An Ode to the Festival of Britain

This month we celebrated the 70th anniversary of The Festival of Britain. The area of Chelsea in which we are located has such a history with art and design and still considered to be a bustling design quarter today, so we’re taking a look at the furniture and textiles which featured at one of Britain’s most iconic festivals.

It was certainly with the design powerhouses that propped up the Festival of Britain’s iron poles. Considered the biggest event of the year, the festival attracted an array of contemporary British creatives across architecture, textiles and product design.

Steel Resolve

It also paved the way for a new aesthetic, as designers made do and melded furniture from the resources they had (ie. steel and aluminum as opposed to wood, which was still of limited availability). In this post-war ration restricted Britain, food and commodities may have been scarce, but ideas were in ready supply! Ernest Race, a furniture designer who cut his teeth in the munitions industry during war-time, produced a piece specifically for the Festival called the ‘Antelope’ chair. It had a curved top-rail, primary painted plywood seat (festival colours) and signature balled feet. His stackable ‘Springbok’ chair, named after its exposed springs in PVC sleeves, was also a handy invention for outdoor and indoor events – this particular one was used for the outside terrace alongside Andrew John Milne’s perforated steel sheet pastel ones (sold by Heal’s).

Exhibits from the riverbank

The public were also out in force – admiring the Southbank exhibits, which ranged from the depths of the sea to the edge of the Milky Way. The 93 foot tall ‘Dome of Discovery’ housed exhibits on the New World, the Polar Regions, the Sea, the Sky and Outer Space. Close by sat the Skylon, a War of the Worlds-esque futuristic structure, designed by Hidalgo Moya, Philip Powell and Felix Samuely that appeared to be suspended in mid smog filled air. One of the most popular attractions, however, was the Telekinema, a 400-seat cinema that saw well over 400,000 visitors. Passersby preferring live entertainment were also well catered for with the opening of the Royal Festival Hall – as were their backsides (!): Robin Day’s 658 chair was developed specifically for the venue and became known as the RFH lounge chair. Its elegant design with its wing-like arm rests, perfect for champagne clutching limbs were an instant hit. Robin and his textile designer wife Lucienne went on to establish themselves as key figures in the post-war design industry.

Lucienne’s most famous textile design, ‘Calyx’, a geometric plant motif that went against the commercially successful floral prints of the time was featured at the festival. Man-made structures were the inspiration for Joyce Clissold (director of block printing enthusiasts group Footprints), however, who designed a rust red commemorative scarf for the event, with images of the Dome and Skylon. John Barker, also on display, opted for a lilac and yellow chequered pattern that interspersed an image of the Southbank site and the home of the Great Exhibition of 1851, Crystal Palace. So, take a moment to reflect as you peer through that curtained pub window, before plonking yourself down on a pre-booked chair – you could be coming in contact with the future of design – non-rationed food for thought!

Written by Laura Clark

Worlds End Studios

Worlds End Studios is home to over 120 businesses, contact us today on 020 7349 7001 or by emailing info@worldsendstudios.com to let us know how we can help you get started.

Key things to consider for business growth

When starting a business, it’s easy to forget to account for your growth path. What training, staffing, square footage and supply needs will you have in a year’s time? To help you create future-proof plans, we’ve compiled this list of key things to consider for business growth. But first, you need data. What are your sales forecasts and estimated growth rates? Once you know these numbers, you can account for the following elements.

Diversified income.

You’ll want to maximise your income streams so you’re not reliant too much on one revenue source. Create a mix of passive and active income sources. Passive income comes from work done in the past that still creates revenue without additional input like investments, royalties and licensing. Whereas active income requires regular work to keep growing. Think about how you could build these streams, perhaps leverage IP for passive income or tap new markets for active revenue.

Bandwidth increases.

Unless you’re a 100% brick and mortar business, you’ll likely have more traffic hitting your website or app. You’ll also have more staff accessing internal systems. So, you’ll need to beef up your server load capacity. You’ll also want to think about business continuity and backups. As you grow, every minute of downtime costs you more in lost revenue. So, it’s really important to have a robust infrastructure in place

Branching out.

Often, businesses start out of less-than-ideal locations. Maybe you’re a mom and pop operation running from your garage, but now it’s time to expand. You’ll need to contract suppliers and distributors to ensure customers receive their goods in a timely fashion. You might want to consider central warehousing and distribution to where your customers are. Perhaps look at shared office space with better amenities than you could afford alone. But don’t go too far too soon. You can often start with a pay as you go contract for shared spaces and work up from there. That will help keep your overheads low.

Worlds End Studios

We are here to help you grow and all these changes are likely to alter your space and services requirements. At Worlds End Studios we can help you flex to these changes. We can provide you with resilient scalable services. We can provide you will additional space and services on a short term basis, or on a more permanent basis as your business develops. Keep your overheads low by sharing as you grow and work up from there. That will help keep your overheads low.

Worlds End Studios is home to over 120 businesses, contact us today on 020 7349 7001 or by emailing info@worldsendstudios.com to let us know how we can help you get started.

How to make a great first impression in business

In business, making a good first impression is pretty important, you only get one chance to do it! If you’ve just started a business, you probably want to start gaining clients. So we’ve collected some tips on how you can nail that first interaction and start building some great business relationships!

Dress for your audience.

If you’re going to be pitching high-net-worth individuals on your new financial product, you probably don’t want to rock a tee-shirt and jeans. Consider the client and what they might expect from your business attire. Don’t be afraid to establish a work dress code. There are great examples here to help you pinpoint the right look for your work environment.

Practice a confident posture.

Non-verbal communication is a huge part of the first impression. Practice standing straight up, keeping your chin up and maintaining eye contact. This list of tips might help. If you want your client to believe you can deliver to your word, displaying that confidence in your body language will go a long way to reinforce that message.

Do your research

Never walk in blind. Learn as much as you can about your potential client and their needs before you ever meet. If you can, order their product and experience their service. Understand why they might be approaching your organisation and what they hope to gain. That way, you can spend less time getting the background and more time discussing your solutions.

Show a productive workspace.

Coworking spaces have such obvious energizing benefits that even large companies are embracing the format. Invite your prospective client into a lively environment where they can see work being done. Our co-working and communal spaces are deliberately not branded so even if you’re a small business, you can ‘own’ it, and you’ll benefit from the subconscious signals that co-working spaces like ours can send.

Worlds End Studios

Dependent on what impression you wish to portray you can mould the space and services at Worlds End Studios to suit you. Your visitors can be welcomed by name at the central reception. You can meet them in an impressive formal conference room, or in your own office. You can entertain them less formally in one of our indoor break out spaces, or have an informal coffee and bite to eat in one of our courtyards. The spaces we have to offer are unique, impressive and customer friendly.

Worlds End Studios is home to over 120 businesses, contact us today on 020 7349 7001 or by emailing info@worldsendstudios.com to let us know how we can help you get started.

The Perfect Place to Work. Before, During and After Covid-19.

The look, feel, cleanliness and privacy of an office have always been important factors to consider when renting office space and with the pandemic in full swing even more so now. We understand that to be successful, it is essential to find the right working environment. So why could Worlds End Studios be your ideal Covid business solution?

Private offices

What about a clean, self-contained private office surrounded by open areas? Most of our spaces feature floor to ceiling windows and overlook one of three spectacular courtyards, ensuring the maximum amount of natural light inspiring both productivity and creativity which may have been absent whilst working from home. Replace traveling through cramped corridors to get to your office with a short walk through open breezy balcony’s amongst bamboo treetops. Here clean fresh air is not a scarcity and with no looming commitment to our licences, unlike other offices we are the perfect flexible for your growing business.

Facilities

Not the type of person to prepare your lunches? You can call down to our onsite Café, Kitchen Therapy and order from a daily menu with food made to order or visit Kitchen Therapy for your coffee fix but, prepare your own lunch in one of the 2 kitchenettes. Both are fully stocked with cutlery, crockery, microwaves, fridges, and dishwashers as well as a filtered instant boiling, cold and sparking tap, saving yourself a supermarket trip and directly reducing exposure to Covid-19.

Sanitising and Staying safe

The automatic sanitising stations throughout our building are monitored, cleaned and refilled daily to ensure the safety of all of our clients and visitors and we fully sanitise our communal areas each evening to help stop the spread. This includes disinfecting our shared printers and photocopiers so they can be used in confidence.

Franking

Since the pandemic, we have all seen the meandering Post Office queues. Both internal and virtual clients have access to our adhoc facilities, one of which is our franking service. We can post Nationally by 1st or 2nd Class, Signed For or Guaranteed Next Day by 1pm and we can also send letters and parcels Internationally. Simply give your mail to Frontdesk, tell us how you would like it sent and we’ll do the rest for you.

Virtual Services

The pandemic has taught us running a business from home can be stressful if you are not being supported in the correct way. We offer a range of Virtual Services including Telephone Answering, Line Diversion and a Mailbox Service; all of these are simple solutions alleviating the stress of doing it all alone.

Our friendly in-house frontdesk team can answer your calls in your Company Name (or however else you might like) acting as your very own receptionist, either transferring or to you directly, or emailing you with the message if you’re unavailable. Overwhelmed by receiving business related post to your personal home address? Or do not want to give out your own details? A Mailbox Service would ensure your post is received at a professional business registered address, and we will always be here to receive your deliveries for you, which you can then come to at your leisure or we can forward your items onto you wherever you are, as and when requested.

Worlds End STUDIOS

So, if you could imagine your perfect office base what would it look like? Who would be the perfect team to support your business, and whether you picture being in an office, working from home, or even working from a different country, we bet it would look a lot like us.

Worlds End Studios is home to over 120 businesses, contact us today on 020 7349 7001 or by emailing info@worldsendstudios.com to let us know how we can help you get started.

Making your business more resilient

Rigid ways of working and formal corporate structures have fallen down in recent months, leading to longevity concerns even among historic companies. If anything, Covid 19 has shown us we could all be a little more flexible. If you’re interested in making your business more resilient, here are some quick changes you can make that might help.

Have a business continuity plan

Get your senior leaders together and dream up every worst-case scenario from pandemics to IT failures to supplier bankruptcy. Think of how you’d handle each situation and create a business continuity plan. Then conduct regular test runs of the plan so that if the worst should happen, everyone has experienced the following procedure.

Don’t put your eggs in one basket

Develop divergent streams of income. Don’t target all your products or services towards one customer type or industry. That way, if there are economic factors impacting one of your client pools, the others will remain unaffected.

Invest in good quality suppliers

You never want to be your supplier’s largest client. (They’ve put all their eggs in your basket.) Try to find suppliers who can scale with you, are financially stable and have robust growth plans of their own

Give yourself a buffer

Build in financial backstops to cover at least six months to a year of operational and production expenses. This will ensure you can keep the lights on and the presses running through tough times. Don’t forget to apply for any government programmes that can support you should market conditions deteriorate.

Limit fixed costs

Try to sign flexible contracts that allow you to scale up and down as your business responds to changes. That way if you need a bigger warehouse or virtual working, you can quickly pivot. Try not to tie yourself into fixed-term deals that could see you paying over the odds if your business needs change.

Worlds end studios

Resilience is also about having a dedicated team behind you. At Worlds End Studios, our reception and management team are very much apart of the package. We are here to support your business in any way possible. For maximum flexibility our private offices operate on 3 month rolling contracts, which means you aren’t tied down. To name a few, our in house telephone, internet, printing, franking services ensure you do not have to think about remembering to pay extra bills as your services are all billd to you at the end of the each month.

Worlds End Studios is home to over 120 businesses, contact us today on 020 7349 7001 or by emailing info@worldsendstudios.com to let us know how we can help you get started.

Key things to consider when setting new year business resolutions

As each year ends, we consider the progress made and plan for how we’ll do things differently in the new year. There are some key things to consider when setting new year business resolutions, however. It’s likely you’ll be focusing on hard (financial) goals, but perhaps this year is the one to also consider other less-tangible goals. You want to drive sales, sure. But what about empowering your team to make more autonomous decisions? Improving the workplace culture? Bettering customer service? Providing a better work space? Here are some key success factors:

What gets measured gets managed

Peter Drucker famously said this. And it has merit. If you think really hard about it, even soft metrics like employee morale can be measured. So whatever your business goals for next year, make sure you know how you will measure them. Consider the frequency and what benchmarks you’ll compare against before rolling out any new initiatives.

Define what success looks like

For each business resolution, what does success look like? At what point will you say, “we’ve done it!” When you know what endpoint you’re trying to reach, you’ll be able to set milestones along the way. Remember that milestones are important to give that boost of happy chemicals that encourage your team to press on.

Appoint a project owner

Who will be responsible for this resolution? If there’s no one taking accountability for the results, a project will quickly be forgotten. Appoint a champion and make the KPIs related to your business resolution a core part of their performance.

Set rewards for achievement

As with any goal, there should be good things that come from reaching it and consequences for failure. Setting real stakes means that your business resolution will be taken seriously. Depending on the goal you’ve set, rewards may be more effective than punishments (especially if you want to motivate your team to act). But use both; where appropriate, to reach your goal quicker.

WORLDS END STUDIOS

The new year is a perfect time for you to change up your business style. With various packages available at World End Studios be it a bespoke Virtual Services package, Coworking or Private Office, we can guarantee this year your business support will be covered, allowing you the extra time to really focus on your goals for 2021.

Worlds End Studios is home to over 120 businesses, contact us today on 020 7349 7001 or by emailing info@worldsendstudios.com to let us know how we can help you get started.

Different ways to work

Going to work doesn’t have to involve going into the office full time. From fully remote to a private office with a view, there are loads of ways to structure your company and if you’re just starting out, or restructuring your business, you might be interested in different ways of working whilst managing productivity. We’ll explore some of the most popular today.

Virtual & remote working

Growing in popularity, more organisations than ever are going fully remote. You might even call it the new normal. As part of your business registration, you’ll need to provide an address but you don’t want to provide your personal address for safety and security reasons. So, it’s great to look for a virtual service provider who can take mail, receive calls and offer some basic business services like meeting rooms for a low fee. That way, you’ll have all the legitimacy of a private office address without the high associated costs. You can work from anywhere you like, knowing your communications are in safe hands.

Coworking dedicated desk

Coworking space in Chelsea

Coworking allows you to share resources, space and key office equipment for lowest cost points. Even large businesses recognise the positive environmental benefits of coworking on ideation. But beyond the savings, there are great opportunities to collaborate and learn from loads of other professionals. Most coworking venues offer mixers and social events to foster a strong creative environment, perfect for growing businesses. Coworking, is definitely here to stay.

Private office

When security and IP privacy are real concerns, a private office is a perfect solution. When you need to have discrete client conversation or protect business-critical innovation, a private office is essential. Floor to ceiling partitions and noise-cancelling glass are important elements to consider when sourcing a private office. Because you’ll pay quite a bit more for the dedicated space, it’s essential that it meets your exact requirements. Don’t be afraid to ask for changes if your prospective space is not quite the right fit as is.

Recognising that times are changing quickly, at Worlds End Studios we pride ourselves on being able to offer everyone a service. Irrespective of whether you are a virtual client or physically based in our coworking space or a private office, we can guarantee you will receive the same level of expert service.

Worlds End Studios is home to over 120 businesses, contact us today on 020 7349 7001 or by emailing info@worldsendstudios.com to let us know how we can help you get started.

The Benefits of a Business Centre

When we think offices, we tend to think of an isolated and perhaps boring business space. As the owner of a business it’s a good idea to have an office base, but this doesn’t have to be in a traditional sense.

It is so important to find a space or service which compliments your business style. Shared office spaces and Business Centres are often overlooked but can provide everything you need, if not more, to ensure your office runs like a well oiled machine…

Here are a few reasons why you should consider their next office to be within a Business Centre community like Worlds End Studios.

A bit of your personality

Often like furnishing a new home, decorating your new office is an exciting project. Let’s face it, you’re likely to be spending most of your days in this space so why not make it beautiful! Unlike some other business centres, we love to see our clients decorating their offices. We see it as an expression of your character! Think of your space as a blank canvas. So hang that wacky light fighting, paint that feature wall! (Just make sure you paint it white again when…or if you move out, ok?)

It’s not what you know, it’s who you know

Okay well that’s not entirely true…

Of course what you know is important in business, but networking and making connections is too.  Another great benefit of using shared office space is that you are surrounded by likeminded people, who knows how you can help each other. This is why twice a year we produce the WES Client Directory. You might think of this as your networking encyclopaedia, every page is dedicated to one of our clients and includes their contact details and company profile.  The directory is a great resource for old and new clients and it has never been easier to connect with someone. If that wasn’t enough, Worlds End Studios boasts 3 bright and beautiful court yards, an onsite café and a great break-out space so you can set up a meeting and sit down for a collaboration coffee all within the space 5 minutes.

Flexibility to scale to your businesses needs

Signing even a yearlong lease can feel like huge commitment because as we know, lot can change in 12 months. However, our private office agreements are renewed every 3 months, which puts you in control of when you want to leave and there’s no pressure to commit big.  Isn’t that a relief! If renting an office space feels a little premature for the current stage of your business venture, or even just unnecessary, you should think about renting a desk in our co-working space. You can be a part of the WES community, enjoying all the perks but without the associated overheads. We are happy to accommodate you whether it’s on a full or part-time basis. You will also be pleased to know if that is also too much then there is always our virtual services. It really is up to you!

the power of logistics

Worlds End Studios are dedicated to providing the best service possible. If there is anything we can do to make your working life easier, we’ll support you in any way we can. We can provide you with stationary for your office from our onsite stock or we can place orders on your behalf. We can give you that single pen you lost on your travels or organise a local or international courier. As one of our clients you’ll also benefit from our onsite postal services, which means you’ll never be pressed to make it to the post office. Moreover, whether you’re registered client or not we have conference rooms available for hire, so you can conduct your meetings in a brilliantly professional space. Nothing’s too big or small and whatever it is, we often have a stress free solution – now that’s logistics!

Worlds End Studios is home to over 120 businesses, contact us today on 020 7349 7001 or by emailing info@worldsendstudios.com to let us know how we can help you get started.

The benefits of Co-working

Co-working spaces can be an inspiring and supportive environment to work in.

In the heart of Chelsea on Lots Road, Worlds End Studios is perfect for individuals or small businesses that do not require a private office space of their own.

Why is co working good for you?

Inspirational

Co-working spaces foster learning and idea generation. Surrounding yourself with other goal-oriented professionals can help give you inspiration when you are lacking drive. The Worlds End Studios Community is a great place to gain inspiration.

Friendly

Working from home can leave you feeling isolated. Co-working spaces provide a sense of community and can become a place for businesses to collaborate, network and grow in. Every 6 months, Worlds End Studios update an internal directory and run regular networking events.

Professional

Co-working spaces provide some of the many benefits of having your own premises. Having a fixed postcode, receptionist, access to break out spaces and meeting rooms all help your business appear professional and are useful amenities to have access to when holding client meetings. We enjoy providing you the support you need to see your business grow and succeed.

Flexible

With a more relaxed environment Co-working spaces allow for flexible working, allowing people to work how and when they prefer. This promotes a healthy work-life balance and often leads to a more positive work culture.

Cost Efficient

Co-working is an easy way to eliminate many overhead cost As a member of a Co-working space have use of all facilities including Wi-Fi, meeting rooms, printing and copying, Café, and communal kitchens without the costs associated with having a private office space.

Worlds End Studios is located in the heart of Lots Road, Chelsea. We support your business to grow and succeed. Have you ever thought about taking on a virtual or private officemeeting room or co-working space? We have flexible services to meet all of your business needs.