#6: Moving day! How I secured my first office for free!
It’s been a burden for me throughout the past couple of
years trying to build business after business along with committing sufficient
time to my degree. My bedroom has gone from a place of rest to a chaotic makeshift
office from which I try and focus my attention. There are both upsides and downsides
to the modern office but I will focus more attention on how I finally managed
to progress out of the bedroom and into my own little respite.
First, let me give you an insight into the story behind the
office. I started working at a local used car dealership back when I was 16.
This was my first job washing the cars on the forecourt for pennies. As years
went by I slowly progressed through the company in between holidays at college
and then through breaks in-between university semesters. Slowly but surely, I made
myself a valuable part of the team, introducing digital architecture to the
company in terms of cloud computing, social media marketing, and being a
pivotal figure in the transition of an outdated website to a new modern mobile
ready eCommerce platform. Despite this being a key factor in my development I
had always aspired to become a chartered accountant and luckily, found myself
securing a trainee accountant position at a large independent firm. It was a
huge decision as the dealership had counter offered with a higher salary and
more impressive perks. As a compromise, I agreed to carry on working for the
dealership every Saturday and Sunday, managing the social media and keeping the
tech in the garage running smoothly.
Once exam season had kicked in I found it increasingly
difficult to concentrate in my bedroom. I come from a not so well off
background and as such space in the family home was minimal. It soon became
impossible to revise and work on other projects and I needed a space of my own.
As I had such a trusting relationship with the owners of the car dealership, I went
to them with a proposal. I believe the following actions is what enabled me to
secure a private space of my own to work on my own projects and revise. I
recognised that there’s no such thing as a free dinner, and that for them to
consider what I wanted, I had to make it worth their while or give them
something of value in return. I was very self-aware in the fact that I was an
asset in this business and leveraged it to my advantage. I offered an extra few
hours of work a week, preparing marketing campaigns for social media and
keeping on top of general motor trade news, in exchange for some space to
revise.
Signing off…
The important lesson that I learned throughout this ordeal was
that I can do anything and understanding my value helped me negotiate something
for free that as a start-up business is so vital. Business is about resources
and being as resourceful as possible with your network, contacts, colleagues
and employers can take you places you would never have imagined. I know I may have struck lucky with there being a vacant office, but the years of hard work and determination is what ultimately convinced the owners to let me have it free of charge.
Jason West
A Modern Professional
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