The office work is all in hand

By JENNY LITTLE
Updated:

 

GOING to work has never been easier for bosses of small firms, with thousands of companies shunning business premises in favour of a laptop 'mobile office'. One in four small business owners carries a laptop at all times and many firms trade without a bricks-and-mortar base, according to research by phone firm T-Mobile.

James Hayward

Setting up and maintaining premises is expensive. The Federation of Small Businesses estimates that rent is the secondhighest cost for small firms after wages. It can cost up to £4,000 a month - and soaring business rates are yet another major concern.

John Coulthard, small and medium business expert for Microsoft, believes that developments in wireless technology mean that firms can leave it later in their growth cycle before looking for premises.

He says: 'They can stay smaller for longer and still look impressive with the help of big business support services.

'Many don't need desk space. They only start to think about premises when they have to store stock.'

Technology is the key. Slotting a data card into a laptop will give the user access to wireless networks on the move. And small business owners have embraced third-generation phones and handheld digital devices.

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BT puts the number of wireless hotspots, where computers can connect, at almost 8,000 in Britain and Ireland.

T-Mobile's Rob Langton says: 'Users need to be aware of security, but if they use a secure network and have firewalls and virus checker software, then it is no more risky than using broadband at home.'

James Hayward, 34, runs his technology consultancy, Straightline, from his home in West Kensington, London. Visiting clients here or in America, he can work in their offices, in the hotel or at the airport.

James, 34, says: 'This is an entrepreneurial way to work. It allows me to be very reactive as I have everything I need in my laptop. I never long for an office.'

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