Does Your Business Still Need an Office? The Real Cost of Resizing

Send us Fan MailAn office can become much more than a place to work. It can become part of the founder’s identity.But what happens when the business no longer needs it?In this episode, Peter Boolkah shares the personal story behind closing his office in 2020. Although the financial argument made sense, Peter had not anticipated the emotional impact, the disruption to his team or the feeling of losing something that had represented the business for many years.He explains why resizing is not necessarily the same as downsizing. It means reassessing the people, premises and support structures the business genuinely needs—and letting go of arrangements that no longer suit its operating model.You’ll discover:The difference between scaling up, scaling down and resizingWhy founders can become emotionally attached to their premisesHow customer behaviour changed Peter’s need for an officeThe financial and psychological consequences of closing a workplaceWhy did some employees adapt to remote working while others did notHow hybrid working changes the amount and type of space a company requiresWhy office-based, manufacturing and distribution businesses have different requirementsHow to assess whether premises still justify their costOptions including subletting, downsizing and relocatingWhy a difficult change can ultimately leave a business better prepared for the futureThe wider founder-dependency lesson is simple: your operating model should serve the business you are building now, not preserve the identity or infrastructure of the business you used to own.ARCHIVE CONTEXTThis episode was recorded in 2020 while the longer-term effects of remote and hybrid working were still uncertain. Predictions about 2021, office occupancy and employee preferences have been retained in the transcript because they were part of the original recording, but they should not be treated as current statistical benchmarks.CONNECT WITH PETER BOOLKAHWebsite: https://www.boolkah.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boolkahInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/pboolkah/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BoolkahX: https://twitter.com/boolkahABOUT PETER BOOLKAHPeter Boolkah is a business coach, author and speaker who has spent more than 20 years helping business owners build stronger, more valuable businesses that do not depend on them for everything.He is the creator of The Hamster Wheel Trap® and author of Your Business Sucks: Build a Business That Works Without Destroying Your Life.Peter works with founders and leadership teams on the issues that ultimately determine whether a business creates freedom or becomes another job: leadership, founder dependency, people, profit, execution, scaling, exit readiness and enterprise value.His approach is direct, practical and built around one simple question:Do you own the business, or does the business own you?Learn more at https://www.boolkah.com