The sprawling city of London has been called home by countless household names and every corner of every borough can be a great incubator for the new company. West London is known for plenty of other things beyond its suitability for the business. The theatre in Hammersmith, or the luscious greenery of Holland Park, to the leafy neighbourhoods of Putney or Fulham, you’d be forgiven for simply not being aware of West London’s great reputation as a business hub.
Familiar names including notonthehighstreet.com, Graze, London icons Brompton Bikes, and giants like Sky have called this area home. Why? Well, from the humble pop-up store to an e-commerce start-up, right up the established brand, West London has become ideal for saving on the sky-high rents of central, while still offering world-class connectivity to the city itself, and the connections and customers that proximity brings with it. So, let’s say you’re in the mind to take the plunge and start your enterprise, here’s why you need to consider West London as your next HQ.
It’s Already Popular
West London, as we’ve alluded to, is already a very popular place to set up a business. The western boroughs now house the second most SMEs and start-ups in London as a whole. You might worry this means it’s too competitive to find space. Quite the opposite. This saturation of great brands actually serves as an amazing opportunity. Businesses can collaborate and partner far easier with these closer proximities, and in the SME world, critical infrastructure like logistics is already formed around these businesses, so you won’t have to worry about being unreachable and suffering from supply chain delays, for example.
Specialist Services
London has the best of many things. It’s not just culture, history and cuisine (although they are pretty good). B2B companies flock to London to support the countless businesses situated there. You’ll rely on several of these kinds of companies in your early years. Accounting services, legal services and risk assessment and tax assistance, are very common for small businesses that can’t afford to get the basics wrong.
A tax error might end up resulting in a fine which could cripple a business. If you haven’t paid for a proper risk assessment, or even if an employee approaches you complaining of historic injury or issues relating to their time working with you, and you aren’t prepared, this can pose even bigger problems. One successful injury claim, for a long-term condition or a life-changing illness, can be severe if you’re found culpable. Courts take these sorts of issues really seriously; for example, a really commonplace lawsuit is PTSD compensation claims (common when life-changing or long-term injuries are sustained). These cases can essentially wipe out cash flow altogether for a start-up. When a claim takes a year or so to complete, legal fees can become eye-watering over time. West London is, gratefully, well served by virtue of its proximity to London’s central hub of B2B professionals, including lawyers, accountants and consultants.
Source: Unsplash
Home And Away
West London isn’t just a great spot due to it being easy to connect to and reach central London. That would be a huge oversimplification! Heathrow Airport is next door to the area, making any business with transnational ambitions or connections brilliantly served by a major airport. On top, West London itself is chock full of beautiful spaces for working in – so much so, you might not even need to visit central London! Hayes Business Studios and Wimbletech are two of the best known, however, areas like Twickenham and Richmond are making a name for themselves by finding older, unloved buildings and renovating them into aesthetic, shabby-chic shared working spaces. The community in West London is highly skilled and already demonstrating an attraction from developers who see the value in building there.
There are a lot of other reasons the west of England’s capital has become such a good place to base yourself. The abundance of restaurants, culture and thriving young professional population living there mean you can build more than a business, it can be about building a team and realising a dream. As any entrepreneur knows, there are plenty of good ideas, but you need the tools, access and people to make it happen – that’s where the challenge really lies. It’s also why West London is the perfect spot to try.
