March 3, 2021
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The Changing Workplace

By | Business

Are traditional office owners in denial about the change in demand that will persist after the pandemic is behind us? Since COVID-19 forced the hand of companies in allowing workers to work flexibly, Mark Dixon of Bisnow in London, said now they are actively embracing the benefits. He pointed to a study from EY that found that moving a worker from full-time office occupation to hybrid work could save a company $11K.

“Previously, if a company said they wanted you to work remotely, that wouldn’t have been acceptable,” he said. “But now they realize they can hire better people and save money as well. It is not just benevolent, they are businesses, and they realize that people are more productive, and it costs less.”

He thinks up to two-thirds of companies will adopt a hybrid working model of some staff in a central HQ some of the time and working remotely for the remainder.

At Business E Suites, we saw this new remote workspace model as a new way of working 3 years ago. It’s actually not new, it started over in Europe over 10 years ago. Fortunately, we were already under construction when the pandemic hit, but we didn’t plan on opening DURING a pandemic. Nevertheless, the remote office concept is becoming more popular every day.

Not only do workers need space, but they also need meeting rooms as well. Now, instead of meeting at a Starbucks, facilities like ours rent meeting room space out by the hour for as low as $10. And the coffee is included!

If you are a realtor, and you refer business to us, we pay referral fees.

Source

https://www.bisnow.com/london/news/office/its-a-100-year-storm-the-worlds-biggest-workspace-operator-on-why-offices-have-changed-forever-107735

March 3, 2021
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Featured Member: Faisal & Will (SNS)

By | Business, Industry

Faisal Shaikh and Will Peoples comprise SNS Ventures, a Sugar Land IT consulting company that services clients all over the country. They joined our community at Business E Suites in 2020 and have been growing ever since.  Faisal has been in IT and Cybersecurity for much of his career, and he met Will while they were both at GE. After advancing in the industry, Faisal saw an opportunity to start working as a consultant. This gave him more freedom to work with different kinds of clients, and he was not tied down to one company which gave him more security.

Before he started IT consulting though, Faisal got his first taste of small business ownership by opening a couple of restaurants called Saruzzos NY Pizzeria in the Houston area in 2016. Ultimately, Faisal’s goal is to be self-sufficient and get to retire early. Although the restaurants were doing well, there was an opportunity in consulting to potentially reach that retirement even earlier. That is how Faisal operates, he is always open to new opportunities and ideas, and he has the drive and ambition to make them happen.  Like any good business owner, Faisal knew he needed to assemble a winning team. He started by calling Will. After years of working offshore on oil rigs and a hectic schedule, Will was ready for a new challenge working together with Faisal. Will has his own experience as a small business owner, and his time in Oil & Gas provided him with lots of good connections in the industry. He was thrilled at the opportunity to work with Faisal again and work for himself “like a boss.”

SNS Ventures found Business E Suites in December 2020 when Faisal actually came to rent a van from one of our other tenants: Luxed Vans. Faisal toured the facility and loved the clean, professional look and the flexibility of month-to-month terms. As a project-based company, that flexibility is a major plus. It gives SNS the ability to scale their workspace up and down as needed when they take on extra clients or complete a long-term project.  The project-based nature of the business has also been one of the greatest challenges SNS has faced so far. Going from 2 contracts to 3 contracts is a massive increase to their workload, and likewise going from 2 contracts to 1 contract cuts their revenue in half. These big swings can be stressful, but it is just part of the challenge of being a small business.

If Will and Faisal could give one piece of advice to other small businesses out there it is this: Enjoy it!! You are your own boss now, so act like a boss and enjoy the freedom and opportunity provided to you from working for yourself.  Business E Suites is very happy to have SNS Ventures as one of our core members, and we look forward to watching them grow and accomplish all of their goals for 2021 and beyond.

March 3, 2021
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Marketing Tips from Ahava Marketing

By | Business, Tips

Whether you’re a marketing pro or just starting out, we’re here to pass on some helpful tips to reach some exposure and even some goals.  Remember, a brand is not just about a pretty logo, a cool website, or a simple business card, it is about the service and experience you offer your consumers, and where it is, really matters.   As a marketing agency we can tell you there are endless opportunities to market your product/service and brand your business on the way but today, we’re going to offer you some free tips to take advantage of and get started.

Start with the simplest of all; create a Google My Business Page

Most of your traffic if not all will flow through Google and having a steady presence is vital to look serious and mean business

Post and engage on social media

Almost 80% of adults use social media today, where more than half happen to be women, and the biggest age group using a social media outlet today happen to be between 18-29, plus in a world where Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram are the top three most used social media platforms.  This means, that a big group of people not quite this huge percentage, but a good amount could be potentially engaging with your brand and learning all about your product and services.  So, it’s vital to have your business engaged with a social media presence, post relevant content, and talk about what you do.  The chances of getting organic traffic and possible conversions are extremely high through social media channels.

Use hashtags and tag people

Posting content and engaging with the audience is not the only thing you need to focus on, you also need to use trending hashtags and tag relevant influential people that could boost your brand and products.  Now, posting trending hashtags, that’s just something you’re going to have to follow among other influencers specifically to your industry and take it from there.  As far as tagging people go, even if they are not influencers, you can tag people that have engaged with your brand, perhaps even acquired the product you sell, and tagging them will get you to share now your brand with their network; think about it as a word of mouth marketing tactic.

Develop an email marketing plan

Emails have become the number one method of communication among businesses and taking advantage of this new way of communication is a must.  Did you know sending something simple as a welcome email has a 21% open rate and when you offer personalization to this very same email, it increases the open rate by 50%.  Now, what you communicate, is really a world of opportunities to upsell, convert, or even just say hello and keep customers engaged.

Create useful data infographics

If your customers are visual learners like me then offering an infographic relevant to your business and its services is quite helpful, giving them the 411 as an overview with some interesting data and graphics, trust me, it will give your consumers and potential ones something to look at and become ongoing engagers with your brand.

Publish great content about your industry

In 2021, content is king and talking to the digital world through blogging and helpful articles and/or newsletters will boost your business brand and website traffic if set up correctly.

Other great tools you can use are posting helpful tip videos and even hosting contests and giveaways on social media.

To learn more about other free tips, feel free to reach out to hello@ahavamarketing.com or follow us on Facebook or Instagram: @AhavaMarketing.

March 3, 2021
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Lunch & Learn Recap: Cold Calling with Dave Fisher

By | Business, Tips

Business E Suites held its first-ever Lunch & Learn workshop on February 4th. This is something that we will be held each month on the 1st Thursday of the month. The topic for our first event was Cold Calling & Sales hosted by our very own David Fisher of Western Aviation.

Mr. Fisher has been in Sales for over 20 years and has experience selling all types of products from cars, jets, software, telecom, and more. He shared with our members some great tips for how to use cold calling to help make your small business more profitable.

We won’t give away all of his secrets, but here are a few tips he had:

  • Be prepared: Have a list of contacts you are calling and be sure to know as much about them as possible. Do some quick research so you know who you are calling and what their interests are how your business can help. Download lists of industry professionals you are targeting, or create your own list using excel and googling the business you are targeting. The more information you have the easier it will be to get past the gatekeeper.
  • Get past the gatekeeper: Every business or executive is going to have a receptionist or gatekeeper that you must get through before speaking to your actual target. There are many different strategies for getting past them. Ask for the person by name, sound familiar. Don’t start off with a sales pitch, you will get shut down right away. Be polite but assertive, be vague but intentional. Keep it as simple as “is Jim there? I need to speak with him.” And see where that gets you.
  • Get an email address: Even if you can’t get past the gatekeeper, get the email of the person you were trying to reach. Usually, the gatekeeper or receptionist will give it to you or let you leave a voicemail. Getting the email lets you at the very least send a follow-up message and add them to your marketing list, which is valuable. If they are unwilling to give it to you, a simple way to figure it out is just to find out the naming conventions of the email (ex: CThomas@CompanyName.co) and plug in the name of your contact to see if it works.
  • Put in the time: Even if you only have a success rate of 3% where your calls turn into deals, but it the time to make it worth it. If you can hammer out 100 calls in a day, that would net you 3 new deals! If you don’t put in the work, you won’t get the return you are looking for. You must ignore the rejections and just keep pushing till you get that one new deal you have been waiting for.

Cold Calling is far from the most enjoyable aspect of the business, but if you work hard it can be a valuable tool for growing your company and landing deals you otherwise would have missed.

February 2, 2021
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The Importance of a Meeting Room

By | Business, Tips

It is no surprise that first impressions matter most and engaging with a potential client or even more importantly an established customer is one of the most important aspects of your business; the image you portray in that very first meeting will set the tone for everything else beyond that.

With the “normal” running a business from home is no surprise but that does not mean that a customer has to adapt to your new “normal”, therefore it’s always best to meet them in a professional environment to ensure a professional service will be rendered.  At Business E Suites we offer just that, meeting rooms that will guarantee a professional tone and set your business for a successful referral.  After all, the first impression is what most people keep.

See a virtual tour of what meeting room settings are available for you right in the heart of Sugar Land.  And learn more about our beyond-flexible rates for any business professional, even at their earliest stages can afford.

Virtual Tours

See Rates

February 2, 2021
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Let’s Grow Together

By | Business, Industry, Tips

Real estate always keeps you on your toes, there are many things constantly on the move, but there is one thing that is often overlooked and that is turning away small businesses or clients that might not meet your criteria.

Having a defined target audience for your business helps you to understand how to advertise to bring the ideal customer thru the door, but sometimes we forget that growing your network can help your business in the long run. Many realtors might not realize that when a small business is looking for their services is already trusting them, whatever they are in the need of a single office or shared office, whatever they have a small budget or are in the process of planning for the upcoming months, the fact is that most Realtors are unable to help these clients and by not giving them options, they are turning way potential client in the future, because some of that business may need to grow and expand their office soon.

At Business E Suites we believe in creating a strong relationship with everyone no matter how far along you are on your path to success. We have co-working spaces, dedicated desks, meeting rooms, and a plethora of other services and rooms to suit clients big or small. We believe in creating a strong bond with our clientele because at the end of the day we help each other grow and when it is time to move up, we will be their first call because we have already established that strong mutual relationship.

Our advice to you is to let us help you help your clients, there are ways to get even small clients in, whether it is through referral incentives or simply giving you the best price available to suit any realtor’s needs. We need to really focus and understand the importance of helping startups or small businesses take that extra step. This is where you will have your groundbreaking moments; by allowing yourself to grow with each other and benefit both ways.  Plus, Business E Suites offers great referral fees, and the best part, when any small client grows their business to the next stage, you’ll be the first call they make.

 

February 2, 2021
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Featured Member: Pinnacle Offers LLC

By | Business

Maura Tinoco and Cadman Arthur are two of our Founding Members here at Business E Suites. They have been with us since July 2019 (before we even finished constructing our new building), and it has been a joy to watch them grow as a company and as individuals during that time.

Maura & Cadman originally met when they were both working in Healthcare back in 2011, they were both supporting their families and working hard but had dreams of bigger things. Maura had mentioned Real Estate and flipping houses as something she would love to do in the future. Cadman left to become a real estate agent in 2013. Maura eventually left to start investing in real estate in 2017. They had not spoken much since their time as coworkers, but a well-timed call by Cadman led to them teaming up when Maura started her own company- Exit Nationwide Property Solutions (quite a mouthful…) but have since re-branded themselves as Pinnacle Offers LLC (That’s more like it!).

What brought them to Business E Suites was the location which was close to both of their homes and the flexibility of being able to have a month-to-month solution that filled their needs without having to overspend. Since upgrading to our brand new building, they said it has created a more inviting and professional space for them to call home. It also brings new opportunities for them to network and connects with other small business owners like themselves.

Their ideal customers are motivated sellers who are looking to quickly sell their home and don’t want to take the traditional route and risk waiting months for their house to get a good offer. The houses they fix up and flip, are often perfect homes for small families or developers looking to rent out the house to families in the area. They work with lots of contractors and are always looking for new investors to partner with when buying houses and lots.

The greatest challenge that Pinnacle has faced is Building Momentum. This is something that every entrepreneur will struggle with starting out. In order to build their positive momentum and grow their business, Maura & Cadman set out to establish credibility with their clients by demonstrating their growing experience and track record of success in past deals and projects. Once you can point to those past successes, it makes it much easier to create a reputation of trust and quality, which will help bring in new leads and kickstart your momentum towards a thriving business!

If Cadman and Maura could give one piece of advice to fellow small business owners it would be this: DON’T GIVE UP! Tough times are bound to come. There will be days where you wonder if it was all worth it but keep pushing through and you will succeed. Believe in yourself and never settle for less than the best.

We at Business E Suites have loved being a part of Pinnacle’s journey as a growing small business, and they are a key part of our community. We look forward to seeing them continue to excel and push on to bigger and better things each year. We value all of our members here, and Maura and Cadman exemplify the exact kind of entrepreneurs and driven individuals that we look to help on their way to success.

 

February 1, 2021
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7 Reasons to use a Virtual Mail Address

By | Business, Tips

Over the past couple of years, businesses have become increasingly virtual and remote by nature- serving and communicating with customers, coworkers, and partners from around the globe all via the internet. This movement was accelerated by the events of 2020 and has ignited a work-from-home revolution where millions of small businesses are conducting their work from a home office. While these changes have presented many challenges, they have also brought about innovative new solutions for entrepreneurs looking to expand their reach and build their brand nationwide all from the comfort of their home. Virtual Mail Addresses and Virtual Offices are one the best resources available to you and will unlock a new level of potential for you and your small business.

  1. Privacy
    • Don’t list your private home.
    • Phone numbers available.
    • Keep work and personal life separate. No walk-ups!
      • Everyone wants to keep their work and personal life separate, but it is no small task for entrepreneurs and small business owners. Working out of your home can pose many challenges but using a Virtual Mail Address can help solve them. Using a Virtual Mail Address to list your business will minimize the number of people googling your home address or even showing up at your door looking for you (yikes!). Enjoy the perks of working at home without having your home be where your business is listed. Most Virtual Offices also offer Phone Numbers, so you do not have to give out your personal number to everyone or post it online or on your business cards. These extra layers of privacy can make a world of difference and help you maintain a proper work/life balance.
  2.  Professionalism
    • Customers see a building, not a house.
    • Use the space for meetings
    • Receptionist, good for walk-ins.
      • Listing your business with a Virtual Mail Address adds a great deal of professionalism to your appearance. When a customer plugs in your address, they see an office building with multiple small businesses as opposed to seeing a house in a subdivision. This simple detail can be the difference between closing a deal or letting a lead slip away. You do not want to give the customer any reason to doubt you, so make sure you are giving off a robust and professional appearance by using a Virtual Mail Address or Virtual Office. Most of these locations will also have a receptionist and meeting spaces available on-site, which is the perfect place for you to go meet with a client if you do not want to meet at your house or the local coffee shop. Plus, the receptionist will be able to properly handle any unexpected walk-in leads who might be seeking you out.
  3. Image/Brand
    • Customers see a beautiful new building- Makes you look legit!
    • Customers do not know if you are one person or 10, home or office.
      • One of the biggest challenges for small businesses and start-ups is establishing a quality brand that customers can trust. Your services might be the best in town, but customers can be deterred if they do not feel you are legitimate and can trust you. Listing with a Virtual Mail Address or Virtual Office helps you dispel these concerns. Customers like seeing a nice office building when they search for you. They won’t know if you are just listing virtually or having an enormous corner suite in the building. Still, the simple fact that you are tied to a quality location will give them added confidence when deciding to do business with you. Taking advantage of the Meeting Rooms provided at most places will also demonstrate to your customers the quality of your brand and that they are essential to you and your company.
  4. Marketing/Google
    • Can give you access to Google My Business, which will greatly increase your reach.
    • Easier for customers to find you (online & in-person).
    • One of the most powerful tools available to any small business is Google My Business. Listing on Google will help you exponentially increase your brand awareness and generate more leads. While listing using your home address is undoubtedly an option, you will get much more traction by listing using a professional business address. With work-from-home becoming much more mainstream in 2020, Google has become stricter on who gets to list their businesses on Google My Business. Many Virtual Mail and Virtual Office locations will have certain requirements that must be met for you to list on Google, but it will be well worth it.
  5. Networking
    • Find other small businesses listing at the same building, connect with them.
    • Attend events at the building.
    • Advertise your services at the building.
    • Virtual Mail and Virtual Office providers often act as a sort of small business hub. Many will even host networking events or let you advertise your company on-site with signage or an online directory. These types of networking and marketing opportunities can be invaluable to entrepreneurs who are looking to find new clients or partners and to establish their brand. Many of the other small business owners will have gone through the same struggles you are going through, so don’t be afraid to use them as a resource.
  6. Cost/Value
    • Minimal start-up cost.
    • Avoid regret renting space.
    • Stop wasting time or hesitating!
    • Probably the most significant selling point for a Virtual Mail Address or Virtual Office is the price. You can find them for as low as $15 or $20 per month. This is a steal when considering the value you will get out of using a Virtual Address. You don’t have to commit to the high overhead of renting an office but can still enjoy the benefits of having a professional business address and listing or registering your LLC somewhere other than your home. If you have been wavering on deciding to move your company out of the house and into an office, this is a no-brainer baby step in that direction. You can avoid any potential regret from moving into space you cannot afford or don’t want to commit to.
  7. Scalability
    • Get started, build momentum.
    • No long term contracts, scale up or down as needed.
    • At some point along the journey, all entrepreneurs reach a point where they feel stuck. They are mentally prepared to start scaling up their business but are wary of the costs of hiring new employees and/or moving into a larger space. Affordable options like Virtual Mail Addresses and Virtual Offices are the perfect solution for you to start taking steps in that direction without overcommitting your capital. You can start building momentum by listing at a business address, improving your footprint with Google My Business, and beginning to expand your marketing efforts and lead generation. This momentum will help you gain the extra support and cash flow to be able to confidently move forward into the next phase of your business plan.

Take your Business to the next level with Business E Suites. We have Virtual Mail, and Virtual Office packages starting as low as $15 per month. All our services are offered on a month-to-month basis, minimizing the risk and maximizing flexibility. We have a community of over 40 small businesses and regular networking and educational seminars offered for free to all our members. This is the perfect place to grow your small business and find all the resources you need to succeed and start your journey to new heights!

 

January 15, 2021
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El antídoto para adaptarse en el nuevo mercado

By | Business, Industry, Tips

Si bien la tecnología de la comunicación nos permite trabajar desde casa, existen dificultades que podrás experimentar al trabajar en casa y analizamos los beneficios que te brinda el mantener una correcta división entre tu trabajo y tu casa. Existen alternativas para poder trabajar de una manera eficiente, adecuada y por bajos costos como las oficinas compartidas, existe el alquiler de cubículos u oficinas y con ellos los beneficios de mantener tu empresa conectada con otras, permitiendo así la expansión en el mercado, mejorando tu carta de presentación ante tus clientes y mantener absoluto control sobre tus resultados, algo que están haciendo los empresarios profesionales con estrategias eficientes y dirigidas a la productividad, rentando espacios económicos que ayudan en la imagen de tu negocio, controlar tu agenda y múltiples beneficios extras.

  1. La balanza productiva.

Te habrás dado cuenta que trabajando desde casa, existe mayor comodidad y se reflejará en tus resultados. A esto se le conoce como la balanza productiva, cuando la distracción aumenta, el rendimiento disminuye y viceversa. Supongamos que te llaman a una junta urgente y sigues en pijama, o debes cerrar un trato con un cliente potencial y a tu alrededor se escucha mucho ruido o imagina presentar el reporte de fin de mes al dueño de la empresa, mientras tus hijos corren por la casa.

Es aquí donde separar tu hogar de la oficina cobra sentido, respetar los espacios es clave para el correcto desarrollo de tu organización, recordemos que el propósito de todo negocio es avanzar al siguiente nivel. No importa a que industria perteneces, todas las empresas buscan aumentar su cartera de clientes, expandir su mercado, incrementar su capacidad de producción y con ello formar equipos de trabajo competentes, numerosos y estables. Siguiendo con esta visión, tu valor en el mercado también se beneficiará, creando una red de contactos más sólida y por ende las recomendaciones profesionales.

  1. En la unión está la fuerza.

Si eres del tipo de persona a la que le gusta trabajar solo y con métodos específicos, amarás el trabajar aislado desde casa, pero debemos recordar el proverbio africano que dice “Si quieres ir rápido camina solo, si quieres llegar lejos ve acompañado”, mismo que siguen las empresas reconocidas a nivel internacional. Sabemos que en el mercado actual es más fuerte la competencia, por tal motivo es importante transmitir confianza al cliente, tu corporativo debe proyectar experiencia, seguridad y profesionalismo.

Si apenas estás comenzando, te recomiendo buscar una oficina compartida, te incluye diversos servicios como internet, servicio postal, recepcionista, cafetería, entre otros más por el mismo precio. Además de esta gran ventaja, el alquilar un espacio de coworking te permite estar en contacto con otros profesionales, encontrar inspiración, perspectivas, hacer relaciones laborales y obtener recomendaciones. Es muy común que un cliente nuevo o antiguo de la persona que se aloja en el cubículo de enseguida necesita del servicio que provees y de manera directa llegan a ti, sin necesidad de buscarlos.

  1. El ahorro intangible

Por supuesto, no podemos dejar a un lado la economía, quizá piensas en el ahorro que representa trabajar desde casa como en transporte, la comida rápida o incluso en vestimenta. Pero seamos realistas, no hablamos de un gasto masivo y se puede comparar con la energía eléctrica que antes no usabas en tus horas fuera, notarás que el garrafón del agua se termina más rápido que antes, gastarás en café, etc. Es cierto que el gasto no es algo grande, pero tenlo en cuenta: para trabajar en casa necesitarás más que una computadora, una mesa y un sofá

Cuando trabajas mucho tiempo sentado, es importante tener un mueble diseñado para trabajar en una posición cómoda, misma que un espacio de trabajo te brinda. Además, según sea el ramo en el que te desarrolles, es posible que necesites impresora, escáner o muebles para archivar información importante. Por otro lado, si tienes una vivienda pequeña, ten en cuenta que tener una oficina en casa afectará el espacio de todos, lo que afectará no solo tu comodidad, sino también la de ellos.