Office Space News
Serviced Office Use on the Rise in Los Angeles Area
Published February 23rd, 2009 by Jennifer LeClaire
Looking to rent office space on a budget? That’s the headline of a Los Angeles Times story in the Small Business section today.
The article tells the story of professional matchmaker Julie Ferman, CEO of Cupid’s Coach. Ferman used to meet with clients in a hotel lobby or a restaurant rather than in her home office. In between appointments, she tried to get her work done in parked car.
Looking for office space in Los Angeles, CA?
Can you imagine? Maybe you can. Now, she’s renting office space at Barrister Executive Suites in Westlake Village.
As the story goes, not only does Ferman have a receptionist, a telephone answering service and a business address – her revenues also went up! She’s planning on renting a shared office in Brentwood as she expands her dating advice business.
Telling the Recession Story
The LA Times reports that demand for serviced office space in Southern California is on the rise in the face of a down economy. That’s nothing new to our readers here at aBetterOffice.com, but it’s nice to see the major media outlets continuing to report on the trend. Besides Barrister Executive Suites, Corporate Office Centers and Regus were also mentioned in the story.
Next, the story goes on to explain typical prices and some more of the benefits of serviced offices. What I also liked about this coverage in the LA Times is that it looked at the other side. The story found a company that tried the serviced office concept and didn’t stick with it. That’s a well-balanced story.
Serviced Offices Not for All
That company was Tier One Tutors of Van Nuys, California. The company spent a year in Corporate Office Center in Glendale. It didn’t work out because they didn’t need all the bells and whistles that come with serviced offices, like the luxury conference room.
Serviced office space surely isn’t for everybody, but as the LA Times article points out, it is becoming a viable option for more and more companies in a down economy. I’m sure this isn’t the last story we’ll see on the topic of executive office space – maybe not even the last story this week.
Related posts:
- Chase Executive Suites Networks in Los Angeles Looking for executive suites in Los Angeles? Chase has you...
- Serviced Offices Offer Flexibility Down Under Regus isn’t the only one touting the flexible attributes of...
- Chattanooga Gets New Serviced Office Space In another example of developers eyeing the executive office suites...
- BLANKSPACES Debuts in Los Angeles with Coworking Model BLANKSPACES. The name got my attention right away. It reminds...
- RingCentral Chronicles Rise of Virtual Offices There is a continuing shift from the traditional on-site centralized...
About the Author
Maggie Correta February 24th, 2009 at 6:16 am
I read the Los Angeles Times piece on serviced office space, too. The reporter did an excellent job of of covering all the bases, from the advantages, the offering up a few different executive office suite vendors and even the client that discovered serviced office space wasn’t the best solution. These kind of articles are great for the industry. It set realistic expectations for alternative office space.
Melanie Jones February 24th, 2009 at 6:18 am
California, especially Southern California, is a hotbed for the serviced office industry. This is nothing new. The reporter at the Los Angeles times merely discovered a new angle on the story: the economic downturn and how it’s impacting office rentals. I’d still like to see some sort of figures on the overall serviced office industry in terms of a shift in growth during the economy. I’ve seen some figures form Regus and others that indicate growth. But I’d like to see if the smaller brands are witnessing the same uptick.
Elizabeth Sanchez February 24th, 2009 at 6:25 am
Barrister Executive Suites offers great facilities. Ms. Cupid chose a solid provider. The article didn’t say which shared office facility she chose. I thought it was really interesting how she expanded from a home office to a serviced office and now to a shared office. She can work in three locations instead of her car. Sort of goes to show you that the dating industry is booming despite the economy, and so is the serviced office industry.
Jennifer LeClaire February 24th, 2009 at 10:48 am
I just got an e-mail from Dennis Watson, corporate communications manager from Regus, with some interesting news. He tells me that Julie Ferman, CEO of Cupids Coach, left Barrister for the Regus Brentwood Center. The photo that accompanied the article in the Los Angeles Times was actually a Regus center. Thanks to Mr. Watson for clarifying.
Rob Zeus March 5th, 2009 at 10:53 am
California is a great place to do business. There are so many incentives for companies. Serviced offices make it affordable. Most start-ups couldn’t afford traditional office space. So executive office suites like Regus and Barrister serve a real need. You might even say they encourage entrepreneurship there.