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Tenants talk about moving businesses away from home for the first time.

Posted By: / August 1, 2013

 

Approximately 10% of employed people in Milton Keynes work from home, and last year there were 2,500 start-ups in Milton Keynes. As start-ups grow, being based at home often becomes impractical and can limit business development. Dominic Muscat, director of Bucks Biz properties in Bletchley and Newport Pagnell, spotted this gap in the market and developed buildings especially for start-ups in need of their first business premises.

 

When Deana Bisgrove started at The Colour Lounge, her salon was in a specially set up room at home.

 

“Winning new customers meant a lot of cars parking at my house every day. My business led to a rise in my house insurance, and the hairdressing activity started encroaching on family life, particularly when I worked late."

 

“I looked at renting a chair for two days a week in other salons. It seemed to be really expensive, so a friend suggested I looked at more unusual premises. It turned out that I could have an entire salon with 24/7 access with Bucks Biz for the same price as renting a patch in somebody else’s shop. Moving here was a no-brainer,” enthused Deana.

 

Stuart Oliphant, director of MK Flyers, experienced dramatic business growth within the first six months of moving out of his home: “I had to move from home because my young son was too much of a distraction. The impact of moving to a Bucks Biz Business Centre was immediate. My concentration dramatically improved and the additional exposure to other businesses in and around the building generated new leads with very little effort."

 

“Within six months I had enough new customers to employ an extra member of staff. I have also had the time to rebrand our web directory and launch an app and privilege card,” he explained.

 

“Yesterday we had such a large amount of point-of-sale and marketing material stacked up in my office that it resembled a storeroom. Thank goodness we aren’t based at home anymore,” explained Laura Clark, director of Phat Pasty, one of Milton Keynes’ entrepreneurial success stories.

 

She moved in with Bucks Biz in spring 2012 and explained more about the efficiency gained since moving the business from her home: “If I’m struggling with something, I sit there until it’s finished. When I worked from home, I would go and put the washing machine on instead.”

 

When you rent premises, the benefits are the same for everyone: every bill is tax-deductible, separate premises give customers a more professional impression, and the prospect of having to pay rent helps to sharpen your business senses.

 

“Almost 60% of our tenants are start-ups that have moved in straight from home. We do everything we can to support them; for example, holding networking events in each of our buildings and being flexible with their requirements whenever possible."

 

“We are continuing to develop MK:TWO in Bletchley especially for this market – the demand for start-up offices, workshops and warehouses is enormous. For example, offices priced at less than £300 per month, including major bills, are normally reserved in advanced before they’re finished,” explained Dominic Muscat, who has been handling the development of Bucks Biz properties.