Business tips

Recent figures have shown that almost 70% of office space in the US is now open plan, consisting of low partitions or even no partitions or walls at all. However, not everyone agrees that the open plan formula is an effective one. Before you adopt this layout in your office, here are 5 potential drawbacks of open … Read moreThe debate continues: 5 reasons why an open office space may not be a good idea

New office space is on the cards in central Milton Keynes as plans for a five-storey office block have been submitted to the Council for approval. The complex – Victoria House – will be developed on Grafton Park, subject to approval being granted. The applicant is Frontier Estates (Investments) Limited, a successful UK property development … Read moreNew office space planned for Milton Keynes

A lack of office space in South East London has sent rental rates soaring, according to Estate Agent Knight Frank. There has been a drop in vacancy rates, from 5.9% to 4.2%, coupled with a 13% decrease in the availability of suitable offices, which has led to the increase in rents. The figures, which are … Read moreLack of office space in South East London sends rental rates soaring

Manchester has agreed more office space deals during the first quarter of 2015, than any other of the eight large regional cities. For the first three months of 2015, Data provided by Bilfinger GVA reveals that Manchester has topped the list amongst the eight big regional cities outside of London. A total of two million sq … Read moreManchester is the biggest city for office space outside London

Are you looking to move offices soon? Or maybe you’d like to just make some improvements on your existing office space? A cramped office is never going to inspire your employees to work hard and remain motivated, and in some cases, a cluttered office is going to be potentially dangerous if wires are left just … Read more10 amazing tips on how to improve your office space

Most of us are old enough to remember the old style office space, with desks and employees packed in like battery hens, and the boss hiding away in their own private office with the door permanently closed. Can you also remember having to knock if you wanted to speak to them, and it felt like … Read moreHow you can create your own modern office space

Utilising your office space to ensure your employees are happy and content is an absolute must these days. According to recent studies, the British workforce works the longest hours in Europe with up to 70 hours per week. An employee who spends this amount of time in the office needs to have surroundings that not … Read moreMaking the most of your office space – boosting productivity and creativity

Silicon Roundabout in Shoreditch, a reference to Silicon Valley in California, is home to a huge number of tech businesses and a popular location for start ups.  But the soaring cost of property in this sought-after location is pushing new companies away in favour of more competitive rents elsewhere. Renting office space anywhere in London brings with it huge … Read moreOut of control rents in Silicon Roundabout push tech startups away

Back in November 2013 the Angel Offices team created a write-up to help you decide whether you should go open plan with your office design. Now the debate is back on the table. Open plan offices are supposed to encourage your team to collaborate more, and can help you squeeze more workers into the floor space … Read moreAre open plan offices counter productive?

If you’re a small business owner currently working at home and wondering if now is the right time to get your first office, this article is for you.  We look at the advantages and disadvantages of running your business from home, and how you can use new ways of working to ensure that you still … Read moreTime to get office space?

Freelancing is synonymous with working from home and all the comforts that come with that: being able to work without distractions where, when and how you like – even if that’s in your pajamas tucked under the duvet. But most freelancers get to a point where they start to miss aspects of working in an … Read moreFreelancing? Maybe it’s time to find your first office

When we think of office space, it might conjure up images of rows of cluttered desks, functional chairs, a coffee machine humming somewhere and the occasional potted plant miserably dying in the corner. But for some companies’ office space, this is far from the reality. Here are four of our favourite offices that clearly demonstrate … Read moreWish you were here? Futuristic office spaces that we love.

Whether your business is looking for its first office or ready for an upgrade, serviced office space is an affordable and realistic option, regardless of whether you need one desk or one hundred. It strikes exactly the right balance between keeping your costs as low as possible, and portraying the right image to your customers. … Read moreThe benefits of serviced office space

You’ve heard the expression ‘location, location, location’ when it comes to residential property, but businesses searching for a new office spot would do well to remember that their success also depends on being in the right place geographically.  Choosing the right location for your office is an important part of your growth strategy.  Naturally, every business … Read moreLocation, location, location – where to set up your office

Louise Scott, Managing Director at Tidalfire How much longer will we have to put up with companies – yes you know who you are –uploading PDF versions of print forms to their websites? This is slightly less annoying than the number of Word forms that we find on web sites. What has gone wrong here? Has Adobe failed … Read moreWhen will Companies STOP putting PDF Print Forms on their Websites

Ryan Falconer, Managing Director of Ryster A few well-chosen tweaks can transform a website from a sitting duck into a money-making machine. Edinburgh web design specialist Ryster shows us how it’s done. Socialise and Shout it Out – Blogging and interacting on social media platforms not only increases profitability, it’s fun and can give you a lot of … Read more6 Ways to Add Value to Your Website and Increase Profit

Watt Nicoll How many references to time do we flippantly embrace in an average day? We talk about Summertime, Springtime, Good Times and Bad Times with no real emphasis on the word ‘time’ and could very well just refer to summer, spring, good or bad – but we add the word ‘time’. We have Breakfast Time, Lunchtime, Teatime, … Read moreAre you an apprentice millionaire?

Often I hear people talking about how complicated life is and how difficult it is to get focused, and stay on course, moving forward towards their goal. I’ve noticed how we become enticed into programmes and seminars that promise to show us “Secret formulas for success” and the proliferation of get rich quick schemes and … Read moreBack to basics

Ryan Falconer, Managing Director of Ryster It’s not just religions that need converts – making a website pay is all about enticing the curious visitor into converting to an enthusiastic customer. Edinburgh web designer Ryster shows us how it’s done in 5 easy steps. Design to Delight – It’s simple but worth saying – make your site well organised and … Read moreHow to Turn Your Website Visitors into Customers in 5 Easy Steps

By Arthur Beverly of Arthur Beverly Financial Management Successive Governments have worked hard to encourage people to make adequate provision for retirement, because they know that State Benefits are simply inadequate. Because of this, the onus of providing for our retirement is being placed fairly and squarely on our own shoulders and that of our … Read morePensions, and what you need to know

By Alistair Marr of 23W VAT Change – What Happens Now? The standard rate of VAT will increase on 4 January 2011, from 17.5% to 20%. This will be the third adjustment in the standard VAT rate in the last two years. This rate change presents a number of challenges to clients, particularly as it … Read more2011 VAT Changes

By Gavin Tosh of Clerwood. In all the excitement of the chase, the friendly interchanges with the potential customer, not to mention the encouraging signs which inspire increasing confidence of a successful sale, it is easy to get carried away. Gradually as well as a lot of your time, you find that cash is being … Read morePrudence in pre-contract negotiations

By Gary Sutherland The biggest change to UK Employment Legislation in over decade comes into force today…..The new Equality Act. UK Equalities Minister Theresa May claims the new anti-discrimination rules will make it easier for businesses to comply but several business groups disagree, claiming the the new legislation will impose a heavy burden on employers, … Read moreNew Workplace Equality Rights Come into Force

By Gavin Tosh The process of establishing a contractual relationship begins with an offer being made, notwithstanding that there may have been much ‘cultivation’ of the customer and preparing of the ground beforehand. An Offer will take the form of a quotation, which could be simple and could even be verbal, or it could be … Read moreQuotations and Tenders: Introduction

By Gavin Tosh A Partnership is one kind of formal contractual relationship often adopted by businesses, the other  common ones being a Limited Company and now a Limited Liability Partnership (LLP). It is possible to have a legal Partnership with nothing in writing, however this is a high risk strategy. For example if a partner … Read morePartnerships

By Gavin Tosh When is the contractual relationship in place? For a contract to be formed an offer must be accepted without qualification. If you make an offer and the customer comes back and says ‘ok but instead of x can I have x plus y’ or any aspect of the offer is varied, that … Read moreForming the contractual relationship

By Mark Lister Do you ever notice this happening with you? 1. You’re doing some task, one you’ve done plenty of times before. Someone says something like “Why don’t you do it this way?” or “Why don’t you do that?” 2. You find yourself thinking, “That’s clearly a good idea – why on earth DON’T … Read moreJust a habit

By Jane Quinn A friend of mine told me he walked into a petrol station and was confused when asked if he would like two rabbits with his fuel. Frowning, he asked why and was told that a local girl was looking for a new home for her pets. Now the offer of rabbits made a little more … Read moreHow many rabbits are you chasing?

Relationships in business (as in life), be that with your clients or customers are all about one very simple fact, they are all built upon trust; them trusting you and you trusting them. Hark back to when you were in a romantic mood.  You spend time wining and dining your potential loved one.  This goes … Read moreRomancing Your Clients