A new initiative has been launched in Melton to help overcome a shortage of facilities for new entrepreneurs. Now staff at the Pera Business Park in Nottingham Road have stepped up the services they offer for freelancers, start-ups and people working away from home.
City-style hot desking is being offered as a professional space to work from – instead of being at home or working out of coffee shops and hotels. Nigel Brown, Managing Director at Pera Business Park Limited, said: “We’re always looking at different ways we can support businesses. Hot desking is for people who want a flexible working space, at a moment’s notice. There’s no need to book – you just turn up whenever you like, set up camp at an empty desk and start working. As well as the shared office space, people can work in our common areas, like our café, spacious reception area or the comfy sofas we’ve got dotted around. We’ve created a working environment where people can become part of a community.”
New figures show that within two years, one in two workers in the UK will be freelance or self-employed. It is estimated such workers contribute more than £51 billion to the national economy. Nigel Brown said: “This space is also open for people who need a professional base to keep on top of their work while they’re away from home, on holiday or visiting relatives. When you’re travelling it’s not always easy to find out what your options are – so people tend to work out of their hotel rooms or coffee shops. What we’re offering is a comfortable space, at a very competitive all-inclusive rate of £9 a day. As well as hot desking, we offer dedicated desk space in a shared office, which means you rent a desk from us, but that desk is always yours.”
Pera currently supports the employment of about 350 people across 80 businesses. They include a manufacturer of herbal sweets and teas, clinical dental technician, architect, organic skincare and property services. Nigel Brown added: “We are opening up the Business Park. We have plenty of room and we are keen to share it – we have a lot of space to hold meetings, training and all sorts of varied events. We are in a fortunate position that if a business needs a room at short notice, we can normally accommodate them. Some days, we have more than 350 people walk through our doors for an event – the buzz this creates is incredible.