Cappuccino Commerce

by Startacus Admin

All those months ago, when Startacus was but an idea, we used to do all our writing and planning and meetings in one or other of our local coffee shops. Which shop we chose depended on a few things really; with the quality of the coffee, the reliability of the wi-fi and of course the friendliness of the staff being way up there on our list. And generally we weren’t alone, there would be plenty of others, a bit like us, beavering away on their notebooks and laptops, working on who knows what. And it seems to be happening everywhere. Cappuccino Commerce is here to stay...

A recent study of 750 small businesses done by Brother UK has revealed that a fifth of companies started in the last 3 years have based themselves in local coffee shops and bars to reduce their overheads. The ongoing economic downturn combined with improvements in home office and on the go technology means that increasing numbers of businesses launched during the recession are embracing truly flexible working. Their findings showed that 69% of companies which started in the last 6 months had no office space, compared with 48% of companies that launched before 2008.

7 out of 10 companies surveyed attributed new technology as being a major factor in them being office free. Supporting this, Joanna Williams, Head of Brother UK Marketing and Communications, commented: “In recent years there’s certainly been a cultural shift in working habits across the UK with new technology allowing companies to work in a way that suits them and their business, whatever their size. Tablet technology, mobile printing and scanning solutions, the widespread availability of Wi-Fi connectivity and cloud technology means there are no longer barriers when it comes to working remotely, and almost any location can now be treated as an extension of - or even replacement for - your office.”

One of the most interesting findings of the study though was that 67% of companies under a year old said that they plan to stay ‘office free’ with only 14% of them concerned with how clients view them for not having an office. The times they are a-changin indeed...

From our own experience, with the right ‘tech’ at your disposal and of course some good quality coffee to keep the old brain fueled, your office can be anywhere you want it to be.

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• #freelancer
• #survey
• #coffee shop

Published on: 5th August 2012