Since being founded in February 2021, the company has gone from strength to strength and now boasts 46 staff. 

The company’s initial office was suitable for 12, and they then added another eight staff, making the place unsuitable. 

Recruitment had to be put on hold despite ongoing growth as their office simply could not accommodate more people - making the need for a new office space urgent.

They wanted a managed workspace which aligned with their growth plans, could be branded and where have private space. However, they also wanted flexibility in the lease terms.

Finding a managed workspace of this type in Manchester can be like looking for a needle in a haystack as the market is not as mature as in London.

Complex deal made simple

The company got in touch with Level after having no luck with other agents and asked us to begin a quick search for a new place that fit all of the above criteria.

Joe and the team proposed Manchester’s ABC Building which would allow The Talent Crowd to get their whole team in one big office as it grew.

The building is a fully managed workspace with one all inclusive cost which covers rent, service charge, business rates, fit-out, furniture, utilities, power, data, telcom, cleaning.

It also offered the Talent Crowd a lot more space than their last serviced office space which operated at one person to every 40 sqft, compared to the new space which is one person to every 60 sqft.

At the last hurdle the space was coming in slightly over budget, but we were able to leverage their second-favourite option as a negotiation tool to ensure that they got the best deal possible in line with their budget.

Overall, we managed to save the company £175,000.

“Our first office was initially set up for 12 and we grew fast to have 20 people by the end of our first year,” said Janine Owen, Co-Founder and Operations Director.

“We'd had to stop recruiting at that point as we didn't have the space. Level got in touch with us and they were different due to the company only representing tenants, not landlords and buildings.”

Janine added: “Joe knew we wanted a space for one big team and listened to our requirements. As part of the deal we went into a coworking space for three months from January 2022, before then moving into ABC in April as part of our longer term growth strategy.

“We are very happy with our choice at ABC.  We offer a hybrid model and the move into the right space has allowed us to grow. The office is also a selling point to our staff. And we are proud of it.”

“Level have been tremendous every step of the way throughout the property search and deal negotiation, we can’t recommend them highly enough.”

Joe Averill, Managing Director at Level, said: “From Janine and Debbie’s brief I understood exactly what type of space they would require. Their explanation of the type of space they required was a “Managed workspace” which sits in between leased offices and serviced offices.

"When I showed them ABC they were delighted with the workspace and from that point on they were committed to securing this option as Talent Crowd’s next home. The building is filled with amenities including a restaurant, cafe, rooftop event space and cinema. I’m sure the Talent Crowd team will be very happy in their new Manchester office”