Property Hunter Magazine October Issue 2014

/// Hot Topic Donald Dunstan Wong Photo by All4One The Office /// HOT TOPIC Work Stations W hen he started his real estate business some five years ago, Donald was faced with a dilemma. He had found a great location for his office but at 1,400 sqft, it was just too big. Instead of compromising on his office location, he decided to capitalize on all that access space. A service office is a set of individual offices sublet from a larger office. It has its roots in the 1980s when start-up entrepreneurs or businesses that don’t need, or can’t afford, a large office had the option to rent just enough floor space to conduct their business. The list of office amenities depends entirely on the rental market being targeting. Some serviced offices would include a basic package of workspace (office or workstation), meeting room, photocopier, wifi connection and receptionist service to handle calls and mail. Others might add a breakroom, video conference room or on-site fitness centre. As there are very few serviced offices in Kota Kinabalu, Donald decided to rent the space with the classic trio of manager office with a table, cabinet and visitor chairs; workstation and virtual office set-up targeting local entrepreneurs and home-based businesses. A meeting room that can accommodate up to for 15 persons was added to the mix. 24 www.PropertyHunter.com.my Meeting Room “Many people are already familiar with the service office concept in Sabah but there is still room for improvement to make virtual office more acceptable and to develop into a viable option for new entrepreneurs,” says Donald. Manager Office The offices are opened from Monday to Friday, and half day on Saturday, but special arrangements can be made for the office to be opened on a Sunday if necessary. The entire setup provides clients the flexibility to use as much, or as little space as they need without having to pay high overheads to occupy the entire office space. Rental is on a yearly basis except for the meeting room which is rented out on an hourly rate. Aptly naming his business The Office, Donald splashed bright colours on the walls to up the energy level and add vibrancy to the atmosphere. Preference for private space made the manager office the mostpopular choice with workstations not too far behind in the popularity stakes. However, the concept of a virtual office is still quite novel. A virtual office provides home-based businesses with a commercial address and professional reception service to manage business calls and mail handling. There is no daily commuting to the office and you can manage your time to suit your other priorities.” Having only been in business since April this year, Donald sees the demand for service offices as very encouraging and plans to expand into more places. I saw examples of service offices in Kuala Lumpur and although they have a more international clientele, I think that the concept, if applied correctly, can work well in Sabah, he says. Mailbox www.PropertyHunter.com.my 25

Property Hunter Magazine October Issue 2014 | Page 24