We often run articles about best practices for starting a business in Japan. Here are some of the benefits serviced offices can provide entrepreneurs, startups and modern digital nomads in Japan—plus a checklist to help you find the right one should you decide to go that route.
1. Low entry costs and flexible lease agreements
Some serviced offices allow you to contract for as little as one day and just enough space for one person. Especially in the beginning, this is more attractive than signing a multi-year lease that you cannot opt-out of if things don’t work out. It also alleviates the cost of other things like lights, furniture and other utilities. No capital expenditure.
2. Ready for business
You’ll be open for business from day one. The office already has your phone, internet, copier and custodial services ready to go. It probably has video conferencing and other useful services that you might need.
3. Pay-per-use facilities
Turn many of your fixed costs into variable costs. Expand as your company grows and only pay for office space that you’re actually using—not what you anticipate needing in the future. And when you do grow, there’s no need to change your address and phone number just because you needed to accommodate two more employees. It also eliminates waste as you won’t need to rent a permanent meeting room space if you only have clients come in a couple times a month.
4. Trained staff and other chores
What happens if your internet goes down? Security issues? Change a light bulb? Other custodial-type issues? Don’t worry about it, it’s all covered by the serviced office.
5. Image and location
It’s best to have your office near your clients—but that, unfortunately, could be in a high-rent district. Serviced offices mean convenient locations and a stylish environment for when clients do visit. It also makes it easier to attract the right talent for your team as many serviced offices look very professional, in a great location with new facilities and furniture. Otherwise, it could be hard to convince a would-be job candidate to join if you have an older building and amenities.
6. Professional services
One of the most common professional services offered is a bilingual receptionist to answer your calls and transfer messages. Many serviced offices also offer some kind of translation service to help non-Japanese speaking entrepreneurs write emails, presentations and more. This can help you delay hiring some staff until you can really justify it.
7. Virtual offices and meeting spaces
If you are not yet ready for an office, it’s still possible to get some of these phone answering and mailbox services as well as rental meeting spaces. You can concentrate on business without interruption or fear of missing a call. Also, inquire if the serviced office offers “semi-private offices” or “co-working” which can be a happy medium between a virtual office and a private office.
8. Drop-in services
We’re not yet sure how many other serviced offices offer these, but Regus offers a special ¥3,000 per month “Business World” program. It offers the use of its business lounges, including workspace, complimentary Wi-Fi and beverages plus discounts on other services if desired—definitely a cheaper alternative to always working out of a coffee shop.
Granted, unlike your own dedicated space, you may not be able to customize your office with pink walls to show off your uniqueness, paying for only what you need when you need it can save you a lot of extra money in the long run.
Regus, the industry leader for serviced offices in Japan, has more than 80 offices from Sapporo to Okinawa with a a variety of locations and price points—whether you need to be in central Tokyo or more suburban, boutique locations. Regus serviced offices, virtual offices, meeting rooms and BusinessWorld services are also available at over 3,000 locations worldwide.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service