Your First Office: A Startup's Guide to Getting It Right

A first office is a milestone, and it is also where young teams most often overcommit. The right first space is small, flexible and boring in the best way; the wrong one is a three year lease on a room you outgrew in six months.

When to get an office at all

You are probably ready when one of three things is true: hiring is harder without a real base, client meetings are being held in cafes more than once a week, or home working has started to cost you output rather than save you money.

If none of those apply yet, a coworking membership gives you a professional address, meeting rooms and a change of scene for a fraction of the cost, with no commitment to justify later.

What your first office actually needs

Room to seat everyone on your busiest day, one space for calls or meetings, decent natural light, fast internet and a kitchen. That is most of the list.

Location matters more than specification. A space near good transport that people can reach easily beats a flasher suite forty minutes from everywhere, because your office is only valuable if people want to be in it.

Also look at the building's other occupiers. Sharing a floor with four other growing companies is quiet networking you did not have to pay for.

What it should cost

Serviced desks in major regional cities run roughly £200 to £450 per desk per month, all bills included, and considerably more in central London. Set your budget from headcount, not from the smartest building you have seen, and remember the move itself: deposits, furniture, insurance and connectivity all land in month one.

Our free cost calculator gives you a realistic monthly range for your team size and city before you fall for a particular space.

The commitments to avoid

Long fixed leases with personal guarantees, fit out contributions tied to long terms, and anything that prices your growth in before you know your shape. At your stage, flexibility is worth more than a lower headline rate.

A monthly or quarterly serviced licence with the option to expand in the building is almost always the right first answer. If a deal only works on a three year term, it is the wrong deal for now.

How we help

We search the whole market, shortlist spaces that fit your stage rather than just your budget, and flag the clauses to push back on before you sign. Tell us your team size and city and we will come back with a shortlist within 48 hours. The operator pays our fee, so the service is completely free.