You have to hand it to small and medium-sized businesses.
Surviving the pandemic was nothing short of heroic and they are now predicted to lead the UK’s economic bounce-back (albeit severely hampered by the wretched cost of living crisis.)
They have it tough again, but my money is on yet another winning effort from the brilliant teams behind all of them.
Many have of course embraced the post-pandemic hybrid working model – that agile mix of work-from-home and work-from-the-office.
And that’s where commercial real estate is playing its part too: adapting to that change and leveraging technology to ensure continued (and in some cases enhanced) productivity.
For many of those SMEs, equipping their workspaces with that vital tech for the first time can be a daunting prospect. The same goes for re-designing existing space no longer fit for the new, modern, always-on age.
Flexible Group is an SME too.
Sure, we have big ambitions to grow and grow; but our affinity with the sector today means we share the same perspective on how best to maximise opportunity.
And – although our journey has not long begun and we’re ALWAYS learning – I already know one thing for sure: the SMEs that really harness the power of today’s digital tools will be the ones that lead the way.
The Flexible Group ethos is to give them a hand to hold.
Is their building already lit? If so, by which provider? We have relationships with most of them so we can offer the best insight around provider selection, deployment timelines and associated commercials.. If there is no internet in the building we can then consult and deliver by again showing whats available, when and how much.
Then it’s about cabling, wi-fi, energy, hosted telephony, data, IT support, and any hardware that is needed – all on terms which try and respond positively to the commercial pressures we know SMEs have to constantly manage.
We try and put ourselves inside their business; to understand their model; their challenges; their roadmap for the future.
By being so close, they’re able to trust us to get on with doing our thing whilst they focus fully on doing theirs.
In my book, that’s what business should be all about.
Expertise, trust, partnership, shared endeavour.
After all, if our customers succeed and grow, we do too.
But I believe there’s another reason why our SMEs are so special.
That new, post-pandemic hybrid working I talked about earlier has many positive implications for the economy, the UK workforce and the way we all lead our lives.
But office blocks, shopping centres, High Streets, pubs, restaurants, gyms, garages, factories – in fact, every bit of our country’s commercial real estate stock – has huge financial and cultural value to the communities in which we live and work.
It’s in those buildings that many of our SMEs will continue to drive our economy forward, so I think they deserve massive credit and our support whenever we can give it.
What’s the saying? Size matters?
Sniggering aside, I totally agree!
created Friday 24th of June 2022
