Home is Where the Work is?

It's great to see 3 out of the 5 businesses featured in The Times Small Business Insights article on homeworking today are North East companies Vicki Stone Marketing, Newcastle Business Hub and Space on Tap.

In our quest to get 'home' to be  recognised as a great place to do (and grow) business this is a real coup for the North East, demonstrating (again) that we're not shy of leading the field in new ways of working through adopting innovation and enterprise.

Running great businesses is far more about the people than it is about the place - we just need to make sure the right place is there when we need it - that's why Space on Tap was established 12 months ago (it's all in the name!) and why Newcastle Business Hub, recently launched by Helen and Mark Reed of Newcastle Business Village, is destined for huge success.

Home is increasingly becoming where the Work is, and don't they say that "success breeds success"?  So the better the resources for home businesses become (making it feasible for people to grow businesses effectively from home if that's what they choose to do), the more likely it will be that successful home-based businesses will become recognised as the norm.

Working from home opens up so many opportunities - it makes sense for both social and economic reasons - yet it's still deemed by many (including those running home businesses) as being somehow second best.  Do we really need the cost and hassle associated with having a physical presence these days? As Carol Lewis reports in her article in The Times Small Business Insights, "The growth of social media and the power of email mean many can work from home".  If you add to that work and meeting space when you need it, together with guidelines and frameworks that enable companies to employ staff without needing to put them up in the front room, then it starts to get exciting.  That's the journey Space on Tap's on so watch this space :)
READ THE ARTICLE
What resources are lacking for businesses that want to grow from home?  What information, guidelines, resources and support do you need?  Please tell us what you think.

Space of the Week 22nd June 2011

Space of the Week this week is located in STOCKTON, just a few minutes from the A66, and is one of our Open Door spaces - exclusively available through Space on Tap - you can check availability, book and pay for it online making it really accessible and convenient for those of us who need to make arrangements beyond the 9 to 5!


Hiring this space will also provide the opportunity to co-work alongside the Innov8 Disposal team, one of Space on Tap's Open Door Partners - so it's the perfect place if you need a change from booking meeting rooms or office space where you don't see another sole all day!

If you'd like to hire the space for a day or longer, ask us about possible discounted rates to make it a really affordable option by emailing help@spaceontap.com

SpoTLight on Northumberland

Here at Space on Tap we're excited about the great spaces in Northumberland that we've been discovering, and we have big plans to feature plenty more great places in our Perfect Places Directory over the next few months.  We want to make sure our Registered Users who need meeting, work and storage spaces around the County have their pick of the crop!

Where's your perfect place in Northumberland?
Do you already know somewhere in Northumberland that you use, either free or for hire, when you need space on tap?  We'd love to hear about it - just leave a comment below or email us details at help@spaceontap.com

A selection of the Perfect Places in Northumberland we're featuring at www.spaceontap.com 

Blyth CEC is a great venue by the Quayside in Blyth and minutes from the A189 Spine Rd.  Open Mon to Sat, spaces include a great office/small meeting room for 1 to 4 people for hire for £10 an hour, and a bright training/conference room for up to 50 people for only £95 per day.  Both spaces are fully wifi enabled, have a great view of the River, and the team here couldn't be more helpful.

There are various spaces for hire at Shepherds Dene in Ridings Mill nr Corbridge, from formal 'round the table' settings to more relaxed spaces like The Garden Room - a great place to get away from it all for team meetings, focus group sessions, or training courses.  Wifi is available on tap and the surrounding gardens include a labyrinth and woodland trail.

Staying on the theme of spaces to think, this wonderful place in Simonburn, located half way between Hexham and Bellingham, has space for hire by the day.  This really is an idyllic spot if you need somewhere inspiring to write, to hide away to get a project started or finished, or simply to relax and think.  With great WIFI and access to the tearoom for a cream tea, this could easily be described as the perfect place!

And finally for somewhere completely different!  Useful Productions in Cramlington are keen to make their storage, warehouse and office space available to anyone who needs space on tap.  Whether you need short term storage for stock, equipment or documents, or just a vast space for anything from a photography shoot to a training event, this 7 metre tall space in Cramlington could be ideal.

More Northumberland spaces coming soon
We're already talking to venues in Ashington, Rothbury, Hexham and Amble, and have plenty of other spaces on our extensive database - if you'd like us to check that out for you to see if we can help you to find your perfect place just register free at www.spaceontap.com/register and complete our online user survey, then we'll be in touch!