service

• Creating a product

• Making a sales presentation

• Responding to emergencies

• Answering the phone

• Providing information to customers

• Keeping track of supplies on hand

Even brainstorming and problem-solving benefit when you take the time to implement a process — an action plan, if you will — that everyone can follow.

Having a process in place essentially answers the question, “How do we do X, and when do we do Y, and why do we do Z?” so that your business can run effectively without you.

Product

Your product is what your business has to offer. It could be a tangible “thing” that you can hold in your hand. Or it could be a service that is only visible by its results.

Your product — including your brand and your image — is the most visible part of your business and, as such, deserves the lion’s share of your focus. But not to the detriment of people and process.

In fact, it’s imperative to view people, process, and product as a system in which each separate part depends on the part before it.

People reinforce the process. Process reinforces the product. Product reinforces the people. On and on this goes in a spiral that — if managed correctly — moves in an upward direction and leads to sales and success.

How To Manage People, Process, Product

People — Stress Quality And Diversity

Managing the first “P” in the people, process, product chain begins with assembling the best team. For most businesses, that involves two critical factors:

• Quality over quantity

• Diversity over homogeneity

No amount of unskilled team members can accomplish the same work as one quality employee.

Focus on hiring the right people with the right skills for the job at hand. Don’t settle for less in the hopes that hiring more team members will make up for it in the end. That’s a recipe for disaster.

Similarly, a diverse workforce is always more productive than a homogenous one. Diversity provides a whole host of benefits, including:

• Better employee performance

• More skill

• More experience

• A larger talent pool

• Creative innovation

• Access to a broader client base

• Learning experiences

• Faster problem solving

• More informed decision making

These benefits are extremely important for your business because they keep you competitive in an increasingly global — and diverse — world.

Process — Plan For Change

All businesses start small. But, with the right management, growth happens quickly. This growth brings with it an array of new issues that your business might not be prepared to handle.

You can prevent stagnation and give your business the highest chance for success by planning for change while your business is small. Small processes are much more amenable to change.

That’s not to say that you should restrict growth. Instead, perfect your processes early on and build in strategies for growth before that time comes.

When you’re able to scale your processes up or down at a moment’s notice, you give your business more of a chance to respond to changes in the market and more of a chance to stay profitable longer.

Product — Identify The Proper Market

At the early stages of your business, it’s vital to identify the proper market for your product or service. As your business continues to grow in size and scope, it’s equally vital to constantly reexamine your market to ensure that your people and processes are focused on the right goals.

As you do this, don’t forget to evaluate limitations — of your product and your market — as well as ways to care for your existing customer base while expanding into new areas.

The New Paradigm For Process And Product

Before the advent of the internet revolution, the three Ps — people, process, product — were all tangible objects that you could literally put your hands on.

Processes involved small- or large-scale pieces of equipment linked together into assembly lines, inventory management, and other essential functions. Those pieces of equipment handled product that you distributed to your clients and customers via various shipping methods.

All of this required a lot of space.

As we approach the first quarter of the 21st century, businesses are slowly but surely migrating two-thirds of the three Ps online. Process now involves algorithms instead of machinery. Product now often involves bytes and electricity rather than rubber and steel.

A paradigm shift of this magnitude means that businesses no longer need massive amounts of physical space to build something truly unique.

Thanks to that reduction in scale, properly managing the three Ps has never been easier.

The Importance Of Work Environment For Success

Even though process and product have evolved as more and more entrepreneurs and startups move online and into digital offerings, one thing remains the same: people.

People need inspiration to do their best work. They need the best tools at hand. They need comfort, flexibility, and community. Without these variables, their performance — and, ultimately, your business and your success — suffer.

How can you provide all of these essentials without locking yourself into a long-term lease — that won’t grow and evolve with your business — and without burning through all of your hard-earned capital?

By basing your people, process, and product in a coworking space like Bond Collective.

Bond Collective offers thoughtfully curated boutique work environments that provide an unmatched experience for you and your team.

Inspiration doesn’t come easy. When it does finally arrive, you want to prolong its presence as much as possible. Bond Collective decorates, arranges, and operates each one of its many locations with inspiration in mind.

Bright colors, natural light, stimulating textures, and plenty of space for your body and your mind to move around — these are the unique ways in which Bond Collective brings inspiration into the work environment.

Inspiration, though, is only one piece of the equation. The right tools is another. That’s why we offer:

• Fast, reliable WiFi and Ethernet connections

• Unlimited black-and-white printing

• Mail and package handling

• Private meeting and phone booths

• Guest reception and greeting

• Custom build-outs

• Daily porter service

• Nightly office cleaning

When you don’t have to think about these features — they’re just there whenever you need them — you and your team can focus all of your efforts on getting the job done right the first time through.

What about comfort and flexibility? Bond Collective offers those as well.

All our office spaces are furnished with the highest quality in comfort and design. Many areas within Bond Collective allow for easy reconfiguration to accommodate an impromptu brainstorming session or emergency meeting — that’s flexibility in a nutshell.

Or, if privacy is paramount, take advantage of reserved conference rooms for two to 20 or more.

And let’s not forget about community. Working side by side with other like-minded professionals provides connections, stimulation, innovation, and a whole host of other intangibles that you can’t get from working in isolation.

Take advantage of all that Bond Collective has to offer to help you properly manage the three Ps of your business: people, process, and product.

Visit any one of Bond Collective’s many locations in the United States, including workspaces in New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Illinois, Tennessee, and Texas. Or call us today to find out more about everything we have to offer.

And while you’re at it, schedule a tour to experience first-hand how the boutique work environments at Bond Collective can benefit your business.

By Bond Collective Staff

New ideas are essential for the success of our current, fast-paced business market. If you’ve got a unique solution to a common problem, you may be wondering how to sell your idea for maximum benefit.

To help you in that regard, we’ve created this complete guide that outlines how to sell an idea in seven key steps. We’ll also touch on some of the difficulties associated with the process so you know what to expect before going in.

How To Sell An Idea In 7 Steps

1) Research Your Idea

The first step in selling your idea is to gather as much information as possible. This involves knowing the market or markets in which your idea will be most valuable.

Once you’ve identified where your idea can have the most impact, compile data on similar solutions. If your idea will be incorporated into a tangible product, get familiar with the production process before approaching investors.

2) Establish Ownership

When working to establish ownership of your idea, it’s vital to understand the difference between the various legal forms of possession. In a general sense:

• Patents protect inventions (tangible products)

• Copyrights protect creative works (e.g., books)

• Trademarks protect commercial communications

Consult a qualified attorney for assistance deciding which one is right for your idea.

3) Test Your Idea

Testing an idea isn’t as difficult as it first sounds. One of the best ways to do so is to speak with people you trust or those who have no stake in the idea itself.

Family and friends are a great first resource for testing your idea on a theoretical level. If you already have a tangible product in hand, even better.

You can also test your idea by organizing a focus group. Both methods will give you insight into what you need to improve to make your idea successful.

The added benefit of testing your idea before trying to sell it to a large company is that you might find people willing to invest in your fledgling business.

4) Identify Target Companies

When you’re ready to move forward with the selling process, identify target companies that might be interested in your idea. Compile as large a list as possible, and then put the companies into categories based on:

• Geography

• Reputation

• Size

• Policy for accepting new-idea submissions

• Product line

• Ready access to a decision-maker

This will require a substantial amount of research, but putting in the time beforehand will help you determine what businesses are the best fit for your idea and allow you to prioritize which ones you contact first.

5) Prepare A Professional Presentation

At the absolute minimum, a professional presentation consists of three parts:

1. Sell Sheet — A one- or two-page document that clearly states the need your idea meets as well as the features and benefits, applicable markets, and legal status of your solution.

2. Introductory Letter — A brief letter introducing yourself, explaining why you’re contacting that person, and setting up a time to follow up in person.

3. Face-To-Face Presentation — Prepare a script for what you’re going to say when you meet with decision-makers face-to-face or over the phone.

Once you’ve finalized all three pieces of your presentation, practice delivering the information over and over again. You want to be able to speak about your sell sheet, your introductory letter, and your actual presentation without any notes and whenever the opportunity arises.

6) Set Realistic Expectations

It’s crucial to set realistic expectations before embarking on selling your own idea. Chances are, you’re not going to pull in a million-dollar payday — or even be able to retire — with your first idea.

But as you gain experience with the process — and if you have more solutions to common problems — you’ll perfect how to sell an idea and enjoy higher profits.

7) Decide How You Want To Be Paid

Decide before your first meeting how you want to be paid should the company like your idea. It’s essential to think this through before meeting face-to-face so you can present a professional image at all times.

Payment options include:

• Exclusivity (in relation to distribution)

• Annual minimum (licensee pays licensor a minimum dollar amount each year)

• Royalties (usually based on a percentage of sales)

• Up-front payment (e.g., selling the idea outright for a set dollar amount)

Most methods of payment are in some way interrelated. For example, the more exclusivity you get the less up-front money you’ll enjoy.

Finding the right combination of payment is a personal decision that you should not take lightly.

Difficulties Involved In Selling An Idea

Selling An Idea Takes Time

You’re not going to come up with an idea one week and sell it the next. Be prepared to dedicate a significant amount of time to realizing your dream of selling to another company.

If your idea involves a tangible product, you may have to create a prototype or demonstrate how you can manufacture the item. That’s not a rapid process. It involves testing and retesting until you get it right.

You Can’t Legally Own An Idea

One of the most difficult parts of how to sell an idea is that you can’t legally own one. And if you don’t own that idea, you can’t sell it.

The only real recourse you have is to patent your idea, but that may involve producing a prototype that incorporates said idea and may be more than you’re willing to do to make a sale.

You May Need To Invest In Your Idea Before Selling It

That brings us to our next difficulty in how to sell an idea: you may need to invest before you can sell.

If you do have a revolutionary idea, you’re going to have to invest a substantial sum of money to protect that idea and bring it to reality. Otherwise, once you reveal your idea to a larger company, they can develop it on their own for free.

Companies Have Probably Tried Your Idea Already

Most large companies live and breathe their business model. They think about novel solutions and ways to develop their product every day.

How likely is it that they haven’t already thought of your idea?

This is why the research component of preparing to sell your idea is vital — if you uncover even a slightly similar product on the market, other companies have probably already investigated the viability of the idea for their business.

Companies May Be Working On A Similar Idea

Another difficulty you’ll encounter when figuring out how to sell an idea is that companies may already be working on a similar one. You may present your idea and be turned down only to see the very same concept brought to market six months later.

Create A Professional Image To Sell Your Idea Faster

One of the first steps involved in selling an idea is to establish a professional image. Big companies don’t necessarily want to deal with John or Jane Doe coming in off the street. They want to work with other corporate entities.

Fortunately, starting your own business is as easy as choosing a name, filing some papers, and paying a small fee. But that’s only half the equation. The other essential part of starting your own business is where you work.

At some point, most startups and small businesses operate out of the founder’s home until they can establish their product or service or secure funding to open their own location. Your dining room table, though, does not a professional image make.

For startups and entrepreneurs, the best solution to the professional image issue is a coworking space like Bond Collective.

Bond Collective offers beautifully decorated and thoughtfully curated boutique work environments that provide an unmatched professional experience for solopreneurs and large corporations alike.

At Bond Collective, you get much more than just an attractive place to work and a professional image. You also enjoy industry-leading amenities, such as:

• Conference rooms for 2 or 20+

• Custom build-outs

• Private meeting and phone booths

• Guest reception and greeting

• Professional image

• Unlimited black-and-white printing

• Fast, reliable WiFi and ethernet

• Mail and package handling

• Porter service

• Nightly office cleaning

• Fresh fruit, snacks, and weekly breakfast

• Complimentary spa water, craft beer, and coffee

All of this (and so much more) makes Bond Collective a true turn-key solution for establishing a professional image with which to sell your great idea.

Visit any one of Bond Collective’s many locations in the United States, including workspaces in New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Illinois, Tennessee, and Texas. Or call us today to find out more about everything we have to offer.

And while you’re at it, schedule a tour to experience first-hand how the boutique work environments at Bond Collective can benefit your business.

By Bond Collective Staff

Office pets make a great addition to any work environment. They’re cute. They’re cuddly (at least some are). And they make people happy.

But what pet is right for your office? In this article, we’ll discuss the benefits of office pets and give you some tips for creating a pet-friendly work environment.

Cats And Dogs As Office Pets

Cats

Cats make a great addition to any office environment. They’re low-maintenance pets that don’t require a lot of attention or space to thrive in an office setting.

You will have to provide a litter box and food and water, but you won’t have to take your cat for a walk to do its business every few hours. That can be especially helpful if your team is busy on an important project.

They may venture into places they shouldn’t (e.g., behind monitors and other computer equipment) and their dander may irritate allergies, but cats make wonderful office pets that all can enjoy.

Of the two alternatives — cats or dogs — cats are probably the most popular choice for a work mascot.

Dogs

Dogs require a bit more care than cats, but they are still an excellent choice as an office pet.

Depending on the breed of dog you choose, they can grow quite large and may cause unintentional damage to equipment, furniture, and decor. A bit of training can prevent that issue.

An office dog will require frequent walks, so you’ll have to share the responsibility amongst your team members.

Pros Of Having Office Pets

Higher Morale

Morale is a difficult variable to maintain in a fast-paced office environment. It can be high in the morning and low in the afternoon.

An office pet can reduce those highs and lows and move office morale to a more consistent level.

Improved Communication

There are few icebreakers better than a cuddly cat or adorable dog. The presence of animals in the office gives team members a reason to stop and chat with fellow coworkers about something other than work.

That one variable can improve not just interpersonal relationships but also long-term communication amongst your team.

Reduced Stress

Stress can affect the way your team members work in a negative way and seriously detract from their motivation. Office pets reduce stress levels and help keep employees happy even during intense bouts of activity.

Increased Productivity

Productivity is another difficult variable to maintain at the office. But with the presence of a pet, the combination of reduced stress and higher morale tends to increase productivity.

Better Collaboration

In many ways, an office pet has a significant effect on how your team members perceive each other at work.

This beneficial effect results in improved trust, cohesion, and camaraderie. All of that leads to better collaboration in the office.

Customer Draw

A friendly office pet that interacts well with people is a wonderful way to draw customers and clients into your business. Many managers and business owners testify that customers choose to patronize their establishment because they can visit the cat or dog while shopping.

Some customers even remember the animal’s name more often than the employees they interact with.

All types of businesses — from tech startups to jewelry stores to auto mechanics — can benefit from the happiness that an office pet can bring.

Improved Public Relations

Having an office pet can benefit not just your employees and customers but your public relations efforts as well.

Transform your office cat or dog into the unofficial mascot of your business and use his or her likeness in your fund-raising efforts, on your social media accounts, and in other customer-facing locations.

Clients, customers, and the public at large will remember that your business cares enough to offer a pet a home, and your public relations will improve because of it.

Cons Of Having Office Pets

Messes

Pets are notoriously messy. From smells to hair to bladder issues, these factors can disrupt the way your team works and cause issues if you don’t take steps to keep your office clean and fresh.

Allergies

Pet dander can lead to all sorts of annoying allergies, such as itchy eyes, runny nose, sneezing, and difficulty breathing. Those issues can interfere with the way your team works.

If you’re convinced that an office pet is right for your office but some members suffer from animal-related allergies, you may need to provide other accommodations for these individuals.

Dislikes

Some people just don’t like animals. And if you introduce a cat, dog, or hamster into their workspace, their productivity could suffer.

Make sure you ask all your employees how they feel about office pets before deciding to introduce an animal into the work environment.

Disruptions

Office pets improve the work/life balance in your business, but those animals can also disrupt the flow your team members rely on to get things done.

Untrained pets can be noisy and intrusive to team members who are trying to focus on an important task. Even just a few seconds of distraction can cause your employees to disengage and lose concentration.

If you decide to have an office pet, be sure it’s properly trained and provide a dedicated space for it away from your team’s work area.

Injuries

Even though you may train your office mascot to be well-behaved, they’re still animals at heart.

Loud noises may startle them, or they may get defensive if they don’t like a visitor. In those cases, their teeth and claws can cause unintentional but serious injuries.

To prevent incidents, keep your office pet in its own designated area when you’re expecting visitors.

Cost

Office pets come with many expenses. You’ll need a water bowl, food bowl, pet food, treats, toys, and cushions. Not to mention cleaning supplies and vet fees. These expenditures can quickly add up.

In fact, a typical cat can cost your business $600 annually, while a large dog can cost your business close to $1600 every year.

Odors

It’s a fact: office pets do smell. No cat or dog owner is able to say with 100 percent certainty that you can’t smell their pet when you walk in the front door.

That may be a problem for business owners who don’t want the odor of an office pet to detract from the experience of their customers or clients.

When considering bringing an office pet into your business, it’s vital to understand that no matter how much you bathe your furry friend, they may still exude a telltale aroma.

It may not be a problem for your employees, who will quickly get used to it, but consider a customer who walks into your establishment for the first time. What will they smell? Do you want to risk a bad first impression?

Tips For A Pet-Friendly Work Environment

1) Check Your Lease Or Workplace Agreement

Unless you own the building, you’ll want to make sure your landlord allows pets on the premises so you don’t violate your contract and run into legal issues.

2) Secure Comprehensive Liability Insurance Coverage

Even the friendliest, most well-behaved animal can cause problems (or damage) sometimes. Protect your business from expensive liability with a comprehensive insurance policy.

3) Create A Care Plan

If you have a full-time office mascot, create a care plan so everyone knows who is responsible for feeding, walking, and taking the little tyke to the vet.

If you allow your team members to bring their pets to work, establish a list of rules so your workplace doesn’t get out of control and devolve into an episode of Wild Kingdom.

4) Consider Adoption

Adopted animals make great office pets. And there are millions of animals who need a place to call home. Rather than buying new, visit your local pound, ASPCA office, or other animal charity and adopt one or two office pets.

Bond Collective Welcomes Pets

Bond Collective recognizes how much a furry friend can improve a work environment. They offer pet-friendly locations and common areas where your cats and dogs can enjoy the workday just like you.

This is in addition to the many other industry-leading amenities that Bond Collective offers, including:

• 24-hour access

• Custom build-outs

• Comfortable furnishings

• Access to small and large conference rooms

• Networking events

• Mail service

• Daily on-site cleaning

• Bike storage

• Rooftop lounge area

• Photo & sound studio (at Gowanus location)

• Complimentary fresh fruit

• Complimentary beer, coffee, and tea

• Bike storage

• Private meeting & phone booths

• Office showers

• Guest reception and greeting

If you’re looking for a spacious, pet-friendly, and well-appointed collaborative workspace to boost your productivity, take advantage of any one of Bond Collective’s many locations in the United States, including New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Illinois, Tennessee, and Texas.

Call us today to find out more about everything we have to offer. And while you’re at it, schedule a tour to experience first-hand how the boutique work environments at Bond Collective can benefit your business.