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A serviced office provider with a successful property based in Gateshead, near Newcastle, has seen a surge in the amount of businesswomen taking space in their offices.

Lynn Gate currently has 30 different businesses at her serviced offices in Gateshead, of which more than a third are owned and managed by women. Two years ago, her tenants were all men.

Speaking to nebusiness.co.uk, office provider and entrepreneur Lynn says: "It's fantastic to see more women having a go and succeeding in business."

Having started as a shop sales assistant, Lynn made her first steps into the property industry by starting a shop-fitting business, and then sub-letting her excess retail space to tenants.

"I didn't make ridiculous demands on my tenants and it worked really well," said Lynn. "The simplicity of it appealed to me and that early experience provided me with a fantastic business model to build on. My view is 'why make it complicated?' Many small businesses don't want to commit to long-term leases or put their homes on the line - they just want to get going."

She adds that alongside her regular serviced office terms, in which businesses can rent small amounts of space on flexible easy-in easy-out licences, she also supplies a virtual office service and an 'office-by-the-hour' solution.

"This model works precisely because of the flexibility and the support we offer and I'm now looking for similar edge-of-town premises to meet the level of demand we're experiencing."

Lynn invests a significant amount of time in the wider business community, and is also an active member of the Entrepreneurs' Forum, providing support and advice to entrepreneurs and fledgling businesses.

"I'm passionate about helping other businesses to grow and I'm constantly thinking about new and innovative ways of extending my business into new formats and new markets."

Click here for more details about office space to rent at Lynn's property in Gateshead.

Published by Jo on Tuesday, 08 December 2009 at 10:59 AM