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Commercial Property Whitstable

How to decide where to base your new business and some local options for start-ups.

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Whitstable Business Category

Property

Business Premises? Office? Shop? Industrial Unit? Serviced Offices? Warehouse Unit? Factory? Restaurant? Workshop? Or Start from Home?

Whether you choose to work from home or are looking to rent or buy a business premises, you may like to read our commercial property articles which cover the various options for small business or new business start ups. (We also have a section dedicated to working from home.)

A list of useful contacts in Whitstable who are keen to help you can be found below.

Whitstable
Whitstable
We have been helping start-ups in Whitstable since 2005.
Start Your Own Business in 2021
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Packed with the information that you need to start or grow a business in Whitstable.

Can you help start-ups in in Whitstable?

If so, your logo, company details and link to your site could be here!

If you are based in in Whitstable or offer a product or service which could help existing local businesses and start-ups, we would love you to help you reach them. Our aim is to increase the chances of every new business's success by highlighting the help that is available in the area.

You are able to add a free listing or act as our recommended local partner for only £10 per year!

Local partners

We are happy to promote anyone who is prepared to offer friendly support to local start-ups.

Our local partners have been kind enough to help us and are keen to help you too.

Free Friendly Advice

If you would like some free friendly advice from a trusted local partner, please complete the form.

There will not be any pressure nor will you be under any obligation to buy paid services.

Alternatively you can contact Andy Pringle at andy@syob.net and he can help guide you with more information or suggest the best person to contact.

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Home or Away

Deciding where to run your business could be determined by the nature of your work, running a restaurant from home is probably not a good idea and a window cleaning business is unlikely to need swanky offices!

Work from home

Working from home is definitely the cheapest option, but not always the best. You will need to ensure that you can separate home and work life. Will you be able to motivate yourself and concentrate, or possibly even moretempting—avoid the temptation to work all the time Advantages: Cost, convenience, easy to set up, the kettle is close by! Disadvantages: Domestic distractions, possibly lone working, holiday cover, the kettle is close by!

Top tip! Check to make sure that your lease/house deeds do not prevent you from operating from home. If required, obtain permission from your landlord or building society.

Office or workspace

Starting in an office or workshop will involve higher set up costs than working from home but may be more appropriate particularly if you are planning to employ staff or if your customers come to you. There are important health &safety issues that you will need to be aware of if you are planning to work from any premises. The HSE (Health & Safety Executive) offer free explanatory leaflets at http://www.hse.gov.uk

Lease

A lease is a contractual agreement to rent a property. But do you rent or buy Your financial situation could decide this for you, but if you chose to lease/rent, think extremely carefully about the implications. Lord Forte is famously quoted as saying three most important considerations are LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION! However, the better the location the higher the rent!

Who is responsible for repairs

Take legal advice. You want security, but do you want the legal obligation and for how long Business success or failure may mean that you need smaller/larger premises in the future. Ask about a ‘break clause’ which could present an ‘escape route’ at a defined point.

Purchase

Purchasing your property could prove to be an attractive long-term proposition. You will be giving yourself security of tenure, possibly an asset that will rise in value, and any repayments will be reducing your loan rather than simply paying rent to somebody else. You will need to use a solicitor to conduct the purchase, and definitely pay for a full structural survey.

License

With a license, the property owner is effectively saying “OK, you can occupy my property for a while, but I can interrupt at any time and ask you to leave.” The advantage to the owner is obvious, but it can also be a flexible and inexpensive way for a new start to move into premises. Licences are usually relatively short term.

Serviced Offices

Working from your garage or garden shed can appear amateur to prospective clients and lack the kudos of an official business address. But there is an alternative that will keep you sane without bankrupting your business before it’s even off the ground. Renting a desk in a shared office offers the best of both worlds. You’re still your own boss, but you’ll have the business support services, such as internet connection, a receptionist, meeting rooms and technical support, all available on site. You’ll have total autonomy, but feel like you are part of a community.

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Whitstable Commercial Property

Fruitworks
We are a coworking space based in the centre of historic Canterbury, housing startups, freelancers, investors and more. We have a meeting room for hire to our members, so even if you dont have a permanent desk here you can still have a professional space to meet clients, We hold networking events (or NOT-working as we like to call them!) not only for our members, but for business across Kent. At these events, we have three interesting speakers who speak on a range of topics to help you improve your business. Our aim with these events is to help startups and freelancers connect with local businesses in a more relaxed environment.
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Basepoint Canterbury
Ideal for start-ups and small businesses looking for workshops, studios or managed offices, Canterbury Innovation Centre is situated on the University of Kent campus and has been open since 2009. The Innovation Centre is owned by the East Kent Spatial Development Company and was funded by SEEDA working in collaboration with the University. Basepoint is managing and operating the centre. The Innovation Centre forms phase 1 of the wider Kent Technology Park development and consists of 23,642 sq ft of commercial space. As well as offering fully managed offices the centre is equipped with a range of modern facilities including superfast broadband, serviced meeting rooms, a licensee breakout area and on-site cafe. Virtual offices can also be arranged via the centre.
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Canterbury Innovation Centre
Starting out in business can be a daunting prospect. We offer a friendly ear and support to those just starting out in the business world - we want to see you succeed, after all. Our qualified team provide support and advice to both businesses based at the Centre and those looking to establish themselves.
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Capital Enterprise Centres
We own and run 8 Business Centres in the south east for small and growing businesses. In total we have 530 individual units to let on an easy-in easy-out monthly licence.
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Denne Hill Business Centre
There are business centres, and there’s Denne Hill Business Centre. Set in stunning countryside yet only minutes from the A2, we have offices to suit everyone from start-ups to established companies. Each office has a character that’s different from the average ‘out-of-the-box’ unit. A unique blend of Victorian charm and modern high-tech – they all have a genuine wow factor. Your employees will love their new work space, your clients will be impressed and you’ll love the friendly, supportive service we offer. Denne Hill is one place where you’ll never be just a number.
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Fruitworks
Fruitworks is a coworking space 30 seconds from Canterbury City Centre and is the only space of its kind in the city. Work with like-minded people in a quirky environment. Check out our space, we know youll love it! We have over 80 desks available on a residential and Hot Desking basis in two beautiful open plan rooms. Our chill-out areas come with a pool & ping-pong table as well as a variety of books if you fancy learning something new, plus you get unlimited free tea & coffee!
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Kent Science Park
Kent Science Park campus, one of the largest in the South East of England, offers over 500,000 sq ft (46,450 sq m) of high specification, purpose built accommodation to let, flexible enough to nurture the ambitious start-up, as well as to serve the expanding or mature technology company.
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Lettings Agents Canterbury
At Martin & Co Canterbury not only do we have a great choice of properties and expert knowledge of the local market, but we also go the extra mile to ensure that the entire process is as hassle free as possible.
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Lombard House Business Centre
Canterbury’s Premier Business Centre Is proud to be the base for a wide selection of specialised and fast growing, professional companies in the sales and service sectors. We have the ability to accommodate up to 60 businesses within the business centre. Examples of businesses established as Lombard House Business Centre, both past and present include: Advertising Agencies, Accountants, Bookkeepers, Recruitment Consultancies, Training Specialists, Beauty Therapists, Councillors, Psychologists, Motor Traders, Financial Consultancies, IT Specialists, Town Planners, Travel Agents, Security Companies and many more!
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Milestone Training, Resource and Consultancy Centre
We can offer you exceptional facilities and friendly service all for less than youd expect. You can hire the facilities for a half day or full day and will only ever have to pay for what you need to use. With hotel packages, you pay an inflated price for the use of facilities you probably dont even need. With us, if you just need to hire the space, then thats no problem. Of course if you do need video conferencing, laptops, data projector and luxury catering, then we will happily accommodate your needs. In this time of crunched budgets and cutbacks we believe we can offer you a premier service for a realistic price that enables you to work within your budget. We offer our rooms for hire to businesses, schools and the community. Businesses are offered rates that are up to 90% off* the cost of hiring facilities from other companies. Schools and community users are offered even more preferential rates. You are welcome to hire our facilities for any purpose whether that be meetings, conferences, training, interviews or anything else. The rooms can be set up flexibly to allow you to use the space in a way that suits you and the number of people you need to accommodate. In addition to offering our facilities for hire, we also offer a huge variety of courses. Since we are part of Milestone Special School, our specialisms for training include Autism, behaviour, Speech and Language Therapy, curriculum, Sign Language and health. For more information on the courses we offer see the courses section on this site. If youd like to run a course of your own at the TRAC Centre you can of course hire our facilities. If you are interested in running a course and would like us to handle everything for you, then please get in touch.
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