From software to furniture, operating a comfortable and functional office can be costly; however, for those willing to think outside the box, there are ways that you can both maximise your expenditure and reduce your costs without compromising on any of your must-haves.
Audit your utilities and energy usage
Utilities and energy are often a significant expense for many office-based businesses. Most energy companies will conduct a free audit upon request. This will identify easy changes you can make to reduce costs; for example, plugging computer equipment into power strips and turning the power off at the end of the working day can make a big difference.
Consider shared office equipment
How often do you use a fax machine or a photocopier? A lot of equipment can appear to be standard office fare but it might make sense to consider other options if you aren’t going to be using it regularly. If you are in a shared space or can partner with another office nearby, you could both benefit from sharing equipment and splitting the costs.
Outsourcing
It is important to spend your time working on the tasks that will help your business to flourish; as such, you might find it beneficial to outsource certain jobs to others who can fulfil these roles at reduced costs. As an example, you could employ a courier service to take your mail to the post office along with that of other companies.
Consider alternative office spaces
Purpose-built office space can be expensive. Depending on the needs of your company, you might find that apartments or warehouses can provide equally positive working environments for you and your team.
If you want to explore this route, start by compiling a list of potential spaces. From here, you can use a PDF to Excel tool to create a spreadsheet detailing the pros, cons, floor spaces and prices for each option. Such tools will walk you through how to make PDF into an Excel document in a few simple steps.
Barter for products and services
If you have time, it can be beneficial to trade your expertise for that of other companies offering products or services your business needs. This isn’t always easy, but both parties can save significant sums of money in the right circumstances.
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