Secfi New York

We started kicking off our office search for a more permanent space here in New York a couple weeks ago. We had about 14 options on the table and narrowed it down to 5 to view in-person which we did yesterday.

It was a fun afternoon with some members of the team. Sometimes at a startup, you’re so deep in the work and grinding that you forget that there’s a lot of other fun things that come along with the startup. One of those things is building out an office.

A good office space in a convenient location is critical to having people actually come into the office. We’ve been in a coworking space for the last few years and everyone has struggled with space and places for calls. Not exactly an inviting reason to come into the office.

We’re happy that’s changing here in the next couple of months when we have our own space. After going through this process in San Francisco, I’ve finally gotten pretty decent at finding offices.

First, we’re making sure we have enough room to make hires in the next year or two, but not big enough in our absolute bull hiring case. More space is not always better. If we somehow outgrow our space in the next 2-3 years, that’s fine and we can decide to move the team then. But having 10 people in a 30 person space makes everything feel very empty.

Rather, we’re looking at places that can sit 15 comfortably and then fit up to 20 with extra work. That should be more than enough space for the next year or two and also allow people to come visit from other cities.

We’re also prioritizing location. Paying $50 a square foot in Flat Iron vs $25 a square foot in FiDi is an okay expense for us. We want to create a culture where people want to come into the office, not because they need to. Location matters for people’s commutes as well as overall enjoyment of the space. I’d like the team to have the best lunch and happy hour options.

Lastly, also feng shui matters. Our last office in San Francisco had gorgeous views and was massive, but felt hollow. We had tried to decorate it and build it out the right way, but the pandemic delays and awful lease terms made it not worth it. This time around, we have two people from our team who love interior decorating and I’m happy to let them take the reins here. They understand the importance of building the office out the right way within a budget.