Colombo, 8^th February 2018: The latest entrant on the scene of professional workspaces, GrandSpace One (Pvt) Ltd, celebrated the opening of their very first set of serviced offices on the 8^th of February 2018.

GrandSpace offers set ups complete with office spaces, virtual space, meeting rooms, day office facilities and co-working spaces of the highest quality standards for the most affordable prices.

The standard office spaces can accommodate 1 to 6 people at a time, and are fully furnished with direct phone lines and Wi-Fi. The two meeting rooms provide facilities for 4 and 9 persons respectively; the latter offers a professional boardroom ambiance. The virtual spaces are means for clients to have an actual office address for mailing purposes and a dedicated telephone line, whereas the co-working space is ideal for freelancers and young entrepreneurs who seek a a casual workspace space to network with other like-minded professionals.

With the evolution of start-ups in Sri Lanka, a primary obstacle faced by entrepreneurs is the lack of affordable office space in prime locations. Organizations like GrandSpace exist to provide such professionals with the perfect environment and all the facilities needed to be creative and innovative as well as impress prospective clients.

Complete office furniture, a dedicated phone line, 24/7 electricity, A/C, reception services, call operator services, tea and coffee services, housekeeping, Wi-Fi, CCTV surveillance, parking, a lunch room inclusive of a fridge, microwave, coffee machine and snacks, a rest area, a spacious lobby, and free tea service for guests are just a few of the extra services provided by GrandSpace to their clients.

“The entrepreneurial mindset of a start-up holds a tremendous amount of value when it comes to ensuring the successful growth of a business, which in turn offers large economic benefits for our country. In spite of this, many entrepreneurs find it very difficult to find office space in prime locations due to monetary and many other limitations. Our primary objective is to offer affordable, spacious and top of the line office space to all our clients” said Director, Samila Maddumage. “We are opening our doors to people who are looking for flexible workspaces and meeting facilities, young professionals and freelancers as well as anyone who is in search of affordable, high quality office space”, he added.

GrandSpace is conveniently located in Kohuwela, providing easy access to the commercial hub as well as the residential areas of Colombo and its suburbs.

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https://lmd.lk/grand-space/#google_vignette

GrandSpace will be extending their services to Astoria-Colombo, located at the heart of the city center by providing best of services and better accessibility to their wide variety of clients at a prominent location in the center of Colombo.

This will be the second venture of GrandSpace in providing extensively serviced office spaces; including virtual offices, meeting rooms and fully facilitated day offices to co-working spaces. The first project in Kohuwala continues to accommodate numerous small enterprises and entrepreneurs mastering in varying fields of commerce with a range of affordable and flexible options.

The latest locale at Colombo 03 will make the new centre one of the most sought after locations in the city hub, offering upgraded facilities worthy of the dynamic business lifestyle one craves for.

GrandSpace – Astoria accommodates a total number of 40 exclusive private office spaces, consisting of 120 stations and  80 co-working seats in complete. A standard office space can easily house from a single person to a team of 06 in total.

These offices are fully furnished and lodge all essential infrastructure to run work efficiently and smoothly; such as direct telephone connections and Wi-Fi, as well as personalised reception service.

The virtual offices too, provide clients with the primary official address of Colombo 03 locality for mailing purposes as well as other business criteria. Clients are provided with a dedicated phone line as well, thus opening an opportunity for the client to maintain their private office, without the hassle of managing a physical office space.

The dynamic co-working spaces designed in this stark upgraded environment ensures that the young entrepreneur, an emerging startup or casual employee is given the privilege to network and multitask and work in freedom when the need arises.

All these serviced solutions are provided with 24/7 electricity, comfortable air conditioned spaces, a grand lobby area, efficient reception service as well as basic facilities such as call operator facility, in-house tea/coffee service, housekeeping, 24/7 CCTV surveillance, ample parking, a dining area and Resting bays for a quick power-nap or midday quiet time, along with other services at an affordable rate.

For small businesses, the flexibility in office spaces provides the deciding factor for a new venture and a professional venue; budget friendly with no hassle for furnishing or infrastructure, which is already provided by GrandSpace. Startups and entrepreneurs can pick their space according to their number of employees, as well as duration of the occupancy period, which ranges from a day office to a monthly or annual agreement as per the client’s wish.

“Our key offering is the fact that our space solutions can be flexible according to our client’s need. With the downsizing of large offices and off-site working that is currently taking place in many companies, the serviced offices at GrandSpace are an ideal solution where small teams can be housed in a flexible manner. GrandSpace is the answer for those who are uncomfortable with crowded offices and ones who are working from home due to health safety reasons. Anyone can opt for a seat here, where you are entitled to your own office space which is professional, yet private and safe,” stated Samila Maddumage, Director of GrandSpace.

Furthermore he adds,“Serviced office spaces are now high on demand due to their capability of making life much more easier for companies than early days, whereas they will be taking large areas on rent or lease or will have to invest on new infrastructure to expand their business or for the beginning of a new venture. At GrandSpace all these come ready at hand and all you have to do is ‘plug and play’.”

GrandSpace in Astoria Colombo is now open for business, and further details can be obtained via www.grandspace.lk

READ
https://www.newswire.lk/2020/09/11/grandspace-opens-at-astoria-colombo/

Samila Maddumage is a young entrepreneur carving his name in the real estate industry through his passion for construction and steadfast belief in contributing to the country’s economy by way of entrepreneurship. Several trials, errors, successes, and life-changing experiences later, Samila is building his dream. Here he takes some time to speak about his past, present and future

Q: What made you enter an industry such as real estate?

 Even as a child I loved to build things. I used to spend hours building small roads in our backyard for my toy vehiclesand buildings out of blocks. This craze still remains with me where I love to see things been built and completed. 

Having said that, real estate was not my very first venture. I tried several other businesses before embarking on property development, which eventually led to the business that I have today. Over the years, the company has expanded from land development and sale to commercial and residential construction, serviced office space rental and wealth management in the real estate sector.

Q: Can you talk about the beginning?

 As any other entrepreneur I have had my share of trials and errors, and as a result gained a plethora of experience. 

Right after school I started a BTL advertising company with three friends. Then I joined a private bank. Following that I started an inbound tourism company with a close friend. This was the beginning of Grand Voyager Ltd. We mainly focused on MICE tourism and also organised tour packages.

Along with this I started to import and sell vehicles. The very first sale was a disaster since the buyer cheatedus. We then started to purchase and rent out vehicles, especially for the tourism sector. More predicaments followed with our vehicles meeting with accidents. It was not an easy journey because there were times when I didn’t know if I could pay back my investors. However, sheer perseverance along with a few very supportive people helped me overcome a lot of the challenges. 

Subsequently I developed and sold a land, which was my very first project in real estate. I realised that this is what I was good at and took the initial step to build my business in construction and real estate.

However, as a result of all this, I learnt about so many avenues of building a business by myself; the legal and regulatory requirements, logistics, building a network, human resource management, as well as technical aspects of construction.

Q: What were the challenges that you had to overcome and the support you received when building the business?

 It is remarkable to see the kinds of challenges and support you receive when you try to start out on your own. Sadly, avoiding fraudsters was one lesson I had to learn through experience. 

Another challenge we had to overcome was clearing people’s misconceptions. The property development sector is often regarded as environmentally detrimental, but the demand for land and residential/commercial buildings does not reduce. Unfortunately, there are instances where projects are carried out purely for profit, without maintaining the quality and being ethical. As a result of this, we had to face quite a lot of resistance at our project sites and even with new projects. 

In terms of support, I have had a small group of people around me through thick and thin. They have been with me during my hardest times. A special mention should be made of NiroshanaDahanayake, my mentor, advisor, consultant, investor and father figure. Throughout the years he has been by my side at all my projects and continued to support me. It is impossible to build a business without such a support system. 

Q: Currently you head four companies. Can you describe what they are?

Grand Voyager Ltd. is the very first company that we established. All the first few businesses were conducted through this company, but subsequently was used to specialise in property development and management. 

Grandmark Construction Ltd., which was initially a brand under Grand Voyager,focuses solely on civil construction. 

The latest addition to the group is Grandspace One Ltd., which is a serviced office space rental company. The idea for affordable serviced office space came through my own experience during the time that I was building myself as an entrepreneur. The requirement for furnished and serviced office space for startups is very high. Grandspace is affordable in comparison to other office spaces, and at the same time provides professional services while maintaining highest standards in the industry.

Grand One Holdings Ltd. is the holding company of the aforementioned companies. In addition, it also acts as a wealth and investment management pool to draw in potential investors.

Q: What is your point of view on the real estate sector in Sri Lanka? What are the most revenue generating avenuesand what areas should be improved?

It is very clear that there was a huge boom in the residential apartment sector over the past decade, and it still continues to grow. The requirement for housing is ever present and will keep increasing. However, the supply is focused on only one segment. We never wanted to enter the apartment segment and become a ‘me too brand’. We have always wanted to be creative and innovative in what we offer through our companies. We need to develop or design another product within the same industry. For instance, apartments and individual houses have their own advantages and disadvantages. Our latest planned project seeks to merge the advantages of these two concepts.

Serviced office spaces is another avenue that has huge potential. Even though I personally feel that we are already late in this sector, we see a growing interest in the market. Our response to this came a year before with Grandspace, an affordable and customisable serviced office space rental company. 

Inevitably, the continuously increasing demand for the two sectors, residential and commercial spaces is correlated. Therefore, like in any other industry, we need to identify the gaps rather than go with the trend, and come up with creative and innovative solutionsin order to develop the industry as a whole.

Q: What are your plans for the future?

As an entrepreneur, I personally want to build the industry and provide a genuine service to the public and the economy. I look at some of our eminent businessmen and wonder what our country and its economy would be like if not for them. Most of them have built their business empires from scratch and contributed largely to build the economy of post-independent Sri Lanka.This has been a huge impact on bringing the country to where we are today. This should also be our collective goal. I would personally feel good if I help someone to prosper, even if they are entering into the same industry and become my competitors. Competition is positive to the market because it will create more opportunities, develop the industry and thereby the economy.

Read
– https://www.ft.lk/PropertyConstruction/Perseverance-is-the-key-to-succeed-as-an-entrepreneur-Samila-Maddumage/10516-675777