According to a new report from the printer specialists, new UK start ups are increasingly using the wifi in coffee shops (and indeed hotels, restaurants, etc) to run their businesses. They talked to 750 small businesses and the results showed that:
* 22% of those who have started up in the last three years base themselves in local coffee shops to reduce overheads
* 69% of companies which started in the last six months had no office space
* 76% of over-55s said technology had given them greater workplace flexibility
Interestingly, it's also Independent Booksellers Week and the Booksellers Association has released figures implying that bookshops with cafes are likely to sell more books than those without. Figures based on a survey of 40 BA members show that bookshops with cafes enjoyed a 3% growth in overall turnover in 2011, while those without saw a decline in sales of 5.2%. Those bookshops with cafes also had a 2% rise in their book sales last year, those without cafes had a decrease of 4%.
In the Brother study just over two thirds of companies under a year old say they plan to stay office free and only 14% are concerned that clients will take a dim view of their business for not having an "office".
“In recent years there’s certainly been a cultural shift in working habits across the UK with new technology allowing companies to work in a way that suits them and their business, whatever their size," said Joanna Williams, Head of Brother UK Marketing and Communications. "Tablet technology, mobile printing and scanning solutions, the widespread availability of Wi-Fi connectivity and cloud technology means there are no longer barriers when it comes to working remotely, and almost any location can now be treated as an extension of - or even replacement for - your office.” ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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We just about started our business drinking coffee and using WiFi in McDonalds! Now we produce GSM based alarm and control systems (good for sheds and boats too! check www.emmtek.co.uk) by subbing out manufacture and mixing home work with coffee shops or hotels. It can and does work even for a small manufacturing business like us.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting read! Thanks for posting!
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