Businesses looking for a full-time desk, meeting space on an ad-hoc basis or other needs have plenty of flexible options to accommodate their particular needs. Refreshments, high speed WiFi and printing are included in the hire rates.
The Help! Suites story began in January 2020, when owner Siobhan Hobson came across 1 Cobden Road and saw its potential as a co-working space. Having grown her successful virtual assistant business, Siobhan wanted to create a space that not only suited her needs but also appealed to other small businesses.
Siobhan explains the vision behind Help! Suites: “I had been working from home for seven years as a virtual assistant and I wanted a professional space to meet clients on a flexible basis. I also missed the social office environment from my days working in London – the water cooler chats and bouncing ideas off other people. Sevenoaks has a big entrepreneurial community and I wanted to create a hub for the small businesses which are part of it.
“Help! Suites is smaller than the big co-working spaces you see in London, but it has a lot to offer. All the members have come to know each other and are a close-knit community. It has been great to see them collaborating and referring business to one another. We’re in a really convenient location within walking distance from the train station and high street, which our members make the most of.”
Praising the supportive nature of the business community in Sevenoaks, Siobhan adds: “It’s a brilliant area, and is home to a diverse range of businesses. The transport links to London and the rest of the South East are fantastic, while some of our members walk to us, it’s great that people have the option to get here easily by public transport too.
“Sevenoaks District Council and Sevenoaks District Chamber of Commerce are very supportive of local businesses. In fact, the Chamber also has a co-working space, but we work in collaboration rather than in competition as they have a different offering to us. We send people their way and likewise, to ensure businesses can find a space that works for them and what they need.”
Despite establishing Help! Suites at a time of economic uncertainty, Siobhan has managed to create a unique and welcoming space for businesses and is looking optimistically towards the future. She concludes: “Without a doubt the past two years have been difficult, but what has been great to see is people are keen to support small businesses more than ever. Even when things are difficult the community pitches in and while we’re still treading carefully, it feels like we’re slowly coming out the other side.
Now that there is no social distancing, we hope the businesses at Help! Suites will collaborate more than ever. We also plan to host more business events, including networking sessions and workshops to allow skills sharing. Ultimately our ambition is to make the space the best it could possibly be so it works for our existing and future members.