As Covid continues to disrupt work, more and more businesses are depending on cloud-based services like Dropbox, Google Suite and Flexyforce to add extra layers of security and enable staff to efficiently work from anywhere.  



In the Covid-19 context, the ‘cloud’ is the place to be. And though it’s not exactly a new tech phenomenon, it is only now that it has gained increased currency, with the number of companies adapting to cloud-based services seeing an upward trend.  



CEO and Founder of Flexyforce,&nbsp;Annette Muller, speaks of how she has seen it soar to new levels. &nbsp;



“Practically, we originated from looking at these future business models, which is very much on-demand workforces and automating the underlying administration to allow the business to scale within their capacity. And philosophically, the bigger mission is, of course, to bring flexibility to the workplace,” Muller says. &nbsp;



Flexyforce is South Africa’s first female-founded cloud-based supplier management software and it has seen growth during the pandemic.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“We signed on a number of new exciting businesses, specifically businesses who realized that with this remote work they&#8217;re going to have to take off their business operations into the cloud,” Muller says.&nbsp;&nbsp;



Cloud computing, according to Managing Executive of Cloud, Hosting, and Security at Vodacom Business, Kabelo Makwane, is bringing together a pool of shared IT resources. This is done through computing, storage, and networks which allows for the shared resources to be shared anywhere and at any time on a pay-as-you-go metered service. &nbsp;



“As opposed to the traditional distributed computed model where everyone, whether you are a large enterprise or working from home, is building their own IT shops, the benefits of cloud computing come from the aggregation and consuming it as a utility in the same way we consume power today,” Makwane said at the Future of Work digital summit hosted by CNBC Africa on August 20. &nbsp;



This notion is seconded by Muller who says that cloud computing is a lot more cost-efficient as you have to downscale on some of the costs you were previously using, but this is provided you are using the correct service provider. In addition to that, the cloud can be accessed from anywhere. &nbsp;



“So a big benefit is that you can access work from any device anywhere in the world. And I think that is what pushed so much attention to cloud services. Now, specifically with Covid-19, because of the forced remote working that we saw taking place across the whole world. And that just means that you&#8217;re less dependent on an office environment or specific devices at the office to be able to work,” Muller says. &nbsp;



Using a cloud-based service is also a good equalizer for entrepreneurs who may be starting a business or small-to-medium-sized businesses as there are no incurred IT costs to worry about, specifically now during Covid-19, this would be the best time for those businesses to start using cloud-based service providers if they have not already. &nbsp;



“The fixed upfront costs are lower because you’re essentially just doing a pay-as-you-go model and this could really assist the small-to-medium-sized business,” Alison Collier, Managing Director of Endeavor South Africa, said at the Future of Work summit. &nbsp;



“I think it&#8217;s absolutely fundamental to small-to-medium businesses and they will not survive this day and age if they do not put those basic systems and processes into place from the word go,” Muller adds. &nbsp;



There are still companies who fear having to use cloud-computing as there is a security risk perception, Muller explains. However, most service providers have gone to great lengths to protect companies’ data by using tools like authenticators.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



Furthermore, Muller adds that if Covid-19 has taught companies anything, it is that businesses have to change and adapt to the new world of working. &nbsp;



“There&#8217;s an interesting analogy that the office of the future isn&#8217;t getting the printer and the secretary and the desk and the chair. It&#8217;s not; it&#8217;s opening up your Web browser and having those first seven services that you log into every day,” Muller says.

Woman using a laptop with cloud icon on working at home.

Nimble In The Cloud – The Office Of The Future

In the midst of what many are calling the flexible workspace revolution, franchisees are looking towards the serviced office market for lucrative new opportunities. Projections show that three in ten buildings on every high street could offer a new franchise opportunity, with flexible working, or coworking as it’s often called, emerging as a booming industry.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><a href="https://franchise.iwgplc.com/?utm_source=Forbes_Africa&amp;utm_campaign=EN_Franchise_Brand&amp;utm_medium=Display&amp;utm_content=Article_1"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="684" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Ldn-Br-0069-1024x684.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-40993" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Ldn-Br-0069-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Ldn-Br-0069-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Ldn-Br-0069-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Ldn-Br-0069-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Ldn-Br-0069.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>



A booming industry With businesses and individuals increasingly using flexible working spaces, the co-working industry is estimated to be growing by 24% each year. A recent study of 18,000 business leaders in 96 countries by IWG, the parent company of leading workspace providers including Regus and Spaces, revealed that the majority of business leaders (89%) believe flexible working is helping their businesses to grow and stay competitive. In addition, 80% felt that adopting co-working, and enabling their employees to work anywhere, has helped them recruit and retain top talent.



 Likewise, with a huge 50% of workers predicted to be working remotely for most of their working week, by 2022, forecasts suggest that the global mobile workforce will reach 1.87 billion people. This presents a unique opportunity for those in the franchise industry to jump on what is a rapidly growing trend.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> Partnering with IWG gives business owners the ability to participate in this growth story and take advantage of the huge demand for flexible, contemporary workspaces – one of the most exciting growth markets in the country.<cite> Mo Nanabhay, Franchising Director &#8211; Africa </cite></blockquote>



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><a href="https://franchise.iwgplc.com/?utm_source=Forbes_Africa&amp;utm_campaign=EN_Franchise_Brand&amp;utm_medium=Display&amp;utm_content=Article_1"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="684" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/City-Point-029-1024x684.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-40983" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/City-Point-029-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/City-Point-029-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/City-Point-029-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/City-Point-029-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/City-Point-029.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>



<div class="wp-block-button"><a class="wp-block-button__link has-background has-vivid-red-background-color" href="https://franchise.iwgplc.com/?utm_source=Forbes_Africa&amp;utm_campaign=EN_Franchise_Brand&amp;utm_medium=Display&amp;utm_content=Article_1">Find out how you can take advantage of the work-space revolution</a></div>



 As more people look to work flexibly, the demand for places for them to do so is growing; and as the corporate real estate market continues to grow, global real estate giant JLL estimates that up to 30% of corporate real estate could be flexible workspace by 2030. 



 The growing franchise opportunity This makes the serviced office market one of the most exciting growth markets in the world. Simply put, it is the next franchise frontier. And the industry founder, IWG, with its thirty years of experience in the, serviced office market and brands to match every requirement and style like Regus and Spaces, is now offering people a chance to get involved. In September 2018, the company announced they would be leading the UK’s first serviced office franchise partnership with franchising experts, ACCA Office Ltd. Since then, four more businesses have partnered with IWG, including Kash Office Limited, AMA Workspaces, SME Properties Limited, and Q-Boid Limited. These franchise partnerships will see sites opened across the country over the next couple of years. In Asia, the company has agreed to sell its Japanese business to Tokyo-based TKP Corporation for the whole of Japan. 



<figure class="wp-block-image"><a href="https://franchise.iwgplc.com/?utm_source=Forbes_Africa&amp;utm_campaign=EN_Franchise_Brand&amp;utm_medium=Display&amp;utm_content=Article_1"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="684" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/St-Marys-Axe-025-1024x684.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-40982" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/St-Marys-Axe-025-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/St-Marys-Axe-025-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/St-Marys-Axe-025-600x401.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/St-Marys-Axe-025-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/St-Marys-Axe-025.jpg 1766w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>



 IWG is present in almost 3,300 locations, 120 countries and 1,100 town and cities across the world – and it’s this experience that makes IWG the ideal franchise partner for those wanting to take advantage of the booming demand for serviced offices worldwide.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> “Our years of experience in the industry and our well-established global network has taught us that building a quality flexible workspace offering requires trust and support. We work closely with our franchisees to ensure that they have a framework to find the right location and design, backed by the strength of our operational and marketing support and the best customer service that IWG is known for.”<cite> Mo Nanabhay, Franchising Director &#8211; Africa</cite></blockquote>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><a href="https://franchise.iwgplc.com/?utm_source=Forbes_Africa&amp;utm_campaign=EN_Franchise_Brand&amp;utm_medium=Display&amp;utm_content=Article_1"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="481" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Ldn-Br-0002-1024x481.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-40981" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Ldn-Br-0002-1024x481.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Ldn-Br-0002-300x141.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Ldn-Br-0002-600x282.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Ldn-Br-0002-768x360.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Ldn-Br-0002.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a></figure>



 To find out how you can take advantage of the workspace revolution, contact IWG’s franchise team via <a href="mailto:franchise.africa@iwgplc.com">franchise.africa@iwgplc.com</a> or visit <a href="https://franchise.iwgplc.com/?utm_source=Forbes_Africa&amp;utm_campaign=EN_Franchise_Brand&amp;utm_medium=Display&amp;utm_content=Article_1">franchise.iwgplc.com</a>.

BusinessClub_02_HG

Franchise’s newest target: the flexible workspace revolution

It’s a story that has stuck on Bradley Porter like a tattoo. When you are in the business of renting office space, not being able to pay rent as the leaser can be quite ironic.
Born in the Free State province in South Africa, and growing up in the coastal city of Durban, Porter’s future in entrepreneurship was inevitable having had a father who had a tiling business.
“It’s almost an affliction you are born with and I can’t really help it. I had a burning desire to have control of my own fate and destiny. And whatever it takes, you have to fulfil that desire and passion,” says Porter.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-3356" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Boardroom1-3-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" />
He grew up at the height of apartheid, attending the University of Durban-Westville which at the time was one of the political institutions in the country. When he didn’t succeed in university, he joined the army and from there decided to go live in Britain for nearly 10 years.
It was during this time as an employee that he realized he couldn’t work for someone else for the rest of his life. He packed his bags, returned to Durban, and with the little money he had saved he started two businesses. Along the way, one of his friends, who had purchased space in a building, suggested Porter hire 200 square meters for his ‘Experience This’ business on Florida Road in Durban, a hub of activity for tourists and locals.
“I said ‘I don’t need all that space. I don’t’ need 200 square meters’… but I said ‘if you are prepared to try start this business with me, I’ll take the 200 square meters and we will experiment with this business’ which became known as Flexible Workspaces,” remembers Porter.
In October 2005, Porter founded Flexible Workspaces after spending eight years in the serviced office industry of Britain. The company provides fully serviced offices in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province and Johannesburg. It was founded as a solution to the ever-changing business environment and to offer alternative options to the business community.
The business caters for small businesses that are starting out. Finding the right office space can be daunting especially when your budget is limited and you working with a small team.
Porter and his friend set up offices. They started with just furniture, the phone system that was already supplied and around $10,500 to get the business going.
“We were so undercapitalized it was unbelievable and we didn’t have any spare cash. To start off your business these days, realistically for 1,000 square meters, you would need at least R4 million ($350,000). For 200 square meters, you would need around R1 million to R2 million ($87,000 to $175,000),” he says.
Two years later, Porter says they decided to open up their next offices in Umhlanga, around 17 kilometers from Durban, even though the first offices on Florida Road were not flourishing.
“The reason we opened in Umhlanga was because of the trend at the time. This was around 2007, the trend was very much up north, outside Durban. We needed to be able to provide a presence in Umhlanga, which is becoming the commercial hub for KwaZulu Natal or Durban anyway,” says Porter.
But this move ushered in his worst day.
“I think every entrepreneur will have one and for me personally it’s so real it’s like a tattoo on the back of my brain. I can relate to it now. I get goosebumps when I think about it because it’s just so real still,” says the 44-year-old.
He calls it Black Friday. It was September 7, 2007 and they had just expanded Flexible Workspaces and the rent was due. Porter was abroad on holiday but had to come back to South Africa to solve numerous problems, the main one being that they hadn’t paid R73,000 ($6,360) in rent for the 500-square-meter Umhlanga offices.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-3358 aligncenter" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/reception1-3-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" />
Unfortunately for them, with a business renting out space to other small business, Flexible Workspaces didn’t have any bringing in money so that they could pay rent. Porter sat in one of the offices looking at the Gateway shopping Centre with one hand on his head and the other holding the telephone to his ear. He was calling the landlord, apologizing for the late rent and begging for some leniency.
“The business model worked in such a way that we take a risk, we’re a bit like a hotel but for businesses. So we’ll go into a space, we do a deal with the landlord, we take a risk on all the capital expenditure. We fit it out, we staff it, we supply the internet, tea and coffee. Everything gets supplied. These services all have to be supplied on day one. And on day one you usually don’t’ have any clients. Unless you’ve been clever about it and been more strategic,” he says.
“But usually, particularly for us, the day one meant no clients. So by the time we got to day 30, we might have had one or two clients but it wasn’t enough to cover our rent and the overheads we had.”
After spending 15 minutes, which felt like years, on the phone with the landlord, she agreed to give them an extension for a few days to come up with the rent money.
Fortunately, they made it happen. It wasn’t more than a week when the business signed a deal with a data storage company, who remain his clients today. But they had to hobble through paying rent for the following months.
“We went through a three-year recovery period and then in about 2011 we started looking at space in Sandton. And that went really well. We took a small portion of 600 square meters and we filled it very fast. And about a year later, we recovered sufficiently to double the space to 1,200 square meters in Sandton. And we are looking for more now,” he says.
“With the benefit of hindsight I should have started this business in Johannesburg. I think it would have been much more successful by now.”
Flexible Workspaces caters to those who want an office space instead of working from home. Porter says serviced offices reduce the costs and hassles of renting space and combines the best features of a low-cost office in a prime location.
“Our objective was to build a network of business centers, so we were never going to stop at Durban or Umhlanga,” he says.
Since then, the business has 15 employees and turns over around $1.3 million a year.
In October 2013, Flexible Workspaces opened its third serviced offices next to the swanky Montecasino precinct, outside Johannesburg. Porter says that he hopes to open more offices along the continent’s only fast train, the Gautrain, from Johannesburg’s city center all the way through to the country’s capital, Pretoria.
“We want to expand the business nationally and cross borders. I’d like to have a national footprint in five years, international I can’t tell you. We are growing this business organically, so we are using our own money, it’s all self-invested. The pace at which we can grow is limited to the amount of money we make.”

Tag: Flexible Workspaces

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Nimble In The Cloud – The Office Of The Future

Franchise’s newest target: the flexible workspace revolution

My Worst Day: Bradley Porter