A tale of three spaces

One of my strategy clients is looking for new office space and called me yesterday to get my input. A therapist and a corporate HR consultant, she’s looking for a professional environment that works for both types of client and gives her separation from home.

After listening to the features, benefits and drawbacks of her three options we talked to through the tactical pros and cons of each. One has a charming feel and nice downtown location but there are parking and access issues for clients with mobility challenges. Another one had great parking and professional decor but no windows. The third was significantly more expensive and required her to invest in a significant rebuild but would be very cool when done. All had good points and downsides. Any one makes sense on paper and would “work.”

Then I considered her brand and the perception she was building. Her initial key brand attributes include understated authority, safety, security, trust, openness, joy, inspired, confident, adventurous and hopeful.

For a counselor focused on mental and emotional wellbeing, how her clients feel is a key consideration for her brand. I challenged her to consider how they’d feel in each of the spaces. Her consulting clients rarely meet at her office - she goes to them. And the majority of the individuals she counsels prefer in person sessions to virtual. So they’re really her core audience when it comes to her built environment.

The tone of her space should feel safe and comfortable for people dealing with anxiety, depression and life crises. Natural light is more than a luxury here. Studies tell us daytime sunlight exposure has positive effects on mental health, and reduces the symptoms of various mental health disorders, including depression and anxiety, while reduced sunlight exposure can trigger feelings of depression and anxiety. The windowless space would be working against her goals.

As baby boomers age and retire, she’s seeing an increase in patients with physical challenges that make stairs problematic. One of the spaces was on the second floor of a charming, historic building with narrow back stairs. Clients with canes and walkers would feel the opposite of secure, safe or confident before they get to her office, and after they leave her session. Not a match to her brand goals at all.

Looking deeper at the emotional impact of each space gave her a new layer of clarity. The choice of professional space is more than a real estate contract and location issue. She didn’t necessarily see it as a brand issue, and I didn’t frame it as strategy. But that’s what it was. Ultimately, we narrowed all three spaces out as they are and came up with other options to explore.