The world has dramatically changed because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Sure…You are not saying anything new!”
Alright. But the transformation is still underway.
You may be aware that the world has undergone massive changes over the last year, but maybe you cannot determine the pandemic’s overall impact on the business environment.
I have already written a post about the Covid-19 positive and negative implications for businesses, but without outlining the new business trends and why some modern enterprises are getting the upper hand on the competition.
Thus, I would like to teach you more about the “new normal” in a post-pandemic business world: pop-up offices.
First, I want to highlight that “pop-up offices” are a trend that reshaped the global economy over the last decade. The Covid-19 pandemic has only accelerated this trend for many companies that were postponing new work style projects.
By the end of 2021, companies worldwide are likely to invest in a technological update and reduce bureaucracy to adapt their working ways.
Business agility has become the new norm (and pop-up offices provide excellent support for business agility).
Table of contents:
Table of Contents
1. What are pop-up offices?
Many people think of pop-up offices as temporary retail venues. They believe that pop-up offices are short-term sales-spaces that last for a few weeks before closing down.
Well, they are not entirely wrong.
“Pop-up retail” is a concept that can be traced back to the late 90s. According to Wikipedia, The Ritual Expo, an event launched in Los Angeles in 1997 by the media entrepreneur Patrick Courrielche, brought together large brands that created short-term experiences to promote their products.
Since then, pop-up stores have become a popular go-to marketing strategy.
Thus, most of the time, people imagine a pop-up office as an old shipping container transformed into a store or office.
However, I believe that it’s time to broaden this concept.
The unprecedented situation created by the pandemic has accelerated business changes, transformed visions, and optimised resources.
As a result, pop-up offices are no longer steel shipping containers where team members can “pop-in” to work on a project and then “pop-out” after a couple of weeks.
In today’s business world, pop-up offices are affordable and flexible office spaces where companies can “pop-in” and “pop-out” on a short-term basis, with no lock-in contracts.
A pop-up office is any office that ditches the “lease it and forget it” concept involving high (and most of the time unnecessary) expenses.
More and more companies are now enjoying the benefits of pop-up offices since the Covid-19 pandemic forced them to find alternatives to traditional offices.
To put it briefly, pop-up offices are the new business norm because the traditional offices are slowly dying out.
Brick-and-mortar offices have started to become obsolete in the pre-pandemic period, and the great lockdown has only accelerated this underlying trend.
In this post, I will share why pop-up offices and the freedom of no-lock-in, month-to-month office space are the new way of doing business.
2. 3 reasons why pop-up offices are the new business norm
- Easy scalability & freedom to grow
Scalability is a business’s ability to increase its level of performance and grow by adapting to higher demand.
The concept of scalability has become more relevant over the last years due to the digital transformation process. Modern technology allows businesses to acquire customers and scale way much faster.
For example, think of the business listing and review platforms, websites, and search engines, such as Google My Business, Bing Places, Trustpilot, etc. The more you use them to get online visibility, the more you attract and retain customers. As a result, you can quickly skyrocket business growth and create the necessary foundation for scaling up.
Now let me get to the point.
Flexible month-to-month contracts allow businesses to access the additional resources they need without being hampered by a lease agreement that no longer works for them.
An excellent office space that supports scalability is a virtual office that gives companies the chance to access relevant services as they grow without paying for unused square footage.
A high-quality, transparent virtual office provider (like B2B HQ) does not tie businesses to a long-term agreement. Thus, a virtual office is a modern and affordable “pop-up office” as it allows companies to “pop-in” and “pop-out” when and how they want, without long-term commitments.
- Top-notch services
Be sure that month-to-month office space agreements include only high-quality services.
The reason for this is obvious.
Landlords who rent office space and have customers locked into a contract for at least one year have fewer reasons to deliver excellent services, such as repairs and maintenance (typically, long-term lease agreements include them).
As a general rule, landlords want to retain tenants for as long as possible without the hassle of negotiating a new contract. A bad rental experience can negatively affect a team’s morale and productivity.
What would you do if you fell into the trap of a bad rental agreement? And what if your rental agreement prohibits termination despite outrage caused by your landlord?
Yes, there are some ways to get out of a bad lease, but this may require time and money to hire an attorney.
Now think of an office provider with no lock-in contracts. It is more likely for them to deliver outstanding services and customer support as they know that under-delivery will make them lose customers.
- Fixed office space is no longer necessary
Office space on demand is the new business norm. Most companies have shifted to fully remote work or hybrid remote (hybrid remote means spending a couple of days a week in the office or even less).
The new office in a post-pandemic world is an ecosystem of workspaces and work experiences. Some of the same company employees may work from home, while others may need a temporary collaborative on-demand space or rentable meeting room.
Agility, resilience, and flexibility are key-elements in today’s business world. Therefore, a pop-up office that companies can temporarily use for team interaction, face-to-face meetings, and creativity sessions meets modern businesses’ needs.
White-collars may never go back to their cubicles and water coolers. As a result, fixed office space with long-term rent agreements has become a big waste of money due to expensive and unnecessary overhead costs.
Today, you can rent an executive suite or temporary office space for meetings with investors and clients on an hourly or daily basis Or, you can “pop-in” in a temporary office space to test a new market while developing a contingency plan.
For example, a short-term branch office lease can save you from the hook of unpaid rent if growth plans go wrong.
Thus, permanent office space and long-term lease agreements have become obsolete and no longer meet modern businesses’ demands as trends and opportunities are reshaping what work looks like.
Conclusion – The use of on-demand temporary workspace is an emerging trend shaping the business environment’s future.
Businesses must learn to respond to rapid changes and keep up with the rise of new work styles, while traditional offices with lock-in contracts prevent them from adapting to the current situation.
Pop-up offices allow companies to benefit from office space when they need it, without paying for unnecessary expenses.
However, if you want to get the most benefits out of the right office space for you with no long-term lease agreements, I have two tips for you:
- Get an office provider that allows a quick set-up: Short-term rentals should be less complex than long-term rentals. Thus, your office provider should allow you to access office space quickly and avoid a long negotiation process.
- Get cost-effective office space: Some short-term leases often end up being more costly because the rental rates are higher. To get the most out of your short-term office rental, make sure you get value for money.
If this post helped you better understand the importance of pop-up offices in today’s business world, we would be more than glad if you could contact B2B HQ’s team for further information concerning our virtual offices.
We provide affordable office spaces with no lock-in contracts or hidden costs. We are aware that modern businesses need flexible solutions to be nimbler and cope with changing workload volumes. The days of static work arrangements are over.
