Nearly ten years ago, an article in Building Design & Construction purported that “e-commerce and other technological advances will alter how property is designed, developed, redeveloped, used and valued in the new millennium.”
This crystal ball of real estate foresaw moderated growth in demand and modified use of the office, as well as industrial and retail properties, based on responses in a survey of real estate experts. What that prognostication didn’t pinpoint was the pot-holed economic times that would be ahead. Published in 2000, this report predated the national gasp and subsequent economic pause caused by September 2001, mixed with a Dotcom Crash that spanned the first two years of “the new millennium.” And it certainly shone no light on the recession that would take hold a decade later—an economic pit reminiscent of the Depression dust bowl of the 1930’s.
Suffice to say, that article written nearly a decade ago carried accurate insight that just cracked the tip of a big real estate iceberg.
And here we are today. By most accounts, we’re emerging from that economic pit of recession but now must brace for a long, wearisome recovery. As the dust settles on this global, financial overturn, some things will never be the same. Certainly, the “never be the same” phrase rings true for the commercial real estate market, as well, as the recession leaves its scars and marks and that aforementioned “e-commerce” continues its inevitable—foreseeable—impact on how we use industrial, retail and commercial spaces.
Where do you fit into this discussion? How does your business of today reflect the predictions of ten years ago? Are you covered in the dust of tight economic times or have you held your own outside the fray? Where are you conducting business, in a traditional office location—lease and all, or is yours a virtual office—conducting business remotely via Internet technology and e-commerce?
While there’s no crystal ball to tell us where the next ten years will go, we can certainly make smart moves now based on how the last ten years played out. Some of the trends that emerged over the last decade were predictable, but most of the variables were not identifiable, or even imaginable, for that matter.
Trite as it may be, we should all expect the unexpected.
The best way to do that is to utilize the now well-rooted, effective and reliable technology, e-commerce and virtual office solutions as foundations for business. Even if we face stealth, surprise-attacks of economic turmoil, integrated technologies aid in containing costs, and use of virtual offices eliminates expenses associated with traditional, physical space. Virtual staff and virtual locations offer on-demand response to business needs, eliminating unnecessary long term investments or commitments. Business owners are, thus, able to direct capital to areas of their companies in greatest need, to ensure the health and growth of the organizations.
Are you ready to more fully embrace progressive options that will fortify you for the next ten years? Contact Davinci Virtual for details about virtual office and virtual staffing solutions. From full-equipped office space around the globe to fully qualified virtual assistants or virtual receptionists, Davinci Virtual is your source for present business and future-focused solutions.
Hopefully, the decade of the past has readied us for the decade ahead. Outside of statistical data and chartable business trends, the view inside crystal ball always gets murky. Nonetheless, smart decisions now will positively affect the future of your business and prepare you to expect the unexpected.
