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The Secret Of Serviced Offices

Serviced offices are ideal for start-ups, writes Prajit Arora, managing director of Sentinel Business Centres.

Gulf Business

It is not surprising that huge ranges of businesses in Dubai are electing to use serviced offices today. Many new, but not necessarily small businesses cannot accurately predict their headcount figures over a two or three year time span. These companies take flexible offices in a serviced office facility where they will be able to take additional space when it is needed. A traditional office may feature in the next stage of their property strategy, but initially, they prefer to avoid large overheads with high set up costs.

 

A Business Centre is the collective term for an office building, or often just a floor or wing of an office building, in which a company provides a range of offices to tenants on relatively short term contracts in the form of serviced offices. These offices are fully fitted and furnished and ready for immediate occupancy. Serviced office operators also take responsibility for all of the services including reception services, secretarial support, and conference and meeting facilities, video conferencing, networking and high speed internet access.

 

While initial costs may look high, the charges that you pay includes almost all of the costs that you would normally expect to pay on top of rent in a conventional office; and better yet, they are fixed costs – from month to month, you know exactly what you’ll pay for your workspace. There are no additional costs for furniture, heating/air conditioning, lighting and power, security, cleaning, building and plant maintenance, elevators, insurance and other miscellaneous expenses that business owners are usually in the dark about until the bill arrives. For many start-ups, the up-front costs associated with a conventional office are simply unaffordable and the hassle-free monthly payments at a serviced office are far more manageable.

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Secrets of a good partnership (The National)

Sharing both a home and a work life can put a strain on any relationship, but as co-founders of their own consultancy, Elin and Taner Kilicarslan feel they have struck the right balance. They offer advice on what entrepreneurs need to know to make start-ups succeed, Gillian Duncan writes.

Elin and Taner Kilicarslan are not your typical married couple.

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Show me the money! Your essential guide to funding your start-up By Prajit Arora, Managing Director, Sentinel Business Centres

Starting up your own business and building on a business idea is not always easy. It involves a series of steps, starting with research, networking, paperwork and sometimes most importantly, the process of obtaining funding.

Young entrepreneurs in their 20s with little job experience often have a hard time finding funding sources, which brings us to the all-important business plan. Including accurate financial projections as well as defined goals and objectives of the business is crucial to communicate with potential investors and financial partners. Once estimates have been made and all the big and little expenses involved have been calculated, funding can be sought out.

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Business Start-ups 101: the How-to Guide by Prajit Arora, Managing Director of Sentinel Business Centres

Although business is the main focus of the economy across the UAE, it is not always an easy place to set-up if you do not know the ins and outs of the city, and as well as the different alternatives you might have depending on the kind of business you want to start.

Setting up and managing your own business gives you the freedom to be your own boss and work from wherever you like. It also allows you to choose your work hours and practices. These are the perks! But starting a small business and making it a success requires hard work, focus and commitment. It is best to start out small to test the water. This will help give you a taste for being your own boss and assess whether your business idea looks like it will be a success.

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Business Unusual: start-ups and SMEs evolve the landscape of business in Dubai

Business as usual; and in Dubai, this has come to mean big business, ambitious business and above all, entrepreneurial business. Entrepreneurial activity is erupting across the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia (MENASA), promising to revolutionize economies and reinvigorate communities. According to the MENA private equity association, venture capital deals tripled in the past 2 years; a strong indication of the growth of entrepreneurship in the region. The rapid and exponential growth has ushered in a new era of business, something which analysts have attributed to the global financial crisis, alongside an improvement of infrastructure and services for start-ups and entrepreneurs.

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