Startup 101: An office guide

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Startups can no longer enjoy that amateur spark to make them endearing to clients. Only 20 or 30 years ago, games developer and multi-millionaire Ian Livingston was conducting his business from the back of a shoddy van.

But looking like a new-age Del Boy is about as appealing to clients as trying to sell them meat you found “off the back of a van”. Nowadays, even the smallest startup is expected to have some aesthetic savvy.

Despite this era of global communication in the digital age, the need for a workplace that fits the bill has become even more important.

Your business has to talk the talk and walk the walk – otherwise you’ll see more clients leaving your premises than entering.

With that in mind, what can you do to give your workplace a dollop of pizzazz?

Look to your lavvy

Have you ever entered an office toilet and felt like it was a pub lavvy? Paint flaking from walls, a toilet barely flushing, and a hand dryer wheezing like a pensioner – it’s about as comfortable as relieving yourself in a sewer.

Yet for a little more expense, a hip business could invest in decent washroom services and enjoy a business with top-quality hygienic toilet facilities.

Just imagine – gleaming walls, hygienic wipes beside every potty and hand dryers that remove bacteria in an instant.

Add a fresh lick of paint and you’ll have a bathroom that clients won’t want to leave.

Wonderful walls

Have you ever had a gander at Google’s offices? Amidst the hip beanbag chill out zones, the pinball machines and the twenty-somethings holding skinny lattes is one super-stylish factor – their walls hold more artwork than the Louvre.

Graffiti, murals and 3D art – they’re all covering the walls of the hottest media agencies and digital startups.

And they don’t’ have to cost you an arm and a leg. Hire local artists to give your vanilla paint some pizzazz. If you’ve got any scribblers who are friends or know anyone from your local art college, you might even wangle a discount rate.

Open and easy

There have been a lot of critics of open offices (mainly curmudgeons), but there’s little denying that a fledgling company will benefit from a space where free-thinking can be fostered.

Open-plan environments have the benefit of looking neater, too. Just think of a bunch of grotty cubicles cramming into your office. With more open space, you’ll let in an increasing amount of sunlight, giving your employees a better, more oxygenated atmosphere.

Ultimately, a workplace can make or break a business. Make sure yours is in the right state before any client comes knocking at your door.