Once you’ve been running your business seriously for a while, it’s only natural that you’ll want to trade the spare room at home for proper office space. Easier said than done, though, since finding an affordable (let alone cheap) space to run your business from isn’t straightforward. Suitable spaces are especially scarce within the Randstad. To help you on your search, we’ve put together some examples of affordable workspaces in this blog! Read on.

Searching in the Randstad

When it comes to renting a workspace, you have plenty of options. You could rent your own commercial property, but for entrepreneurs just starting out, this is often still too expensive — especially in major cities such as Amsterdam, Utrecht, The Hague and Rotterdam. Fortunately, there are plenty of alternatives! We’ve listed a few for you below.

The advantages of a business centre

An affordable alternative to renting your own commercial property is setting up your business in a business centre. You get your own space, but share the available facilities (reception, restrooms, printing facilities, and so on) with other tenants. In this type of shared business building, you can often also make use of all sorts of additional services, depending on your needs. The fact that you’re sharing a building with other entrepreneurs and companies also creates great networking opportunities.

Renting a coworking space?

If your own space in a business centre is still a bit above your budget, consider looking into coworking spaces. These are essentially shared workspaces. They offer affordable workspaces for entrepreneurs looking to escape the isolation of a home office. Most coworking spaces provide all kinds of facilities, such as desks, meeting rooms, a kitchen, coffee facilities and more. This type of workspace is typically used by freelancers, startup entrepreneurs and startups who want to benefit from flexible office space. One of the big advantages of coworking spaces is that they let you rent only what you actually need.

Hot desk or flex workspace

A hot desk or flex workspace is similar to a coworking space. Hot desking is a rental model in which the number of employees exceeds the number of workspaces. There are two forms of hot desking. In the first, each workspace has its own computer, and you log into your personal virtual desktop. In the second, there are no computers, and you bring your own laptop instead. Sometimes you can also store it in a locker, along with other belongings. From a management perspective, hot desking is attractive because it can significantly reduce overhead costs. However, the concept doesn’t work for companies where employees are expected to be in the office most of the time. On top of that, not every entrepreneur or employee is willing to share their personal workspace.

Temporary renting with anti-squat schemes

If your budget is really tight, you could also consider renting anti-squat space (a Dutch model known as ‘antikraak’). Especially in major cities such as Amsterdam, Utrecht, The Hague and Rotterdam, there are various anti-squat organisations (such as VPS) that manage vacant buildings and rent them out temporarily to entrepreneurs and companies. Ideal for the adventurous entrepreneur, since you sometimes end up in truly remarkable buildings — think an old school or a disused church. Depending on the anti-squat organisation, you’ll pay only between €150 and €300 a month for this. The downside of renting anti-squat space is that you never know in advance how long you’ll be able to stay there. On top of that, anti-squat organisations can’t always offer a replacement space when you have to leave. You should also bear in mind that in many cases you’ll get an unfurnished space that you’ll still need to set up yourself.

Setting up an office at home?

Most entrepreneurs start out from home, which is of course the most affordable option by far. On the one hand, that’s convenient, since you don’t have extra fixed costs and you save on commuting time and costs. On the other hand, working from home has its downsides too. Many people who work from home find it very difficult to keep their personal life and work separate. Sure, you get to work in your pyjamas, but because your work is right there at home, you’re also constantly confronted with the temptation to relax. It also takes a lot of self-discipline to make yourself get to work, when in principle you could just as easily be watching Netflix. What’s more, some people who work from home often feel isolated, since they have little or no personal contact with colleagues or other entrepreneurs. Working from home may seem ideal, but it’s harder than it looks!