We recently read that companies who lease traditional office space will need no fewer than 10 different vendors just to keep their space operational. In case you didn’t catch that, we’re going to write it again … TEN different vendors. Guys like:
- Electric company
- Cleaning vendor
- Phone/Internet provider
- IT company
- Copy machine rental company
- USPS for a postage meter and mail account
- Furniture seller
- Office supply vendor
- You get the drift
Let’s explore what that means. Think about the time that goes into managing those ten different vendors … negotiating yearly contracts, receiving/paying/disputing invoices, maintaining relationships with account managers, finding new vendors when you’re unhappy, setting up appointments … the list of responsibilities goes on and on.
Estimates conclude that even in a small office space, five to seven hours per month will be spent keeping an office up and running. That’s a lot of time! Especially if you own your own business, those might be billable hours that you’re missing out on while waiting on hold with the internet company to find out why your service is down.
Not to mention, if you’ve just moved in, you might not know which local vendors are trustworthy or best to service your particular industry. Some landlords even require these vendors to get clearance and supervision at times when their staff is available (so you might be waiting around for a repair person to replace that light bulb above your desk).
If you’re planning on moving into your first office this year, relocating from another location, or even downsizing, these are important considerations to think about when selecting your next office location. Unlike traditional office space, business centers provide a majority of the legwork when it comes to running your office space.
At TOTUS, it’s our responsibility to maintain relationships with the list of companies listed above to negotiate rates, solve problems when they arise, and stay on top of our accounts with these vendors … freeing up your time to do what you do best, run your business. Because that’s what should occupy your days at work, not the minutia of keeping your office space operational.
