Setting up your first office can be an exciting and nerve-racking step. Make savvy decisions and you can help to get your firm off to the best possible start; make mistakes and you could end up harming your company’s chances of success. To set you off on the right track, here are five workplace essentials that all startups must have.

1) Comfy and practical workstations

Given the long hours that people can spend at their desks these days, it’s crucial to furnish offices with comfortable and practical workstations. So, it pays off to look out for well-padded, supportive and adjustable seating. When it comes to desks, make sure you opt for products that provide your employees with enough space to work comfortably. If you’re a little short on square footage, consider using space-saving solutions like bench desks. For example, the designs avaiable at http://www.furniture-work.co.uk/ use shared components and can be configured in a variety of ways, giving you added flexibility and helping you to fit more workstations into your office.

2) Lots of storage

Plenty of storage is also a must. It’s amazing how quickly paperwork can pile up in work environments and if you want to maintain order in your office, you’ll need lots of places to stash it all. To save space, consider using under-desk pedestals and full-height cabinets and shelves. Make sure you have an effective filing system in place from the get-go too so that your personnel don’t have to spend their time searching for documents.

3) High-quality reception and meeting rooms

If you plan to welcome visitors to your premises, you will need an attractive reception and meeting room. If you’re leasing office space in a shared building, these facilities may already be provided for you, but if not, it’s worth investing some time and money to create stylish and appealing reception and meeting areas. Bear in mind that these spaces can have a big impact on how visitors perceive you. Whether they are potential investors or customers, prospective employees or anyone else, you’ll no doubt want to do your best to impress them. As well as featuring comfy furnishings, these areas should be well decorated and include branded signage.                                 

4) The right tech

No firm can function without the right equipment, so make sure you have all the computers, telephone lines and extensions you require, and a suitable internet connection and router. You might also need printers, scanners, projectors and conference phones. It may be wise to lease some of this equipment if you can’t afford the initial outlay, but if you plan to buy it, make sure you shop around for deals. It may be worth getting some of the equipment second-hand.

5) Suitable stationery

Then there’s your stationery to consider. As well as a general supply of paper, pens, notepads, staplers, paper clips and other office must-haves, it’s important to invest in branded stationery. For example, you’ll need business cards and A4-size letterhead paper featuring your firm’s logo, name, address and contact details. It’s also useful to have a supply of customised compliments slips.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of all the gear you’ll need to get your new company off the ground, but it does cover many of the essentials.