LEGI Spots a Gap in the Accommodation Ladder

I had an interesting conversation today with the Programme Director of an LEGI in the North West (LEGI is Local Enterprise Growth Initiative in case you've not heard of them). This reinforced my view that most LEGIs are missing an obvious trick by not exploiting the internet.

Of the 18 or so LEGIs across the UK, only 1 has embraced the internet to provide practical support for start-ups, to my knowledge. I've met few who are interested, but they don't really understand it ... and that makes it feel risky. But today I met a man who confidently identified an obvious gap in the provision of incubation and office facilities.

LEGIs often refer to an "Accommodation Ladder" where companies can grow into increasingly expensive office space - great if you have cash and we have an abundance of space - but alas, neither is generally the case. So what better idea than to include a Virtual Office in the ladder? Today I was given real examples of companies that had lamented that they feel betwixt home office and real office, neither providing the image or environment they need. This sounds ideal for them.

Perhaps we should be surprised that UK business people are not aware of what's on offer and more importantly what's possible with a raft of low cost and often free technology. Or, perhaps after a decade of government interventions such as UK Online for Business and Business Links, we should be.

If you're interested in finding out more, Gareth has penned a useful article about Virtual Offices that includes a relevant case study.

Denis