New home for small businesses

STARTING a business requires a lot of planning – setting up an office, hiring staff, organising technology and communications – which can be daunting.

Ballarat Business Centre, founded in 2001, offers small businesses from across the region a combination of low cost, suitably sized accommodation and support services which can alleviate some of the pain of start-ups.

BBC, having transformed the old Ballarat Group Practice building at 706 Sturt Street Ballarat, officially launched this newest addition to their portfolio of serviced offices last week.

“Our occupancy rate has been about 90 per cent or above for about five years now,” said BBC manager Simone Anderson.

Business analyst research company IbisWorld recently reported, “The serviced office leasing industry’s revenue has grown strongly over the past five years.

“Two keys to success in the sector are the ability to provide services in diverse locations that are adaptable to suit the different needs of clients.” Ms Anderson said BBC experience is in line with IbisWorld’s sector analysis.

“With the launch of the refurbished building we now provide 70+ supported offices and eight industrial workshops specifically designed for start-ups from three central locations.”

As the start-up and emerging business tenants grow and become viable, they tend to move into leased premises of their own thus allowing BBC to continually focus on supporting upcoming enterprises.

Ms Anderson said, “Our bread and butter clients are people who have established a business working from home who now need a presence in a low-cost commercial space.

“We often find ourselves acting as a facilitator introducing our tenants if they need access to each other’s services.”

Ms Anderson said 15 of the 25 office spaces available in the new building were filled within eight weeks of going to market indicating there is a huge demand still for serviced office accommodation.

Commerce Ballarat is the region’s leading business membership and advocacy organisation and CEO Jodie Gillet, congratulated BBC on its expansion.

“Bringing a new building on stream demonstrates not only are they are meeting the demands of their market but also shows the growth of start-up businesses in Ballarat,” she said.