Although the U.S. economy has taken quite a few hits in recent years, there has been a gradual rise of small businesses and start-ups. And you don’t have to look very far to find them. Pandora, for instance, the music recommendation site, has become one of the most successful start-ups of the past decade. Today there are nearly 28 million small businesses in the U.S.

One of the first and most important things for a small business to acquire is office space. Having office space is important for several reasons. First, it gives potential clients and customers a definitive and legitimate place to visit and share with others. Secondly, it provides a central location for employees to work, communicate, and bond. Lastly, a proper office space (as opposed to a house or apartment) encourages a productive atmosphere. Conducting business from your bedroom might be comfortable, but offices are far removed from the many distractions of home.

Office Space Leasing

Newer small businesses won’t be able to afford buying an office space, even a relatively small one. Luckily, one can find cheap office spaces for rent fairly easily with the help of an online search. Office space for rent in New York City is a popular search, which makes sense considering the city’s population. The nice thing about leasing an office space is that these leases are often flexible. For instance, a new small business owner might only want to rent the space for a year or even less. Rather than diving into a 10 year contract, one can often choose to lease a space for a shorter period of time, which is a smart idea for a developing business. After the year is up, the business might decide to lease a larger or smaller space, or extend the lease for another year if possible.

What’s Important in an Office Space?

When a small business owner decides to rent office space, there are many factors to consider in addition to how long the lease will last. One important aspect of office spaces is size. The old mantra “less is more” generally holds true for office spaces, especially for smaller businesses. Efficiency is the name of the game, and if your office space is unnecessarily spacious, you’re wasting resources since smaller spaces are cheaper to rent.

Location is also key, of course. Office space for rent in New York City, for instance, might be somewhat difficult to come by in already bustling areas, since larger businesses have claimed most of that territory. But regardless of the city in which your business runs, finding an office space in a commercial area is often beneficial since more people can readily access it, and be more willing to do so.

In terms of the interior of an office space, the five most important things to U.S. office workers are social space, climate control, proximity to food and beverages, furniture quality, and good coffee. Some of these things might seem trivial, but considering how important morale is for a productive work environment, things like good coffee matter!

Whether you’re looking for office space for rent in New York City, Boston, Seattle, or a smaller city, if you’re a business just starting out, renting office space is an important step in expanding your business.