We’re often told not to judge a book by its cover, but the truth is that in business, we invariably do. You could run a meticulous business that provides outstanding customer service at every turn, but if you work out of a spare room, garage or kitchen, that’s not always the first impression prospective clients or customers will get. 

At Masterlord Office Village, we’re delighted to provide the self-employed, startups and small businesses with professional office space that makes them look the part. We even offer virtual office services, so you can give customers the impression that you’re a more established business than you are

Here are five reasons why moving to a serviced office will help you create the best possible first impression for your customers. 

Be where your customers are

The lack of a commute may be one of the biggest benefits of working from home for you, but what about your customers? For them, travelling to meet you at home or in a nearby coffee shop may not always be convenient. Alternatively, if you travel to meet your clients, you’ll simply be replacing the commute with more travelling for meetings. That’s one reason why having an office in a central location can be such a benefit. 

With a serviced office in Masterlord Office Village, you’re right at the heart of the action. You’ll be surrounded by a thriving business community that’s home to some of the region’s most dynamic and successful companies. You’ll also benefit from excellent transport links to London and the nearby cities of Norwich and Cambridge. 

Satisfy consumer psychology

There are a whole host of psychological factors that influence your customers’ buying behaviour. Simply seeing a home address listed on your website or business card could be enough to make prospective customers doubt the credibility of your business. Similarly, meeting you in a coffee shop or at your home may make them doubt whether you have the resources or experience to deliver the products or services as expected.

When you rent a serviced office at Masterlord Office Village, you’ll benefit from a professional reception service to welcome your guests. You’ll also have access to our meeting rooms and boardroom, with an on-site IT support team to help you with audio conferencing, video conferencing and any other technological requirements. That’s everything you need to create the best possible first impression.

Build trust

Trust is one of the most important factors in your relationship with customers and clients, and having a professional appearance plays a big part. While small businesses offer a whole host of benefits, there’s also a certain amount of reassurance that comes from working with an established business that has seen it and done it before.

Our serviced offices can help you build your business’s profile to show that you run a trustworthy and credible company. But that’s not the only trust-building service we offer. If you’re on a budget, our virtual office solutions give you a professional business presence without having to rent and occupy a physical space. That helps to create the illusion of being a larger company than you are. 

Create a seamless process

Customers and clients want to deal with businesses that they can work with easily and effectively without any glitches. When working from home, you can miss calls from clients, suffer from broadband outages and struggle with your technology. At Masterlord Office Village, that’s not something you have to worry about. 

All of our serviced offices have fixed and wireless broadband connections offering 300Mb/s, with upgrades available if required. There’s also an IT team on-site, so you can get fast support whenever you need it. We also offer a professional call answering service to make sure you never miss a call. The result is a business that’s raring to go, whenever your customers need it. 

Provide recommendations

Another benefit of working in a serviced office surrounded by other thriving businesses is the ability to recommend other products and services to your customers. By networking with other businesses in the area, you’ll understand what they can do and how they might be able to assist your clients. From the customer’s point of view, that will establish your position as a trusted resource and help to build the credibility of your business. 

The next step for your small business

Moving to a serviced office will help you to create the best possible first impression for your customers and deliver an outstanding level of service. Check our availability online or get in touch to discuss your workspace requirements with our team.

Logistics company with ambitious expansion plans…

Built on high ethical standards and a solid foundation of industry knowledge, Viking Logistics provides solutions to most HGV transport needs, from curtain-side vehicles to container haulage through Felixstowe and Southampton, and a low loader service for different consignments. Using the latest transport management systems, they also operate bespoke removals and express pallet and handball services.

“When the time came for Viking Logistics to start ambitious expansion plans for their business, they quickly settledon a serviced office at Epsilon House in Masterlord Office Village.

We know Masterlord as we had an office here two years ago. It’s great to be back as we’re a seven days a week business. We know the team here, they look after us so well and Masterlord has a high quality image for business.

Joe Zlotek – Viking Logistics

“The logistics business is changing fast, not only because of the pandemic and Brexit. We have to be quick to adapt and agile in business, to meet our expansion plans. Being part of Masterlord Office Village is perfect for us.”

Joe Zlotek – Viking Logistics

If you’d like to find out how the Masterlord team can help you find your perfect commercial premises to scale your business get in touch today!

Major freight forwarder opens new office at Masterlord…

Yes2Ship, one of the UK’s fastest-growing freight forwarders, has been busy right through the pandemic, ensuring that cargo continues to move across the globe. With offices all over the UK and a worldwide network of agents, Yes2Ship has been helping to keep things moving, despite the current challenges facing the freight industry.

When looking to expand its office network even further, opening a base in Ipswich was an obvious move. With Felixstowe just along the A14 and Harwich across the water, it’s the ideal location for this logistics company.

The move was an easy one, with support from the Masterlord team, who swiftly arranged the right space for Yes2Ship at Epsilon House on Ransomes Europark.

“I was really impressed when I visited the Masterlord offices. I was shown various options and found the perfect office for our team. I loved the modern feel of the space and knew it would be a great environment to help push the company forward.”

“The Masterlord team have made everything very straightforward and have gone out of their way to make it an easy process. We’re building a new Yes2Ship team so having an office ready to go with great communications was really important. The Covid precautions and cleaning measures in place give us peace of mind, knowing it’s a safe space to work.”

Neil Guild – Yes2Ship

As shipping agents, Yes2Ship offers a wide range of import and export services, including air, road and sea, from commercial shipments to personal relocations. As a DHL strategic partner, a world-leading door to door service is also available at competitive prices for all your courier needs.

For more information, contact neil.guild@yes2ship.com
Tel 01394 617733

If you’d like to find out how the Masterlord team can help you find your perfect commercial premises to scale your business get in touch today!

There is a little Robin that lives in a tree behind Epsilon House, watching him hop about in the snow is like a scene straight off a Christmas card!

Snow, that wonderful layer of white stuff that brings almost everything to a standstill…except us of course! We have been here as much as has been possible during the whiteout and if not here in person we have worked from home to ensure our tenant’s calls are answered and messages passed on.

Well done to all who braved the roads to make it into the office, although as the week went on the roads were kinder than the pavements. I know getting to my car from my house was like crossing an ice rink!

Thankfully, the temperatures are rising and the snow and ice melting, signs of spring are starting to fight their way through. Here is to warmer weather, brighter evenings and getting nearer to an end of this lockdown.

If you’re taking the next step in the growth of your small business by moving into your own office space, you might need a little help setting it up. The good news is that we’re here to provide a few top tips. We’re going to cover everything from office layout to health and wellbeing to help you set up your office with productivity and safety in mind.

Setting up your office the right way

There’s no single right way to set up your office. It all depends on the type of business you run and how you like to work. What is important though, is that you give it some serious thought and try to find a flexible solution that works well for you. 

Even with a small office and a handful of employees, the office environment can dramatically impact the productivity, efficiency and culture of you and your team, as well as your general wellbeing at work. Your workspace can even influence your ability to attract new talent, which is why it’s so important that you get it right.

1. Office layout

Before you think about anything else, you should plan your office layout to make it as comfortable and efficient as possible.

• Organise the office to reduce the time you need to spend moving about.
• Make sure equipment and files that you’ll use regularly are within easy reach.
• Plan the space so that employees who need to collaborate are next to each other.
• Decide whether you’ll have an open floor plan to encourage team working or more private spaces where employees can work individually.
• Think about whether you’ll have visitors to the office, where they’ll sit and if you’ll need a separate meeting space.

2. Furnishing your office

At Masterlord Office Village, our air-conditioned offices come with an optional choice of office furniture. However, if you’d prefer to furnish your office yourself, you should start with a minimum amount of furniture and equipment to maximise space and reduce clutter, and only add to it when there’s an essential item that you need. To start with, you will need:

• Standard desks and chairs with adjustable height and back support. 
• Multi-functional storage solutions, for example, desks with drawers, to maximise space
• A recycling bin and rubbish bin.
• A whiteboard to help to keep you and the team on the track.
• Computer equipment and any other office hardware. That can include everything from a photocopier and scanner to postal scales and a franking machine if you send products out to customers.

At Masterlord Office Village, every other requirement is catered for. We have breakout areas complete with comfortable seating and fully equipped kitchen areas and meeting rooms. That helps to keep your office furniture requirements to a minimum.

3. Health and wellbeing

Don’t underestimate how much your workspace can impact the productivity of your small business. One study found that workplace design had a consistent influence on workers’ performance, increasing productivity by as much as 25%. But as well as productivity, your workplace can also impact on your team’s health and wellbeing. Your office should:

• Be well ventilated and get plenty of natural light. 
• Have adequate lighting to reduce the risk of eye strain, tiredness and headaches.
• Be a comfortable temperature of around 20 degrees celsius.
• Include a plant or two if possible – office plants can prevent fatigue and increase overall wellbeing by as much as 15%.

4. Covid considerations    

There are several steps you can take to make your workplace Covid-secure during the pandemic. That includes keeping your office clean and well ventilated and adhering to social distancing. 

At Masterlord Office Village, we monitor the temperature of everyone coming into the building at reception, provide enhanced disinfecting and cleaning of all shared areas and respect the recommended 2-metre social distancing. If you need a larger workspace to adhere to workplace safety guidelines, our flexible contracts allow you to upsize on a temporary or permanent basis.

Workspaces to suit every need

Whether you want a workspace that allows you to grow or an office that’s ready and waiting to move into, you’ll find it here at Masterlord Office Village. Just check our availability online or get in touch to discuss your workplace requirements with our team. 

Making moves flexible, fast and friendly…

Tammie Bloome Construction are a full scale construction company based in Ipswich, Suffolk. With over 10 years experience in the construction industry behind them providing the full construction experience including architects for planning, structural engineers for all your calculations, followed by a great team of trades to bring construction visions to life.

When looking to expand and find a suitable new commercial premise for their business, Tammie Bloome Construction looked at a number of serviced offices before settling on Epsilon House at Masterlord Office Village. Having made the decision on an Ipswich office, they needed to move quickly but thought it could be challenging with current restrictions:

“We haven’t stopped working, as our company has continued through lockdowns on a range of projects. When we visited Masterlord, we were impressed at how friendly and flexible they were and how fast they could arrange everything. We signed a lease for a suitable office on Friday, moved in on Saturday ready to start on Monday. It couldn’t have been easier”

Stacey Allum – Tammie Bloome

“As Masterlord Office Village has stayed open to support essential services and key workers we are here to help people do business.  As a local company, we appreciate that agility is important and we make everything as easy as possible.  All our tenants have access to meeting rooms, kitchens and the new video conferencing suite as standard but our team will always go above and beyond to make your move as seamless as possible”  

Alison Smith – Masterlord

For Tammie Bloome Construction, providing services which span the entire property lifecycle. having a fully staffed reception for deliveries, collections and visitor greeting is a huge bonus:

“Masterlord Office Village was the stand out choice for us. We’re on the ground floor, close to reception with parking right outside, close to shops and with direct links to the A12 & A14. The Masterlord team even had office furniture available for our move, as well as the 300Mb broadband and a phone line already connected!”

Stacey Allum – Tammie Bloome

If you’d like to find out how the Masterlord team can help you find your perfect commercial premises to scale your business get in touch today!

One inevitable consequence of the lockdown is that businesses need a safe and agile solution when it comes to their office space. They also want to use their cash as constructively as possible and not sign long-term leases when it’s unclear what the post-pandemic future will bring. At Masterlord Office Village, that’s something we’re perfectly placed to help you with – we’re here to help you, through today, tomorrow and for the future.

Supporting businesses during the pandemic

While some office spaces have closed, at Masterlord Office Village, we’re committed to taking every possible step to create a safe and welcoming place for you to work. We realise that for many entrepreneurs, self-employed people, startups and small businesses, working from home isn’t always a viable solution – for a myriad of reasons. That’s why we’re taking steps and providing additional services to help you navigate these uncertain times.

Our on-site nursery

We know all too well that childcare is one of the biggest challenges that parents face during the ongoing lockdown. Looking after a young child and doing a good day’s work can be simply impossible. That’s why we’re delighted to welcome the latest addition to the Masterlord community, our onsite ABC Wonderland nursery. 

With its ‘outstanding’ Ofsted rating, the nursery provides exceptional childcare facilities for little ones from up to the age of five. Under the latest Government guidelines, nurseries can remain open during the current lockdown, giving you the time and space to focus on running your business while your child is cared for, entertained and looked after by our qualified early years’ practitioners. 

Competitive rates and flexible terms   

What small businesses need now more than ever is flexibility. No one knows what the post-pandemic landscape will bring, which makes large capital expenditure and long-term leases out of the question. At Masterlord Office Village, our office spaces are available on flexible terms that can support your business as you return to the office. You can also downsize or upsize at short notice, so you’ll only pay for the space you need. 

A sense of community

The strength of our office space is in its community. We are continuing to welcome new businesses to our vibrant commercial community and are giving them a safe space where they can reconnect, network and support each other through these challenging times. We have also installed a new video screen in the boardroom at Epsilon House Business Center to make it easier to connect via Zoom and Teams. 

Safety

Although businesses need a space where they can operate effectively, right now everyone’s biggest concern is safety. At Masterlord Office Village, we are leading the way with a range of site-wide procedures that will put your mind at ease. That includes:

• Advanced temperature screening at reception, with an infra-red camera that provides a temperature reading almost immediately.
• Enhanced cleaning and disinfecting of all shared areas and facilities, including kitchens, toilets, meeting rooms, lifts and stairwells. 
• Respecting the recommended two metres of social distancing, particularly in public areas and at reception.
• Hand sanitisers in all shared areas and reception, with handwashing with soap and water recommended on arrival.
• Air-conditioning systems that only circulate air in your office and do not introduce air from other parts of the building. 

Virtual offices

If you and your team will continue to work from home, our virtual offices, including a business address, mail redirection service and professional telephone answering service, will help you create the right first impression. As well as being budget-friendly and flexible, you’ll also benefit from free office hours access to Wi-Fi-enabled hot-desking areas and discounted rates on conference room and boardroom hire in Epsilon House.

Your safety is our priority  

We will continue to adapt and adhere to the government safety protocols and do everything we can to support you and your business during these challenging times. Check our availability online or get in touch to discuss your workspace requirements with our team. 

As a freelancer or startup business, working from home might be the obvious choice. After all, it’s a space you’re already paying for and the commute involves rolling out of bed and putting on some clothes (maybe). However, as your business starts to grow, you’re likely to find that working from home has its limitations. In that case, a serviced office could be just what you need. 

Despite the fact that a large part of the workforce is going remote, serviced offices are thriving. Here, with contributions from some of the members of the Masterlord community, are five reasons why.

Accessibility for customers, clients and suppliers

While your house is a great place to live and raise a family, it’s not quite so well suited to growing a business. An important part of scaling a business is being able to meet prospective clients and suppliers in-person. Inviting them to your home or a local coffee shop will not necessarily create the most professional first impression.

At Masterlord Office Village, you’ll not only have your own high-quality commercial premises, but you’ll also be able to use our on-site meeting and conference rooms to show that you run a credible, trustworthy business.

“Masterlord makes it really easy for us to run our business, with a team that is always friendly and helpful and brings a quality of service to our company. Our office is modern and spacious making it the perfect place for working and meeting our clients. Excellent breakout areas for hosting meetings and gaining refreshments brings an added bonus to be part of the Masterlord Estates.” Jules Gregory – Cerebrum Systems Ltd

Protecting your work-life balance

In terms of ease, nothing can beat working from home. However, the lack of separation between your personal and working life can cause problems. Studies have shown that when working from home, people tend to work longer hours. One study found that 40% of remote workers were doing longer hours, while 21% were struggling to switch off from work. 

The truth is that while many of us bemoan the commute, that physical distance between work and home helps us to switch off from work, relax and focus our attention on enjoying our time with our families. 

Networking and collaborating with fellow business owners

One of the greatest benefits of a serviced office is the ability to network and collaborate with business owners in the same position as you. There’ll often be businesses in similar or complementary industries in the same building. They can recommend you to their clients and may even be interested in the products or services you provide themselves. 

To help you make the most of those networking opportunities, we provide communal breakout areas and kitchen facilities on each floor. There are also business lounges and hot-desking areas as well as our on-site café where you can meet likeminded business owners over a cup of coffee and a slice of cake (restrictions permitting of course!).

Having a dedicated space for work

With a serviced office at Masterlord Office Village, you’ll have everything you need to work efficiently. You’ll have superfast broadband, all the office furniture you need, a fully-staffed reception desk, a kitchen and breakout area, cleaning and maintenance services, meeting rooms, networking spaces and even a professional call answering facility if you need one.  

Compare that to the average home office, with wires all over the place, 5-day old mugs of tea, constant distractions, the dog barking outside and the kids banging at the door. It’s easy to see why serviced offices are so popular.      

Allowing your business to scale

Making the move to a serviced office will give your business the room it needs to scale. Your business will appear more credible to clients and customers and the prospect of working for you will be more appealing to new hires. With our flexible agreements, you’ll also be able to upsize and downsize whenever necessary, so you’ll only pay for the space you need. 

“Masterlord Estates is fantastic to run your business from. Everything you need in one place. From meeting rooms to the café down the road,  and let’s not forget the fantastic staff that work in Epsilon house who are more than happy to assist when needed.” Leigh Meadows – Red Oak Taverns

Take your next step with Masterlord Office Village

Ready to find out why your business needs a shared office? Then check our availability or get in touch to discuss your workspace requirements with our team.