Why your business should be established in a business centre
Tuesday, September 20, 2022
MIC Building in downtown Kigali is one of the business centres in Kigali. Photo: File.

Business centres are defined as a physical place where all types of businesses can rent offices or rooms for operating in. This place often consists of a more luxurious version of a multi-tenant building with a large package of services for its tenants.

Certain business people are not convinced to join the business centres with the mind that they cannot get clients to buy their products or services, as the place has many competitors.

According to Alex Kambanda, an economist working in the private sector, business centres play an important role for start-up business. They act as a new concept that is beneficial for small business owners.

"The thing is that, if you are growing in business, you need networking which is the most essential factor to grow your business. Operating around various businesses gives you an opportunity to meet up people, learn how things are done, but also build on your business skills,” Kambanda says

He adds that business centres provide room for growth because they encourage business people to think creatively and innovate how they can do or work better in the business, to over compete their opponents in business.

"Working in such a dynamic environment increases one’s capacity and productivity, the major counts consists of a small startups and any other failed business that needs to level-up.”

Kambanda adds that such an environment reduces costs and responsibilities such as covering bills, like for electricity, water, technical maintenance, and many more, making fixed costs lower.

He concludes that sometimes it can be stressful to provide everything the company is required to do, especially a small startup one. Therefore, joining business centres can provide some services that will ease up your startup. It is important to first comprehend what the centre provides, such as solutions to your business, so that your startup can have the flexibility it needs.

Esther Uwimbabazi, a businesswoman selling clothes in CHIC building says, business centres increase productivity in a way that one will get new clients from a neighboring opponent.

She gives an example that, sometimes clients go to where she operates from, looking for a certain cloth and if they don’t get it they will check it at a nearby door, and they will probably find it there.

"Nowadays people have it in mind that they will have to go to business areas for shopping, because they know they will probably find all they want in one close place. They will not waste time going for a monopoly place looking for that product since they think they might not find it there” Uwimbabazi says

Experts say that business centres help reflect the culture, mindset and personality of a company with their layouts and furniture which helps in impressing the key segment of co-working places such as youths, freelancers and many more.

The supportive work environment fosters mutual respect and trust among colleagues.