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!

Cutting the tape on a new place for co-working and collaboration

Potential co-workers find out about what the Hub has to offer

Newcastle Business Village launched their brand new initiative, the 'Newcastle Business Hub' last week, supported by the Mayor of North Tyneside, Linda Arkley.  A well-attended launch party was also hosted by owners Helen and Mark Reed who, supported by Vicki Stone Marketing, did a great job of showcasing the Hub and what it has to offer.

The launch event also gave Space on Tap the opportunity to talk about the benefits of co-working, both virtually and physically in spaces like the Business Hub.

Getting out of the home office to connect with other people, and just to get a change of scene now and again, can do wonders for you and your business.

Find out more about the benefits of co-working from Space on Tap through a free webinar being hosted by The Mussel Club on 10th June - join us from your desk for 15/20 minutes at 10am.

To pre-register for your free place CLICK HERE

And a big 'shout out' for my co-presenter at the Newcastle Business Hub launch, Wendy Parvin of Conversations with Purpose.  Her infectious enthusiasm and words of wisdom about the importance of business collaboration for any business had the room entertained but also fully engaged.

Having challenged us to think of any aspect of business we do on our own, the audience was stumped - even one guest who suggested that he flew solo when writing training courses soon conceded that his proof-reader was an essential part of the process.  Wendy explained that working freelance, as she does, doesn't mean working alone.  Through collaboration with other freelancers and larger organisations great things can happen, including access to opportunities that would otherwise be beyond your reach and making a much greater impact than one person could manage on their own ('the sum of the parts etc ...').  Wise words indeed.

I've encountered Wendy's energy before, and she never fails to make an impact.  If you need a speaker or someone to support you personally get in touch with Conversations with Purpose - you won't be disappointed.  Wendy is someone who can cut through the smog to get right to the heart of the matter on a whole range of issues, from how to network through to discovering what you're really in business for.

You might, of course, be lucky enough to bump into her at the Newcastle Business Hub some day - she's planning to camp out there occasionally to benefit from the co-working experience herself.

New co-working space opening in Newcastle

The owners of Newcastle Business Village in Benton, the venue for a couple of our Colleagues on Tap co-working days over the past 10 months, has decided to take a great step forward to develop a co-working space in the 'village'.


The Newcastle Business Hub, which officially launches on 18th May, will provide workspace for homeworkers, freelancers, and anyone running or working in a business in the North East.  The Hub will offer  flexible space as and when it’s needed, in a relaxed environment with an emphasis on co-working. There'll be a lounge area that's ideal for meetings, and other facilities will include unlimited tea and coffee, high speed wi-fi, printer/scanner/copier and fax, as well as a choice of private meeting rooms and a friendly staffed reception.

If you're interested in finding out more about co-working or checking out whether the Newcastle Business Hub could be your perfect place to work occasionally you can attend the special launch event free of charge.    


As well as being offered tasty canapes, you might also have the chance to win a free workspace for a year!  Jayne Graham from Space on Tap will be talking at the event about the business benefits of co-working for people who usually work alone or from home, and Wendy Parvin from Conversations with Purpose will talk through the 'how to and why to' of networking.  


CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR FREE PLACE

How important's natural daylight?

A recent BBC report on a new innovation in classroom lighting suggests that lighting can have a huge impact on everything from our mood to our levels of concentration whilst studying or working.  (Thanks to Anna Dorward for highlighting the article to us)

That set us thinking about your preferences when you're looking for space for occasional hire - for working, meetings, or running/attending training courses.

Have you ever hired a space that has no natural daylight, and would you do so again? 


Please complete our one-click poll  - it's located at the top right of this Blog.  We'd also love to read your thoughts and comments too.


THANKS in advance for your views - we'll be passing the results onto venues across the North East that are aiming to provide you the perfect place for occasional workspace and meetings.

Space on Tap's opening doors so local businesses can share resources

Space on Tap's Open Door service provides a unique way for local businesses to network and share resources.

Through our research we know that there are lots of homeworkers and people who work on a remote basis that would love to have access to a local office or meeting space that's available on tap - to hire literally by the hour, whenever they need it.  Space on Tap's Open Door service does what it says on the tin!  We're opening the doors of companies across the region that have spare space, but that until now had no way to hire it out to local business people.

Through the Open Door service Space on Tap is able to feature private business space that wasn't previously available for hire in its Perfect Places Directory at www.spaceontap.com, alongside other commercially available space (in a whole host of places from business centres to cinemas).  Registered Users of Space on Tap can not only view the available space, but also check availability, book and pay for it online, 24/7, making it a highly accessible service.

As well as providing access to local space, the Open Door service is also a great vehicle for business networking - both the host company and the person using the space benefit from a heightened profile and new contacts - that's what we call a 'win win'!

Spaces currently available through Space on Tap's Open Door service include:

Carrotmedia, NEWCASTLE    
Deskspace with fast broadband and river view £5 p/hr

Innov8 Disposal, STOCKTON
Meeting room for 6 people or occasional office space with wifi £12 p/hr

Red Maple IT, GATESHEAD
Meeting room up to 8 with wifi, £10 p/hr

Kinsey Jones Accountants, GOSFORTH
Meeting room or office for up to 4 with wifi £8.50 p/hr

Curtis Office Supplies, DARLINGTON
Meeting room for up to 10 people £12 p/hr

Saville Clinic, NEWCASTLE
City-centre office with wifi for hire by the hour £8.50 p/hr

Meldrum Construction Services, BIRTLEY
Meeting/training space close to A1 £9 p/hr


If you'd like to know more about Space on Tap's unique Open Door service, or to find out more about any of the spaces we feature in our Perfect Places Directory, just leave a comment below or email us today at opendoors@spaceontap.com