A lot of freelancers and small teams pay for space they barely use. How to work out what you actually need, and when a lease of your own still makes sense.
If you've ever tried to rent an office in Lagos, you know how it goes. The landlord wants a year's rent up front, sometimes two. Then there's the agency fee, the legal fee, the service charge and diesel for the generator. By the time the place is furnished, you've spent money that could have gone into the business itself.
And after all that, how often are you there? For plenty of freelancers and small teams, the honest answer is two or three days a week. The rest of the time the door is locked and the AC is off, and you're still paying for it.
Work out what you actually use
Before you sign anything, look back at the last month. How many days did you need a proper desk? How many client meetings did you have, and where did they happen? How often did the whole team need to be in one room?
For most people it comes down to a couple of things. Somewhere quiet to focus when home isn't working, and somewhere presentable when a client wants to meet. Every so often you might need something bigger, for a workshop or a planning day with everyone.
Booking by the hour
That's the gap Circle Ground is meant to fill. Instead of paying for a room every day of the year, you book the one you need for the hours you need it. A meeting room for two hours on Tuesday. A desk with backup power on Thursday afternoon, when the light has gone at home and isn't coming back soon.
You see the full price before you pay, with the service fee and tax already in it, and you're not tied to anything afterwards. If next month is quiet, you don't book anything and you don't pay anything.
For a team, it can be the difference between meeting in a café where nobody can hear each other and actually getting through the agenda.
When a lease still makes sense
We'd be lying if we said nobody needs their own office. If your team is in every day, if you need to leave equipment set up, or if customers walk in without an appointment, a place of your own will probably work out better. The same goes if the space is part of what you sell, like a shop or a salon.
The mistake is signing a two-year lease for a team that's in twice a week. Or the opposite: working from your bedroom for a year because the only alternative felt too expensive.
Try it before you commit
If you're not sure which camp you're in, book a few times over the next month and keep track of what you spend. You'll know a lot more about what you need, and you won't have tied up a year's rent to find out.
