office suites for rent in Overland Park

How to Lease Office Equipment for Your Office Rental Space in Overland Park

One of the many expenses to consider as you move into a new office space is how to acquire office equipment. For small companies just starting out, leasing office equipment might be the cheapest and most convenient option, plus it gives you the flexibility to change out your equipment for more updated models down the line. If this sounds like the best route for your business, here are a few steps to take when renting office equipment, as suggested in the article “5 Office Equipment Leasing Tips for Startups”:

Figure out your finances. Most equipment leasing businesses will want certain paperwork from you, including financial statements, tax returns, and a written lease proposal. Since companies are interested in the soundness of your financial background, they are probably going to want to know about your credit history as well, so consider getting a credit score just to check before you start this process. Remember also that even if your paperwork is excellent, some companies simply do not want to lease to new businesses (i.e. businesses that are under two years old). When you start talking to an equipment rental company, make sure that one of the first questions you ask is whether they will work with a new business. This way there will be no surprises when lease signing time comes.
Only apply to a few companies at a time. While common sense would dictate that it is best to look at as many options as possible, when looking for office equipment try to keep it to only two prospects at a time. This is because too many different applications at once could cause leasing companies to question whether they should lease to you at all.
Look for industry specific equipment. For instance, you might be able to find rental companies that specialize in catering, printing, or some other industry, and thus they will have a good selection of equipment that is industry specific. Looking in this narrower range will ensure you get the equipment that your business needs to function.

If you are a new business starting up, you could really save some money and get some modern equipment that perfectly meets your needs by renting office equipment instead of buying!

If your business is interested in office suites for rent in Overland Park, give us a call at 913-685-4100 to learn more about our Overland Park office space for lease!

4 Tips for Choosing an Overland Park Office Space Location

There are a lot of steps in finding the best commercial space for your business, and besides determining your budget and what you need in a space, location is another extremely important factor. Here are a few tips for choosing the best location for your business, as recommended in the article “How to Find & Lease Retail Space”:

#1 Safety

Obviously a main concern is going to be choosing a safe location, both for the benefit of your customers/clients and your employees. If customers feel unsafe, they are not going to want to visit your business, and employees need to feel secure when they enter and leave the premises, or you are going to have a difficult time recruiting and keeping staff. There are resources available, for example mylocalcrime.com, that can help you determine if the area where you are looking is safe.

#2 Accessibility

Make sure that you take into account what highways are near your space or if there is easy access to you through public transportation. This will make you more visible and guarantee that both customers and employees can reach you.

#3 Customers

It is important to know where your customer/client demographic is located and try to find a space near this target group or in a place that they will visit. Accessing government census information for an area online is one way to gather data on the population surrounding a space.

#4 Other Businesses

It is important to also take into account what other businesses are nearby. One thing you want to consider is whether there are compatible businesses near the space, which will make your location more appealing. It might seem odd, but you might also consider choosing a location near competitors, because this will guarantee that customers interested in your type of business will be passing through the area. This could be especially beneficial for your business if you are new and still working on building your reputation and attracting customers.

If you are interested in renting commercial real estate and you have already carefully planned your budget and considered your needs, considering the pros and cons of various locations can be a great way to narrow down your options!

Want to learn more about office space for lease in Overland Park? Give us a call at 913-685-4100 to learn more about available office suites for rent in Overland Park!

Redecorating Your Office Rental Space in Overland Park on a Budget

If you have done some spring cleaning already and are thinking that your office space needs a little sprucing up, remember that there are plenty of redecorating possibilities that will not break the bank. Here are a few suggestions for cost effective changes, as outlined in the article “Spring Cleaning Your Office”:

#1 New Paint

Simply adding a fresh coat of new paint can brighten up a space and make it feel like new. You might even consider using chalkboard or whiteboard paint on a blank wall to create a space for brainstorming and collaborating.

#2 Talk to a Designer

If you feel really lost about how to design an office space, consider consulting an interior designer to get some guidance on how to best work with your space. Talking to a designer once could help you make some effective changes to a space that will last for years.

#3 Update the Old

Instead of buying new furniture or office decorations, consider just updating what you have. This can be done by simply adding new fabrics, which can introduce interesting new colors and textures to a space.

Don’t overspend on office space design when there are so many effective yet inexpensive ways to give your office a facelift!

If your business is interested in office suites for rent in Overland Park, give a commercial real estate broker in Overland Park a call at 913-685-4100 to find out about our available spaces!

4 Mistakes For Entrepreneurs to Avoid in A New Kansas City Office Space

Any entrepreneur knows that starting a small business is a risky procedure. So many new businesses fail, often for simple reasons. Here are a few pitfalls to avoid, especially within your first year, as suggested in the article “4 Reasons Small Businesses Fail”:

#1 Finances

This is probably the largest and most obvious challenge for start up businesses. Even if someone has a great idea or product, people often underestimate how much money is required to get a business off the ground. Major expenses include start up costs, expansion, purchases for inventory, and fortifying your business. Carefully calculate the true bottom-line cost of starting your business, and look into the Small Business Administration loans often available to entrepreneurs.

#2 Getting the Word Out

Successful marketing is a huge part of getting a business going, but so many entrepreneurs aren’t fully utilizing modern technology to market their services or products. Small businesses might not be able to invest the money in marketing that big companies can, but there are many cost-efficient ways to market, such as using ratings and reviews, analytics, live chat, and more. Small businesses might be less visible, but they are also more nimble, especially in an age where online shopping is becoming more and more popular.

#3 Poor Management

While setting up efficient systems and processes isn’t the most fun part of the new venture, inconsistencies in these areas can hurt customer satisfaction and ultimately the business’s bottom-line. These tasks include marketing, customer relationship management, inventory management, and accounting processes.

#4 Growth

Just because a small business is successful in the beginning does not guarantee continued success. Small businesses need to keep an eye on their industries and evolve accordingly. This can be difficult for entrepreneurs, who are often already overworked and acting in many different roles, but keeping an eye on the direction of your business and the climate of your industry is well worth the time investment.

If your small businesses is just starting out, be aware of the pitfalls that have led to the failures of other small businesses. It can be difficult to wrap your mind around every aspect of starting a new business, but don’t let yours go under because you neglected something as obvious as marketing or finding the right loans.

If your small business is looking for office suites for rent in Overland Park, give a commercial real estate broker and Overland Park a call at 913-685-4100.

3 Technology Tips For Small Businesses in Office Space in Kansas

Technology can be both a blessing and a curse for many businesses, but this does not have to be the case if you really brainstorm what your business needs and find the right tools to carry it out. Here are a few technologies that have proved really helpful for small businesses, as suggested in the article “3 must-have tech assets for your small business”:

Cloud Storage. Storing all of your documents in servers onsite can really take up space and slow down your computers, so consider taking advantage of cloud storage, in which you access your records through the internet. This allows the added bonus of flexibility, since you can access files anytime and anywhere.
Mobility. Along with cloud storage, the use of smartphones and tablets can really help small businesses to be mobile, meaning they can be more responsive to customers, more able to collaborate regardless of location, and more able to be out working wherever they are needed.
Web Security. So much work today involves utilizing the internet, and malware and infections from websites can really set a company’s productivity back. Reduce risk for your business by investing in good web security software.

Small businesses who make technology work for them in a positive way can really set themselves above the competition.

If your business is interested in office suites for rent in Overland Park, give Kathy Woodward at DDI Commercial a call at 913-685-4100!

What is the Difference Between a Triple Net and Full-Service Lease for an Office Space in Kansas?

There are a few different types of leases, but two very common leases are the triple net lease (NNN) and the full-service lease (gross lease). Here is some information about each type, as outlined in the article “The Difference Between Triple Net and Full-service Leases”:

Triple Net (NNN) Lease

In a triple net lease, the tenant pays for three primary net expenses: insurance, taxes, and maintenance. Base rental rates for these leases are usually low, but the unpredictable costs of net expenses can be risky. For instance, repair expenses for the building are divided between all tenants, and these kinds of expenses can be difficult to predict and vary majorly from year to year.

Full-Service (Gross) Lease

In a full-service lease, these basic net expenses are included in the rental rate. As a result, rent is higher, but tenants can more easily budget because they know exactly what the rent will be each month.

There are pros and cons to each type of lease, and it is hard to say which lease is more cost efficient. The key is to determine if your business would rather risk unpredicted costs for an overall lower rent, or pay more but have a stable budget.

If your business is interested in The Difference Between Triple Net and Full-service Leases, give us a call at 913-685-4100 to set up a tour of one of our office suites for rent in Overland Park.

3 Reasons Why Negotiations for an Office Space in Overland Park Fail

Successful negotiations require preparation and a clear idea of what your business needs, but they also demand a certain amount of flexibility. If you are unable to work with the other party to reach something you can both be satisfied with, you might find yourself unsuccessful in your negotiations. Here are a few reasons why negotiations can fail, as described in the article “Develop Negotiating Skills”:

#1 Refusing to Recognize the Other Party’s Perspective

It is important for both parties to understand the viewpoint and limitations of the other side. For instance, a landlord might be limited by finances, and thus cannot provide a certain service or rent below a certain rate. The key is to listen well. Ask your landlord questions to get an idea of their attitude towards certain things and where they can be flexible. Your goal in negotiations should be to get a feel for the parameters of the other party, and then after putting yourself in their situation, to convince them to listen to your side. You can then craft a lease keeping in mind what each side is really able to agree to.

#2 Too Much Confidence

Being overly bold and demanding could potentially ruin a good deal for both sides. For instance, a tenant whose presence is valuable to the landlord (they are an anchor tenant or are good in some capacity for the surrounding tenants) approaches a landlord to ask for a rent reduction because their sales have been low recently. However, an overly confident landlord might decide to part ways with this tenant and rent the space to another business, causing a lot of headache for them and not benefiting the property as a whole. The landlord could have decided to agree to lower rent for a short amount of time with increases scheduled as sales went up.

Likewise, a tenant could demand too much from a landlord, thinking that the landlord has no other options. For instance, a tenant might want to be allowed to break a lease if a certain other tenant leaves, but the landlord might know that this anchor tenant might not be renewing their lease and thus unable to make that agreement. Know what you need to insist on, but if you are really interested in a space, also keep in mind what might drive the landlord to spare themselves the headache of difficult negotiations and work with a tenant who might provide different benefits to the property.

#3 A Win-Lose Mentality

One easy way to sabatoge a negotiation is to treat it like a competition. A negotiation is not a win-lose situation; in the most successful kind of lease, both sides are able to meet their objectives. Instead of trying to get as much as you can out of a landlord, approach the process as a collaboration and determine where you can be flexible in helping a landlord get what they need. It is a give and take—the more you can offer them, the more they are willing to help you. In this approach, it is inevitable that you might have to give up a little, but this might ultimately be the best road to an overall good deal and a strong tenant-landlord relationship.

Good lease deals are born from an ability to understand the other side’s perspective, a willingness to help the other party achieve their goals as much as you can, and an overall attitude of collaboration and teamwork in crafting the perfect lease.

If your business is interested in learning more about office suites for rent in Overland Park, give us a call at 913-685-4100. We can help you calculate square footage and work with you to determine other office space needs, such as what amenities you need and the best office layout for your business. Give us a call today to discuss spaces or set up a tour!

Tips For Understanding Load Factor For an Overland Park Office Space For Rent

In order to understand load factor, it is important to be familiar with terminology such as usable square feet and rentable square feet. Here are a few terms and explanations to help you understand what you are actually paying for your square footage, as outlined in the article “What is the Difference Between Usable vs. Rentable Square Feet?”:

Usable Square Feet

This measurement consists of the space that a tenant will actually occupy when operating their business. Usable square feet could include either a full floor, minus elevator shafts and stairwells, or just a partial floor, depending on what space the tenant leases, but in either case, this measurement also includes things like columns, recessed entries, storage, private bathrooms, kitchenettes, hallways, reception areas, etc. While a lot of these things—such as electrical rooms or janitorial closets—might not be space that can contain a desk or cubicle, it is still all included in the usable square footage measurement.

Rentable Square Feet

Rentable square feet is calculated by adding usable square feet to a pro-rata portion of the common areas in the building. Pro-rata means that this portion is calculated based on what percentage of the building a tenant will occupy. Common areas include meeting spaces, lobbies, stairways, corridors, restrooms—any spaces that are used by all tenants of a building.

Load Factor

Load factor a number used in the calculation that determines the rentable square feet of a particular space. The load factor, also called the common area factor, is based on the percentage of common areas in the building, and can be found by dividing the rentable square feet in the entire building by the usable square feet in the entire building. This number is then multiplied by the usable square feet of a particular space to come up with the rentable square feet for that space. Once you have the rentable square feet of a space, you can multiply it by the rental rate being offered in order to come up with how much rent you will pay monthly or annually.

Understanding these three terms and how they are related can help you make more informed decisions when comparing different offices spaces. Look closely at the amount of space advertised or the rental rate to make sure you know what kind of square footage calculation they are using, what kinds of non-usable areas will be in your space, and what you will be responsible for in terms of common area costs.

If you are interested in offices suites for rent in Overland Park, give a commercial real estate broker in Overland Park a call at 913-685-4100!

3 Tips for Finding the Best Desks for Your Office Space in Kansas City

When purchasing desks for an office space, you will want to consider both the impression they will have on any customers or clients that see them and also the comfort of your employees. Be sure to give special consideration to desks that will be most visible, such as the receptionist’s desk or ones where clients/customers will work with employees. Consider also what kinds of desks will help your employees be most productive. Here are a few factors to consider when picking out desks, as suggested in the article “Making the Most of Office Desks”:

Balance trendiness with functionality. Don’t pick something so artistic and trendy that it sacrifices serious functionality. Look for items that embrace a modern aesthetic, but still have enough room for a computer and a comfortable amount of workspace.
Check out custom made desks. One popular trend in office spaces is having desks custom made for the office. This allows workers who require desks with specific features to get exactly what they need, thus maximizing productivity.
Consider putting in work stations. Cubicles are going out of fashion, and collaboration is the new trend. Try for workstations that are more open and allow for interaction and exchange of ideas.

Take the time to pick out furniture that will be both visually impressive and useful for employees!

Give Kathy Woodward at DDI Commercial a call at 913-685-4100 to find out more about our office suites for rent in Overland Park!

5 Reasons to Consider Leasing Equipment for Your Office Building in Overland Park

If you just moved into a space and need to find office equipment, consider leasing your equipment instead of buying it. You can find everything from cars, to computers, to desks, and you might find that the leasing option is more cost effective for your business. Here are a few reasons to consider leasing equipment, as outlined in the article “Leasing Business Equipment”:

Save yourself some time and energy. If you lease your equipment, you can avoid some of the hassle and headache of finding a loan to finance your equipment.
Stay with the times. Leasing equipment can help you update your technology regularly without having to buy it new every few years.
Try things out. By leasing your equipment, you can see what is most effective for your business and move on to something else after a short period if what you got is not working for you.
Get maintenance assistance. Sometimes maintenance is included when you lease equipment.
Enjoy a tax break. You might be able to get a tax advantage for a leased item because the payments are fully deductible.

If you are worried about how you are going to furnish your office with equipment on your current budget, look into leasing options!

Looking for office suites for rent in Overland Park? Give a commercial real estate broker in Overland Park a call at 913-685-4100 to set up a tour of one of our spaces!