Intelligent Office
New concepts
Author :
Magdalène Ayuk 
Assistant Editor
The Intelligent Office franchise recently opened its doors in Montreal in April 2011, enabling small
businesses and home-based companies to work intelligently.
Are you working intelligently? Such a question undoubtedly raises a few eyebrows, but it simply means to operate your business effectively and with as much savings (and profit) as possible. Intelligent Office is a forerunner in virtual officing and, since its arrival in Canada in 2005, has plans to open 40 offices across the country by 2015.
I had the opportunity of visiting the Montreal office, conveniently located in the heart of Downtown Montreal in the Tour KPMG, and was immediately enamored by the chic, prestigious look of the establishment. The receptionist courteously told me which floor I needed to go to, and then I was on my way to meet Paul Smeeton, franchisee of Intelligent Office’s downtown Montreal location.
Intelligent Office, which opened in 1995 in Boulder, Colorado, is the brainchild of former venture capitalist Ralph Gregory. Following the birth of his child, Gregory wanted to spend more time at home, and thus conceptualized a business that would grant entrepreneurs more flexibility while still projecting a professional image. Due to its large success, Intelligent Office opted for expansion across the US through franchising in 1999.
Intelligent Office offers a plethora of à la carte services such as conference rooms by the hour, remote and on-site receptionist services, lobby listing, administrative support including but not limited to data entry, company payroll distribution and mailing services. The sky is truly the limit as they provide customized services fit for the individual needs of their clients. For example, an attorney can to set up client meetings in one of the offices, hold conferences in one of the fully-equipped conference rooms or have the Office as its mailing address to receive therein all business-related packages.
Smeeton explains why he chose to invest in this business to business concept:“It’s [Intelligent Office] a business with a proven track record, and the services offered are needed in the marketplace.” Indeed, the recession pushed many businessowners to cut costs, and Intelligent Office, by significantly lowering overhead, proves to be the perfect solution. Traditional leases usually lock their clients into a long-term commitment, while Intelligent Office allows the client to rent an office space on an hourly, daily or monthly basis. The company also saves its clients time and money by providing them with a fully trained staff. All in all, the services offered directly translates into savings of up to 75% as companies are saving money on a full-time traditional office space and full-time employees.
“We’ve always gotten phone calls wondering how we could be so affordable. The answer is simple—most of our pricing is based on usage, and most businesses don’t really need a full-time office or a full-time receptionist. They need these things to be available on a full-time basis, but they don’t actually need them full-time. Because our clients are primarily billed on what they actually use, Intelligent Office is very cost-effective and our clients keep their “overheard” very manageable.” — Ralph Gregory, Founder of Intelligent Office
The Montreal office holds, at the moment, two receptionists and 1 salesperson responsible for sourcing and calling clients and brokers. As the franchise grows, of course, it will require more employees. Smeeton, former Executive Managing Director at BMO Nesbitt Burns, explains that all franchisees go through three days to a week of training. Owning an Intelligent Office requires the franchisee to be a jack of all trades, being skilled in accounting, legal issues, marketing and other matters that may come up.
Looking at the list of current franchisees provided on the Web site can be a little intimidating since they all held important positions in big companies previous to running their franchise. However, anyone with management skills, an ability to learn and the necessary funds can be considered.
Intelligent Office offers a unique support system for its franchisees. The franchisee will receive help throughout the site selection, lease negotiation, construction and business development processes. While this industry is not totally recession proof, it can be, as previously mentioned, fuelled by an economic downturn since business owners are likely to want to transfer their current spending into something more affordable without sacrificing the integrity of their enterprise.
The average investment required to buy an Intelligent Office franchise goes between $311,000 to $497,500. All depending on how much remodeling the site you select requires, it could be more or less. By investing in Intelligent Office, entrepreneurs are taking a well - calculated risk.
With Paul Smeeton’s vast experience in management, Intelligent Office is ready to service the Montreal area saving innumerable businesses the costs office infrastructure and high-rent in cities usually incur.
businesses and home-based companies to work intelligently.
Are you working intelligently? Such a question undoubtedly raises a few eyebrows, but it simply means to operate your business effectively and with as much savings (and profit) as possible. Intelligent Office is a forerunner in virtual officing and, since its arrival in Canada in 2005, has plans to open 40 offices across the country by 2015.
I had the opportunity of visiting the Montreal office, conveniently located in the heart of Downtown Montreal in the Tour KPMG, and was immediately enamored by the chic, prestigious look of the establishment. The receptionist courteously told me which floor I needed to go to, and then I was on my way to meet Paul Smeeton, franchisee of Intelligent Office’s downtown Montreal location.
Intelligent Office, which opened in 1995 in Boulder, Colorado, is the brainchild of former venture capitalist Ralph Gregory. Following the birth of his child, Gregory wanted to spend more time at home, and thus conceptualized a business that would grant entrepreneurs more flexibility while still projecting a professional image. Due to its large success, Intelligent Office opted for expansion across the US through franchising in 1999.
Intelligent Office offers a plethora of à la carte services such as conference rooms by the hour, remote and on-site receptionist services, lobby listing, administrative support including but not limited to data entry, company payroll distribution and mailing services. The sky is truly the limit as they provide customized services fit for the individual needs of their clients. For example, an attorney can to set up client meetings in one of the offices, hold conferences in one of the fully-equipped conference rooms or have the Office as its mailing address to receive therein all business-related packages.
Smeeton explains why he chose to invest in this business to business concept:“It’s [Intelligent Office] a business with a proven track record, and the services offered are needed in the marketplace.” Indeed, the recession pushed many businessowners to cut costs, and Intelligent Office, by significantly lowering overhead, proves to be the perfect solution. Traditional leases usually lock their clients into a long-term commitment, while Intelligent Office allows the client to rent an office space on an hourly, daily or monthly basis. The company also saves its clients time and money by providing them with a fully trained staff. All in all, the services offered directly translates into savings of up to 75% as companies are saving money on a full-time traditional office space and full-time employees.
“We’ve always gotten phone calls wondering how we could be so affordable. The answer is simple—most of our pricing is based on usage, and most businesses don’t really need a full-time office or a full-time receptionist. They need these things to be available on a full-time basis, but they don’t actually need them full-time. Because our clients are primarily billed on what they actually use, Intelligent Office is very cost-effective and our clients keep their “overheard” very manageable.” — Ralph Gregory, Founder of Intelligent Office
The Montreal office holds, at the moment, two receptionists and 1 salesperson responsible for sourcing and calling clients and brokers. As the franchise grows, of course, it will require more employees. Smeeton, former Executive Managing Director at BMO Nesbitt Burns, explains that all franchisees go through three days to a week of training. Owning an Intelligent Office requires the franchisee to be a jack of all trades, being skilled in accounting, legal issues, marketing and other matters that may come up.
Looking at the list of current franchisees provided on the Web site can be a little intimidating since they all held important positions in big companies previous to running their franchise. However, anyone with management skills, an ability to learn and the necessary funds can be considered.
Intelligent Office offers a unique support system for its franchisees. The franchisee will receive help throughout the site selection, lease negotiation, construction and business development processes. While this industry is not totally recession proof, it can be, as previously mentioned, fuelled by an economic downturn since business owners are likely to want to transfer their current spending into something more affordable without sacrificing the integrity of their enterprise.
The average investment required to buy an Intelligent Office franchise goes between $311,000 to $497,500. All depending on how much remodeling the site you select requires, it could be more or less. By investing in Intelligent Office, entrepreneurs are taking a well - calculated risk.
With Paul Smeeton’s vast experience in management, Intelligent Office is ready to service the Montreal area saving innumerable businesses the costs office infrastructure and high-rent in cities usually incur.