Workplace Is Just Right

Y Combinator said it best in a recent letter to founders:

“The safe move is to plan for the worst. If the current situation is as bad as the last two economic downturns, the best way to prepare is to cut costs and extend your runway within the next 30 days. Your goal should be to get to Default Alive.” – Y Combinator

DISCLAIMER: For confidentiality purposes and respect of our client’s identity we changed the names, but the facts all stand…

Meet Mark an entrepreneur and venture backed startup founder with a deep background in business and technology. He lives in the Bay Area with his wife, 2 kids and their family pet.

For Mark – the economy sucks, market is plagued with uncertainty, inflation is infectious and the fundraising market… Not Good!

His current workplace works fine as-is and this isn’t the time to disrupt operations by moving offices… Yet he wants to heed Y Combinator’s advice and knows it’s time to be proactive in reducing expenses…

However, Mark’s lease expired the month prior…

Then the rent bill came in… higher than before!

Every day that goes by is costing him a premium on his rent.

But it doesn’t end there – holdover fees are also accumulating each month. The pressure cooker is real – he has few options.

Mark wants to negotiate a rent reduction, but no matter how bad he wants it – given the circumstances, his landlord has all the leverage.

His landlord holds firm on their rent increase – and why not… It’s the landlord’s terms or the highway!

Even though he is unsure of his options and doesn’t have much experience with commercial real estate – he takes the First Step…

He got clear on the ONE thing you should know better than anyone else…

Your Current Situation

As a result of that First Step he enjoyed:

• 26.3% rent reduction
• Reduced pressure to raise funding in a tough market – increasing his cash runway
• Avoided relocation headaches, expenses and disrupting business operations
• Achieved lease flexibility for the foreseeable future
• Avoided paying 6 months in additional holdover rent
• No out-of-pocket costs for real estate commissions
• Maintained a mutually beneficial relationship with his landlord
• Reduced his own stress – and a win to reassure investors and employees
• Minimized his time, energy and resources spent dealing with real estate – he was free to focus on other issues to help grow his business
• All-in-all Mark beat the odds – got a great deal and maximized ROI extending his lease

If we can produce results like this for Mark… imagine what we can do for you 🙂

“Shane is great to work with and we found two great offices over the past 4 years. He is very patient, detail oriented, and helped guide us through the process pain free.” – Mark

Assuming your current workplace works fine as-is… are any of the following concerns top of mind?

• Lease expiring soon?
• Renegotiating current lease for better terms?
• Extending or renewing current lease?