Two business people analysing charts on a clipboard

Voices

When your business operates on a global scale, flexspace can help

Reading time:  2 Minutes

Standby Consulting’s founder and Managing Director Sam Mulholland explains why

 

For Sam Mulholland, flexibility is key both in the work he does and the way he runs his business. As the founder and MD of Standby Consulting, which provides business continuity (BC) and disaster recovery (DR) for companies in crisis, being able to react quickly is paramount.

It’s for this reason that Mulholland chose Regus when restructuring his business in a bid to cut running costs. “We have been with them for two years now and have had a great experience,” he says. “As a consulting company we now have a lot of flexibility and fewer overheads. Regus has excellent facilities and a great network, so internet and reachability is never an issue.”

Established in 1996 and based in Dunedin, New Zealand, Standby Consulting operates around the world – and being a Regus member means Mulholland can set up shop wherever his clients need him: “In any city, if there is a Regus office nearby, we have the option of going in and using its facilities,” he says. Previously, having a physical presence wherever you’re doing business in the world was a necessary but expensive liability. “Because we are global, one of our key challenges was overheads costs,” Mulholland explains.

It was Regus serviced offices that put an end to all that. With 3,000 locations in 120 countries, and providing facilities more commonly found in fixed offices, it means that Standby Consulting is able to operate from pretty much anywhere. “We also found that there were a lot of hidden benefits – for example, we got a professional receptionist answering our phones and greeting our guests,” Mulholland says.

Another benefit of flexspace is the ability to keep a tight rein on operating costs. Whereas a traditional office lease will swallow costs whether there’s money coming in or not, with Regus you only need to pay for what you use. “We can expense the Regus cost into our quotes to clients, so don’t have to factor in the cost of empty floor space we don’t need all the time. What this means for us as a business is that we go in, we get the job done, and then we are finished – we don’t have extra overheads to worry about,” Mulholland states.

According to the most recent IWG Global Workspace Survey, 85% of those polled say that productivity has increased as a result of greater flexibility – a sentiment with which the entrepreneur agrees. “I see the flexible workspace model growing. With everything being digital, working has become so accessible,” he says. In the end, what it comes down to is completing the task at hand efficiently and hassle-free. “At the end of the day as an employer, all you want is stuff done on time and budget, and with flexible workspace and companies such as Regus, we can do that,” Mulholland concludes.

 

Find the nearest Regus location to you