Ongar Business Centre

13/05/2021

Since the start of the pandemic, Mental Health UK has conducted polling of working adults in the UK with the help of YouGov. Nearly half (46%) of people polled felt that working from home could contribute to burnout.

If you ignore the signs of burnout, it could cause further harm to your physical and mental health in the future. The Mental Health Foundation has said there is a simple thing that can really help support good mental health… nature🌱

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week and this year's theme is 'nature'. According to The Mental Health Foundation nature can really help put things in perspective, take the pressure off and bring calm, wonder and joy to our daily lives.

We are lucky enough to have offices in a rural location * within easy reach of the ancient woodland of Essex Wildlife Trust's Gernon Bushes Nature Reserve in nearby Epping.

So, if and, when you are ready to return to the office we can guarantee...

1. Offices with a view 🌳
2. Easy access for a walk in the countryside 🚶‍♀️
3. Lots of free parking! 🚗

Contact us for availability. Link in bio.



* our business centre is within 20 minutes drive of , , and .

06/05/2021

The Ongar Business Centre has, like many other business centres, stayed open during lockdowns providing essential workspace for its tenants. We are pleased to say that, despite the circumstances, we have witnessed alot of positivity in the business community and have continued to welcome new businesses to the centre. At the end of 2020 that included performance consultancy Blackmore Four Ltd...

Blackmore Four has over 20 years’ experience working with complex organisations and businesses on the cusp of change or rapid growth, and understands the need for organisation effectiveness. Through actionable insight, they focus on future ambitions rather than historical challenges.

The company has grown to a larger team over the last four years and moving to the Ongar Business Centre has enabled the whole team to be able to work together, as flexibly as needed. With clients based in and around Essex, the Ongar Business Centre provided a larger, more suitable space for Blackmore Four’s business needs while still being well located for staff and clients.

Read more about their story here: https://www.ongarbusinesscentre.co.uk/case-studies/blackmore-four/

15/04/2021

We are always thrilled to hear when businesses are doing well but even more so when they are based at our business centre and started a business during lockdown!

The entrepreneurs behind the BabyChum brand are celebrating turning over £41,000 in a ‘milestone’ month, have helped more than 450 sellers throughout the pandemic and have now secured a deal with Harrods. See the full article below to read about BabyChum's rise in the gifting marketplace👇

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-9454343/Best-friends-launched-baby-gift-business-just-weeks-lockdown.html

Laura McBride, 30, and Laura Boswell, 31, from Essex, are celebrating turning over £41,000 in a month and securing an arrangement with Harrods just one year after launching BabyChum.

08/04/2021

🔹 What changes have you made to your business in the last 12 months and what have been the benefits?

🔹 Would you like help to do more for less?

The Let's Do Business Group (contracted by Essex County Council) manage the Ongar Business Centre and just one of the advantages of this connection is the access it provides for tenants to a fully-funded service.

As part of this service AMS Business Consultants Limited will be delivering a FREE interactive business transformation workshop later this month. The workshop is open to any Essex-based business keen to review their processes and learn how to eliminate waste. To register for the workshop 21 April see here https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/business-transformation-workshop-tickets-122368648923.

AMS Business Consultants Limited have been delivering business transformation workshops for Essex-based businesses throughout the pandemic and the graphic below shows the impact of their involvement with each project shown taking less than four weeks to deliver.

25/03/2021

Hybrid working is in the headlines again this week as Nationwide Building Society announced it is to allow 13,000 office staff to choose where they work under a new flexibility scheme. The UK's biggest building society's survey of staff showed that more than a third - 36% - said they preferred a mix of home and office-based work. This follows announcements from bp, HSBC, Lloyds Bank and British Airways about flexible working for their staff.

Meanwhile The Times reported that according to a KPMG survey several prominent chief executives have said that office working is more productive than home working and better for junior staff.

We, like IWG, expect hybrid working to become the norm and have long advocated the advantage of a commute to a local office as do our tenants...

'Merzario UK started life in London but most of the staff travelled in from Essex, so it seemed a logical decision to relocate the office. The Ongar Business Centre fulfilled our requirements perfectly.'
Lee Gipson, MD, Merzario Ltd

Our rural location also offers the benefit of plenty of free car parking (including electric charging points) all within 20 minutes drive of the surrounding conurbations of , , and .


Epping Forest District Council Brentwood Borough Council Chelmsford City Council Harlow Council

12/03/2021

This week we are looking at virtual tenancies; one of the tenancy options at the Ongar Business Centre (OBC) and one which can help to achieve maximum professionalism without the costs involved in securing office space.

A virtual office allows you to rent out a selection of services which can be accessed while working from home. Key services include a postal address assigned to your business and a mail handling service.

Plum Accounting Limited has been a virtual tenant at OBC since 2017 and saw the benefits even before working from home was considered the norm.

"I worked from home even before COVID-19, so I don’t need to rent an office. As a virtual tenant, I have also been able to access free business support from LDBG*, and the advice they have given me has been invaluable."

Sally O'Gara
Founder
Plum Accounting

*OBC is managed by the Let's Do Business Group (LDBG), a business support and finance provider. This means tenants at OBC can take advantage of free professional services provided by LDBG, including business support, financial forecasts, expert advice and academic and commercial contacts.

See here for more information: https://www.ongarbusinesscentre.co.uk/about-the-centre/ -available-offices

04/03/2021

Thanks to Harry's Web for providing our bespoke system. We know from feedback how much our tenants appreciate this being in place.

We continue to work hard to make sure everyone in our business centre feels they are in a safe environment. In accordance with coronavirus guidance there are also enhanced cleaning procedures in place and ongoing social distancing protocols.

Contact us for details on our available office space if you need to find somewhere to work other than in 2021

https://www.facebook.com/harryswebservices/posts/252748273116973

02/03/2021

We are extremely proud to house a diverse range of businesses at the Ongar Business Centre (OBC). This month we focus on one of our tenants who has been recognised by the What Mortgage Awards and Feefo for their service.

Bower are a national, multi award winning later life adviser company specialising in equity release and lending solutions for the over 55’s.

Bower began operating in 2006 as Bower Mortgage Company, focused on advising and arranging mortgages and protection policies. Later that year, they expanded their services to offer advice on equity release and became Bower Retirement. The company moved from their small offices in Brentwood to a much larger space at OBC in 2011.

Read more about their story here:
https://www.ongarbusinesscentre.co.uk/case-studies/bower/

23/02/2021

The European Transition Advisory Service (EUTAS) – Essex has been set up to give businesses a better understanding of the processes now involved with trading in Europe. Businesses are able to book one to one support and come away with practical advice on what they need to do.

If you are a business based in and would like practical advice on what you need to do regarding paperwork please call 0800 702 2882 or see here https://www.eutas-essex.org/ to book a FREE one to one session with a consultant.

As well as the one-to-one clinics there is an information portal and a series of webinars with industry experts who have shared their experiences in sectors such as:

• Logistics
• Manufacturing
• HR
• Data Compliance
• Finance

Essex County Council BEST Growth Hub

11/02/2021

Managed by the Let's Do Business Group (LDBG), the Ongar Business Centre (OBC) has been providing business solutions to a large variety of for many years.

One of the advantages of being situated at OBC is the access to a fully-funded service. This service is currently offering free workshops as well as webinars and consultations for any businesses in Essex trading with the EU. Please see details below:

Business Transformation workshops: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/business-transformation-workshop-tickets-122368648923

🇪🇺 European Transition Advisory Service: https://www.eutas-essex.org/

Meanwhile as we continue to stay open for our tenants and businesses we are delighted to report that we have welcomed several tenants in the last couple of months and hope to welcome more as businesses return to the office environment…

New tenants include property investment experts Aspen Woolf, property maintenance company Bricknell Build and online marketplace for parents BabyChum.

For more information on OBC, our COVID-19 precautions and available office space, see our latest blog here: https://www.ongarbusinesscentre.co.uk/business-centre-welcomes-new-tenants/

26/10/2020

Fed up with Zoom webinars and struggling with a daily barrage of information overload? The Back to Business Essex team, in conjunction with Essex County Council, recognises this and, hearing the need from businesses for support with their processes, is putting on fully-funded interactive business transformation workshops.

During the practical online workshop session attendees will realise cost savings, productivity gains, waste reduction and identify development opportunities for both business processes and staff development.

Here’s what a previous attendee said...

”the course generates insight at the macro level that is capable of driving action and delivering real benefit”

Our trainers, AMS Business Consultants, specialise in problem solving and increasing productivity or efficiencies within businesses. This may be through process improvement, process management or the design of new processes across all areas of your business from sales through to HR.

Sign up here now to book your FREE place: https://bit.ly/35lfPJu Choose from workshops on either 12 November or 10 December.

22/10/2020

Many thanks to Vision Magazine Essex for featuring us in this month's Brentwood and Ongar edition. See p.37 to read about 'Office space available in testing times'... bit.ly/37lyI1i