When choosing a broker to help with your search for coworking space, would you rather speak with a business owner or an employee?

There are pros and cons to each, which is why the ability to compare and choose is important.

An owner would have more than likely worked in flex for some time, either in another brokerage or for an office operator before setting up on their own. They will have a track record, contacts and negotiating gravitas.

But they’ll also have a lot on their plate running a business alongside managing your search for space.

An employee will be fully focused on their function: find and negotiate the best possible deal for you as a client, never mind P&L and VAT returns. They may also have just as much experience, if not more, than many of the owners in the market.

But will their position carry less influence in a difficult negotiating situation?

Much will depend on your own disposition. Does the thought of your office search being handled by a business owner give you greater confidence, even if their years of experience in coworking might be the same or lower than a seasoned employee? Sometimes seniority is a nice comfort blanket to gravitate towards.

The serviced office broker market has grown massively between the end of the pandemic and now. There are many, many more brokers than there used to be. A lot of them are new offshoots, set up by seasoned sales people that believe they can do just as good a job as they used to when employed elsewhere – but also keep 100% of the money they make in the process.

Which is why the Flex Engine directory is weighted slightly in favour of owners and co-owners.

But ultimately this is a choice for the customer to make – do you want an owner or an employee?

Flex Engine let’s you specify this as one of the multiple unique filters available to clients when defining the ideal office search partner.