Category: Blog

January 2015 – The Business Exchange (TBE) is currently launching a selection of flexible office rental packages in Sandton that can accommodate a diverse range of business requirements in fully-serviced, shared or virtual offices. Situated conveniently on a Gautrain bus route, The Business Exchange presents a remarkable service offering which presents tenants with an option to access various online and offline marketing initiatives contributing towards expanding their business network and public relations activities.

The initial launch on 01 February 2015 showcases 32 private offices along with virtual offices in a professional, upmarket and welcoming environment, where like-minded entrepreneurs and business specialists can meet and become part of an energetic network.

Through its distinctive service offering, The Business Exchange encourages its tenants to collaborate in an energising work environment consisting of spacious offices, contemporary open spaces and eye-catching meeting areas. A trendy café and bar is also available onsite to entertain clients or simply to relax and enjoy the outcome of successful deals concluded during the day.

Private Office Rentals in Sandton

With over 1500 square meters of furnished office space, The Business Exchange offers a number of private office configurations with lease periods starting from 3 months. Some of the benefits available to tenants on Private Office leases include;

• Fully-furnished and serviced offices.
• A professionally-trained receptionist to personally welcome guests.
• Use of the reception lounge for guests, including refreshments on arrival.
• Well-designed and fully-equipped private meeting rooms.
• Events space for launches, seminars, etc.
• High-speed fibre connectivity.
• Voice solutions including telephone lines and handsets.
• Centralised document stations for all print and copy needs.
• Access to online and offline marketing initiatives

Virtual Office Rentals with a Prestigious Sandton Address

Virtual office space appeals to start-ups and entrepreneurs by providing them with the convenience of a prestigious business address without the costly overheads of renting physical space in Sandton. It allows business owners the freedom to work from home or whilst they are on the road and includes many benefits that are on offer from larger companies.

This reasonable package costs R 1,000-00 per person per month.

Sandton Co-working Office Space

A new addition to the project is the 25 shared office spaces for co-working which will be available from 01 April 2015. This shared office solution encourages creativity, discussions and networking as it embraces collaboration in an open plan work space.

Co-working at The Business Exchange will deliver higher productivity and access to important business contacts, all in an upmarket Central Business District. The Shared Office package costs R3, 500 per person.

Marketing and Events Space

The Business Exchange’s public relations, online marketing and eventing strategy is a tactic that can be of immense value to start-ups and entrepreneurs alike. By creating an optimal business environment, The Business Exchange provides its tenants with easy access to these various marketing strategies in order to boost their own business activities.

Access to Private Investors

The Business Exchange has an undeniable advantage over other providers of serviced office rentals in that it has access to a group of high net-worth investors who are constantly seeking potential investment opportunities. Tenants of The Business Exchange have access to this group who will also mentor them through the various stages of their business growth.

The Business Exchange’s office rental solutions ensure that tenants are left to concentrate on the important commercial activities of each day, instead of worrying about the more mundane aspects of office administration.

Please visit our website for more information on our office rental solutions, packages and benefits.

January 2015 – The Business Exchange, a provider of fully-furnished and serviced office space in Sandton, has been garnering a tremendous response from larger growth-stage companies in the area. These proactive companies are currently signing up at this impressive and centrally located address in order to take advantage of a range of unique rental and service offerings from The Business Exchange.

A Range of Flexible and Cost-Effective Office Lease Options

The trend towards more lucrative, flexible and shared office space seems to have caught on in the Sandton commercial property market where tenants are starting to expect more from their landlord than just an empty office shell.

David Seinker, CEO of The Business Exchange, says “Although commercial rental options in the Sandton CBD are increasing following the development boom, financial constraints and a new requirement for access to resources is driving businesses to become more demanding with regards to the type of office space that they require, particularly SMEs.”

Exciting Office Resources

The Business Exchange offers its tenants exciting benefits not usually found in traditional office leases. Tenants have access to The Business Exchange’s own digital marketing platform and professional public relations strategy. This strategy affords tenants the opportunity to publish their own news on The Business Exchange’s social media platforms, corporate blog and bi-monthly email newsletters in order to increase brand awareness.

These communications are then distributed to The Business Exchange’s own database of highly influential business networks, including private investors and corporate executives.

Dedicated Free Eventing Space

The Business Exchange also offers a dedicated and free eventing space, subject to prior bookings, where tenants are able to hold their own seminars, product launches, conferences, business networking events, etc.

Easy Access to High Net-Worth Investors

This dynamic provider of flexible office solutions has built up a group of high net-worth investors who are constantly seeking high-growth potential, early-phase companies with whom they can invest and are eager to engage with The Business Exchange tenants.

Tenants of The Business Exchange will benefit from direct access to these investors by;

• Learning to understand the investment process
• Meeting other relevant players in the industry
• Obtaining practical business and pitching skills
• Understanding how to increase the exit value of their busines

Seinker says, “We feel that our tenants will maximise their investment with The Business Exchange as we offer far more than contemporary office space rentals. We will enable our tenants to build up a valuable network of business connections and raise the profile of their company through our various marketing initiatives so that they become well-known and respected in the marketplace.”

The Business Exchange is busy bringing medium-sized companies from the finance, IT, property and telecommunications markets on board; all of which are in their growth and early-maturity stage of business. These companies have already cut their teeth in business and are now looking to expand in order to increase their market share.

Seinker added, “What’s very exciting is that many of our tenants are looking to expand through South Africa and abroad so The Business Exchange will be able to open up channels for them to do so.”

These SME’s are able to lease private or shared offices from the Business Exchange in return for serviced reception areas, fully-equipped offices, spacious meeting rooms and relaxed recreational areas, designed to convey a professional and corporate image to all visitors.

The Business Exchange also offers a Virtual Office option for tenants who essentially require a telephone answering service, prestigious business address and access to meeting rooms.

In addition tenants are able to choose from a wide range of lease terms, allowing them the flexibility to upscale or downsize as business necessitates.

Following the global trend of a demand for more flexible, serviced office space, the latest addition to Sandton’s commercial property sector challenges what many developers have considered the ‘norm’.

Situated at 150 Rivonia Road Sandton, where Cell C once based their head office, the development has been designed around meeting the demand from entrepreneurs and SMEs for more flexibility when it comes to office rentals. What truly sets it apart from other commercial lease offerings, is that tenants have unique access to a private investor network giving investment-ready companies the opportunity to attract and secure such investment. This has created a stir amongst many SMEs as this is the first time such a concept has been introduced in South Africa.

The Business Exchange, developed by investment guru David Seinker, offers both local and international businesses fully serviced and flexible office space, while also providing complete access to marketing, digital and public relations services.

’’We developed this commercial space concept around the rising trend and demand for more flexibility and fully-serviced offices, offering not only space but also access to resources that many SMEs do not have and which many can not afford as additional outsourced services, says Seinker, ‘’We introduced access to an investor network as our market researched showed that this was a growth-limiting factor for most SMEs. We anticipate much investment as these private investment funders are ranked amongst some of the wealthiest individuals in Southern Africa and have completed investment deals totalling R62 million to date.’’

‘’Sandton will always be in demand due to its infrastructure and proximity to variousbusinesses, but setup costs, rental agreements and lack of flexibility and resources can be crippling for entrepreneurs as they start up their businesses,’’ adds Seinker. ‘’They are driving the demand for such flexibility and access to resources in the Sandton area, and many property developers are being forced to take notice.’’

The Business Exchange, offering a variety of office setup options, features a reception area and welcome lounge for all tenants, fully equipped meeting rooms, complete IT and telecoms infrastructure, parking and a café, restaurant and bar within the building. The space will house 40 businesses with rentals starting from R11 000 a month. In addition, the company is offering a virtual package for budget-tight entrepreneurs who require a prime address with access to meeting room facilities. The company will also be targeting international corporates who require flexible office space, enabling them to grow into Africa.

‘’150 Rivonia Road is the first building to launch under The Business Exchange. In the next 5 years we aim to house over 1,000 businesses across the country. From there we will look to expand further into Africa.’’

The business exchange will open its door on 01 February 2015. For more information visit www.thebusinessexchange.co.za or contact The Business Exchange at connect@thebusinessexchange.co.za or 011 589 9020.

Business networking is a restless animal that cannot be left alone. You’ve attended networking functions, collected business cards and set up your social media business profiles. So now what? It is important to understand that you need to work your network in order to make it work for you.

David Seinker, CEO of The Business Exchange, says, “Many entrepreneurs do not fully appreciate the value that networking can add to the success of their business. The majority of all the business that I have conducted in the past has been done through my extensive and highly influential network of contacts.”

Mastering business networking is not difficult as long as you bear the following points in mind;

Maintain Regular Contact

Business networking is used to leverage your personal and business contacts in order to bring in new and repeat business. It therefore goes without saying that people are a very important factor in networking so maintaining regular communication with your network is a key contributor towards making your network work for you. Draw up a monthly, quarterly and yearly schedule to ensure that you maintain regular contact with all members in your network.

Sincerity Above All

In all your interactions with your network it is important to be genuine and earnest. People will instinctively pick up if you are being insincere with them. Learn to relax and enjoy your interactions with your network. Informal meetings outside of the office can do wonders for breaking down stiff, formal attitudes. Meet at a coffee shop or for a quick lunch.

Recognise The Importance Of All Key Role Players

Never underestimate the power of junior employees in a prospect’s organisation. They may not be at management level but they may wield enough power to stop your business in its tracks! Establish who all the key role players are and build a professional relationship with them. This may include people such as procurement clerks, secretaries, finance staff, etc. Building their loyalty will ensure that you are informed of potential prospects very early on in the buying cycle.

Cultivate Proper Listening Skills

Many people lack proper listening skills and this is no different when it comes to business networking. By learning to ask the right questions instead of trying to hard-sell, you will uncover opportunities that your competitors may overlook. Your aim should be to uncover and understand your prospect’s needs. You can only do this by asking the right questions and listening to the answers.

Recognise When To Pitch

Although it is important to cultivate listening skills, you also need to learn to recognise the cues for when your prospect is ready to hear about your business. First establish a conversation with your prospect about their world before you bring your pitch into it. Build rapport first and your sales results will follow.

Have Your Sales Pitch Ready

Have a short business pitch prepared for when a prospect asks you for more information. Your pitch should focus on how your product or service can fix a problem or help accomplish a goal. Sell the benefits – not the features and listen for your prospect’s signal that they are ready to buy as this is often overlooked.

End Your Sales Pitch With A Call To Action

It is your responsibility to maintain the journey with your prospect and move them towards a sale. Ensure that every meeting ends with a call-to-action, whether it is for an order, a follow-up meeting, a trial period or a more in-depth presentation.

Ask for Referrals

Finally, once you have established a firm relationship with your prospect, never forget to ask for an introduction to other potential prospects, as a client who is satisfied with your level of service will generally never hesitate to give you a recommendation.