Virtual Office FAQ

When the British rock group Beatles introduced their music to the U.S. in the 1960's, young teenagers, filled with excitement, flocked to concerts by the tens of thousands. Just like the Beatles craze, AffiliateFuture, Inc. aims to take the U.S. internet advertising market by storm with its performance based online advertising services for e commerce Web sites. Since its launch only four years ago, AffiliateFuture, Inc. has grown to over 450 clients and over 28,000 network affiliates.

The company began to target U.S. consumers after having tremendous success in the UK. Expanding to the U.S. would be the company's first step in reaching international markets.

Mr. Jules Bazley, Vice President of Business Development, was named head of U.S. operations. His responsibility was to develop a U.S. branch from start to finish within six months. This task, among many other tasks, included setting up a corporate office, establishing hiring practices, payroll and benefit services, and securing an office infrastructure where the company would operate. The task seemed overwhelming with such a short duration.

“There were a whole host of legal issues I had to familiarize myself with. The laws in the UK differ greatly from those in the U.S.,” said Mr. Bazley.

Mr. Bazley also needed advice for many issues such as corporate law, accounting, employment law, payroll, employee benefits, and a host of others. He was able to obtain professional advice, but from an unexpected source.

Grace Corporate Park, a company offering Executive Office Suites, became that source. Mr. Mazier Darvish, the company's president, and Mr. Bazley decided to secure an office space first, so they contacted Grace Corporate Park.

"With all the issues we faced when starting our U.S. operation, we did not want to deal with having to find and build an office space that we would quickly outgrow. We wanted to take controlled risks, and signing a multi-year lease agreement would have been like trying to run before walking," said Mr. Bazley.

Mr. Darvish liked the all-inclusive model office space offered by Grace Corporate Park, which simplified company budgeting.

Mr. Bazley arrived at his new office in New York City on April 2005. His office was setup and ready to go with Internet ready computers and his company's sign at the door. He was able to start working immediately to build the AffiliateFuture, Inc. U.S. operation.

Mr. Casey Sung, owner of Grace Corporate Park, paid a visit to Mr. Bazley the first day and offered to help in any way possible. During his visit, Mr. Sung shared crucial information with Mr. Bazley such as recommendations of reliable corporate lawyers and a payroll and benefits administration service firm. Gaining this valuable knowledge from Mr. Sung enabled Mr. Bazley to move forward with his U.S. business development quickly and focus on important tasks such as marketing.

What Mr. Bazley thought would take several months to establish, he was able to achieve within weeks with the help of Grace Corporate Park. He was relieved to find that most of his attention could be focused on business development, not stressful details. For the next two months, he was able to acquire many new U.S. clients, meeting fifty percent of his target sales goals. Although he knew his company's services would be well received in the U.S., he was surprised at how quickly he was able to start the operation.

"Grace Corporate Park clearly made an important contribution to our success," said Mr. Bazley. “I would have never guessed I could get such sophisticated help from my office landlord. Going to a foreign country and starting a business operation as quickly as we have is amazing."

AffiliateFuture, Inc. expected fast growth and needed a flexible office solution. Mr. Bazley chose Grace Corporate Park to meet this need and was pleasantly surprised that Mr. Sung gave valuable input to help his company grow even faster. In only a few months, he hired several new employees and was ready for business. With traditional office leasing, setup alone would have taken much longer. He might still be waiting for the right office space to come available. Using an executive office suite at Grace Corporate Park, he was able to choose just the right amount of space, take minimal financial risks from the start, and expand as business demand grew.

AffiliateFuture, Inc. and Grace Corporate Park now have a strong relationship and have grown together in success. When Grace Corporate Park opens a new executive office of 11,000 square feet on 501 Fifth Avenue, a preview of the new space was made available to Mr. Darvish and Mr. Bazley. Mr. Darvish immediately recognized the value of the prime business location and offered to take the space. The company was already in need of extra space, so this opportunity came at just the right moment.

It's been four months since Mr. Bazley arrived at his office in New York City. He has completed his first round of employee recruitment and is generating U.S. sales. Now he is planning to open a second U.S. operation in California.

“We are completely sold on the value proposition Grace Corporate Park offers. We plan to be with them a long time. They completely understand that AffiliateFuture’s success is their success,” said Mr. Bazley.

When asked what advice he would give to foreign businesses entering a U.S. market, Mr. Bazley had this to say:

• Find local strategic partners to help organize the operation
• Familiarize yourself with accounting, incorporation and business laws in the local area
• Quickly get networked with business people in the local area who can give you the necessary professional contacts
• Out source business functions such as payroll, accounting, legal services and office services so you won't be inundated with non-value-added issues

Grace Corporate Park LLC is a Manhattan Executive Office Suite company providing affordable virtual office, turnkey furnished office and serviced workspace solutions to businesses and professionals on a temporary or permanent basis.  If your firm is planning a U.S. presence in New York City area, give us a call at 212-300-2000 or contact us.  We can help.