April 30, 2025 • 17 mins
In this bonus episode, we’re jumping into the second half of our conversation with Meg and Neena from Articulate Design + Consulting. Here, they walk us through a few of their tips from their playbook for finding your space.
What you’ll learn:
- What really matters when choosing a location
- Why square footage isn’t always what it seems
- How preparation gives you an edge when negotiating with landlords
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Welcome back to Radio Front Desk by JNAP.
I'm your host, denzel Ford.
If you listened to part one ofour conversation with Meg and
Nina from Articulate Design andConsulting, then you know just
how much goes into creatingclinic spaces that are beautiful
and functional.
In this bonus episode we'rejumping into the second half of
(00:27):
that conversation.
Meg and Nina will sharehighlights from their playbook
for finding your space.
They'll walk us through a fewof their tips, like what really
matters when choosing a location, why square footage isn't
always what it seems, and howpreparation gives you an edge
when negotiating with landlords.
Let's jump back in so you bothhave created a resource for us
(00:52):
and our listeners and we'regoing to link that so everyone
can find it and take a look atit.
But before we start, have youever helped a clinic or a
practitioner find their actualspace?
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Yeah.
So part of what we offer islike a clinical consultation
where we're helping clinicians.
Once they've honed in maybeinto like two or three different
spaces, we consult on theirchoice.
And that actually is the firstcategory in our playbook is why
(01:28):
is that important and how to dothat?
So, most definitely, we do thatbecause you kind of can't start
the design process too early.
So, in terms of understandingflow and design, how many rooms
do I need?
What kind of special elementsam I requiring?
You need to kind of know all ofthat before you even settle on
(01:51):
a space.
So using us as a sounding boardto kind of help our clients
think of all of those elementsbefore they make that big
commitment is, I think it's areally, really great offering
that we do provide.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
Awesome.
Yeah, I think to Nina's point.
Most people spend too littletime considering the space, we
believe, because I think it'sjust it's easy to get caught up
in the idea of like this spaceopen.
Open, it looks really cool, butthere's a lot of intentionality
(02:28):
and consideration to put intoit.
So, you know, is it worthspending more money to be at
street level versus up in anoffice?
Like, what are the differentconsiderations for your business
and marketing and what kind ofconcerns do you have from, like,
an accessibility standpoint?
And there's just a lot more toto think about.
(02:49):
And oftentimes people areengaging with us after they've
signed a lease and it's hardbecause it's hard to go
backwards, right.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
I've noticed that from talking to several guests
is that the the choice they makein their location impacts a lot
of business decisions that comedown the line.
One of the biggest ones I'venoticed is how they do marketing
if you make in their locationimpacts a lot of business
decisions that come down theline.
One of the biggest ones I'venoticed is how they do marketing
.
If you are in a location thatis like you know, pop in and
like you got street traffic, youalmost don't need to do much
(03:18):
marketing.
If you're kind of in a buildingor up and you know, like tucked
away somewhere, you need to domore like active work and
getting people in the door ormaybe different versions of how
you're going to get peoplerebooking that kind of thing.
But I also feel like it'sprobably really stressful in the
sense that anytime I've neededto go look for a space, you're
always under that panic of themarket that you're in yes, so
(03:39):
like it's you are, it's reallychallenging and and there's pros
and cons too.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
Like I will say, we were at a space we designed
yesterday.
They're on the second floor.
For them, that's perfect,because their services are like
needing to be very intimate andprivate, and so for them, like
it's a disadvantage to be atstreet level or to have a lot of
windows, that outlook onto astreet.
So, just putting a lot ofthought into that, even maybe
making a checklist, and that'ssomething like we do with our
(04:06):
clients, but for those needingto do this themselves, of like
really putting thought intothose features before then even
looking at properties, and thenreally stick to your list, right
, stick to the places that meetthat criteria, yeah okay, take
us through your playbook.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
So, so the first tip is really all about considering
the location, and we just spoketo some of that.
Considering accessibility, youknow, are you having tons of
patients on crutches orwheelchairs or strollers, things
like that?
Thinking of the accessibilityparking is your public transit
Really?
(04:42):
Then, beyond that, it's likeyour target demographic right
Location is really everything interms of attracting your
patient base.
And then our pro tip is, as Megwas saying, like considering
visibility and foot traffic.
Is that actually something thatis beneficial to your practice
or is that something thatactually you want to avoid?
(05:03):
So those are things to alsothink about in just when you're
picking, like the geographicallocation.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
Great, okay.
Our second tip is square footageis not created equal, and what
we mean by this is that oftenpeople kind of get a idea in
their mind of how much squarefootage they need.
So you know, for an example,let's say they've decided 1,000
square feet is perfect for thesize that they want to inhabit,
(05:34):
and so then they'll look forspaces that have that square
footage.
But it's not created equal.
You can have 1,000 square feetin a nice rectangular shape
where it's very easy to to likebuild out rooms and spaces, or
you can have a thousand squarefeet in a very awkward
orientation that makes it verychallenging, or there's a lot of
(05:57):
dead space, or I'm not reallysure what to do with it, and so
then you're paying for squarefootage that you're not actually
capitalizing on, and so theshape of the space and knowing
how you need to utilize it isreally important.
So our pro tip is that creatinga floor plan for the spaces
you're considering beforeputting in a letter of intent is
(06:21):
very, very helpful, and ifthat's something you struggle
with, then we'd encourage you toget help doing that from a
professional.
But it's amazing how muchclearer the picture is to people
when they start to consider oh,this really is very challenging
to lay out, or the position ofthe doors or position of the
washroom or things like thatreally make it challenging, or
(06:43):
it works in my favor and it'slike a no-brainer is there a
simple way somebody could dothat like a solo practitioner if
they weren't able to hiresomebody?
Speaker 1 (06:50):
just get a piece of paper and kind of map it out
yourself yeah, I mean for, like,smaller spaces.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
For sure you can just map out, like, based on your
equipment and and kind of do itto scale.
Uh, for bigger spaces whereyou're needing to build out
multiple rooms or differenttypes of areas, if that's
something that you're quiteinclined to do, then do it.
But otherwise we'd say, see itas an investment.
You're about to probably spendthe most amount of money you've
ever spent to lease a space andto build out a space.
(07:16):
So you know it's really a smallinvestment to have somebody
help you who's got a brain forkind of seeing spaces Great Okay
.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
What's next?
So our next tip is to audit thebig items, and I think this is
really really important andoften overlooked.
But things like plumbing, hvac,sprinklers they're all really
really expensive elements tomove or relocate, and so knowing
where those are in the space,based on the floor plan that
(07:47):
you're looking to create, isreally really important.
And so we've had clients wherethey've picked a space and we're
designing it, and maybe they'reproviding a lot of pelvic
physiotherapy and so each roomneeds a sink.
Well, now we need to rough in aton of plumbing, and so those
are unforeseen costs and thereare, unfortunately, costs that
(08:09):
if you were to move, you're nottaking any of that with you.
So planning ahead, being awareof those big ticket items,
getting a rough estimate ofmoving those, how much those
things would cost to change, isreally really important for for
budgeting.
And then a pro tip is try tonegotiate a lot of this kind of
(08:30):
work actually being done by thelandlord or covered by the
landlord for that very reason inthat it's enhancing their space
.
But you can't take any of thoseelements when you leave.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
How do you assess the health of those systems?
Who assesses, like if you havea healthy HVAC system?
Speaker 2 (08:47):
I would say it's less about the health of the HVAC
system I would say that's kindof on the landlord to ensure
efficiency it's more thelocation of them and the
understanding of how easy wouldit be to relocate.
So if you're adding new wallsright, you may need to move
sprinklers and you may need tomove these ducts, and so that
(09:08):
comes at a cost.
So, understanding some of that,because a lot of us assume like
yeah, I'm just going to throwup some walls and it's like,
well, no, there's a sprinklerright there.
So how are we going to?
We need to think about it, youhave to get heating and cooling
into each room.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
Yes, you know, you have to get electrical into each
space.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
So I mean, the big thing is is like taking our time
, like not hopping into justlike I got to sign a lease today
, least today, right.
It's like taking, you know,stock of all of these things.
Maybe lining up your team, likelining up a GC that can walk
you through these spaces withyour designer, so someone who's
helping you with your floor planand understanding that, but
(09:46):
then also cross-referencing thatwith a GC who's going to be
able to say, yeah, like thiswon't cost you that much, but
this will kind of thing, right,you know, doing that upfront
work.
Yes, it comes at an investmentand maybe you will walk away
from that place, but you willwalk away having saved hundreds
of thousands right for notchoosing the space that
(10:07):
eventually would cost you tripleor quadruple what you intended.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
Yeah I'm thinking like the emotional side of going
through all this and then yougot to walk away from a space.
How do you set your mind aroundthat so that you feel like it's
okay, you know we're going tomove on and we're going to find
the right space?
Speaker 3 (10:24):
I think that you have to see this as such a big
investment in your futurebusiness and you have to pick it
well.
It's like picking a partnerLike you don't take the first
one.
That pick it well.
It's like picking a partnerlike you don't take the first
one that comes around becauseit's convenient, right.
It's like does this align withwhat I'm trying to create?
And I think there's a bigscarcity mindset of like if I
(10:47):
let this one get away, you canget caught up in the emotions of
like I need to get it, anotherone won't come up and another
one always comes up yeah, italways does.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Yeah, what are your last two steps for your playbook
?
Speaker 3 (11:01):
negotiate with a plan .
This kind of speaks to whatwe've talked about previously,
but the more information youhave going into your negotiation
, the more power you have.
So when you can come to alandlord with, this is the floor
plan.
This is how I'm going to buildit out.
This is my design concept.
You're coming to the tablereally prepared and you're
showing them how you'reessentially going to elevate
(11:22):
their space.
And we found clients just haveway more negotiating power.
They often get more in tenantimprovements or maybe they have
a longer fixturing period, maybethey are able to save on the
rent if they're investing, orthe landlord will put more money
into it.
So that really really helpswhen you come to it with a plan.
(11:44):
And then I'd also say we'rereally trying to bolster up
clinicians in particular, soanyone in the medical
paramedical field, clinicians inparticular, so anyone in the
medical paramedical field.
They may not know this, but tocommercial landlords you are
like a tier one client.
(12:05):
They want you in your spacebecause you run a very stable
business, and so we want peopleto feel confident that what
they're bringing to the table issomething really, really
advantageous to the landlord andto use that power that even if
there's other offers or otherpeople wanting to come in.
Many, many businesses are quitefickle, but anything kind of in
the medical sphere isconsidered an incredibly stable
(12:28):
business and they really wantyou in that space.
So just be aware of that and beconfident in your negotiating
power.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
I love that.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
I didn't know that, yeah.
And then our final tip is andwe've talked about this a lot is
just understanding your brand.
Have that brand flushed out, gothrough the process of really
thoroughly developing the brand,whether that's independently or
with a professional.
That just makes all thefollowing steps so much easier.
(12:56):
And, as Meg said previously,that doesn't mean just jumping
into aesthetics.
It's more about focusing on howyou want your clinicians and
clients to feel as they walkthrough the space and create
that brand experience from there.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
And then can we talk a bit about low-high buying.
What is it?
What does that mean?
Speaker 2 (13:20):
I'm interpreting it as like where am I investing
more and where am I investingless?
Furniture it's going to take abeating.
It's going to, in most places,only last you X amount of time
and you will be replacing it.
We tend to recommend moreinvestment in some of these
custom pieces.
They're more durable, they lastlonger and they also can become
(13:41):
iconic to your space.
They will stand the test oftime and they really create
almost like an artistic featureyeah, and customs are where
people get really uncomfortablewith, because they think it's
very expensive.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
Oftentimes, though, doing custom millwork in a
commercial setting can be muchless expensive than furnishing,
and it also is a way moreefficient way to use the space.
So like, when you have a littleodd nook, okay great, we're
going to create some like retailshelving where you can sell
product that otherwise that nookwould go unused or you know.
(14:19):
So people can get a little bituncomfortable with that, but
when you do it and it's verydurable, um, and in a commercial
sense it's a lot moreeconomical okay, and then maybe
just to wrap up, what are yourhot tips for using scent or
sound or lighting?
We love the idea of immersingthe senses as part of the
(14:42):
experience.
Now, that comes very differentfor very different people.
So lighting is maybe our numberone investment or tidbit of
like it's going to make such amassive impact on how you want
to regulate the people in yourspace and everybody needs
lighting yeah, it's thecomponent that we probably put
(15:04):
the most emphasis on and reallyunderstanding like what is the
vibe you're trying to create.
Often lighting is a bigcomponent of what that is.
For scent, that's a tricky one.
Some places are like completelyscent free, others like scent,
like our olfactory sense isreally tied to memory, so some
actually use sense as part oftheir marketing.
(15:26):
We have places where they havereally nice hand soaps and then
they sell the hand soap and thenevery time someone's at home
using the hand soap it conjuresup like a thought of the clinic
they were just at like.
It's like really kind of sneakymarketing or like in my space I
had this like unique diffuserblend I had created with oils
but I would diffuse at nighttimeso it wasn't an offensive, like
(15:49):
there's scent coming at peoplewhile they're in the space.
But I am not kidding.
Every person who walked in thedoor was like what is this smell
and how do I get it?
And I was like it's my secret.
But then again that liketriggers, memory, touch and feel
like textures.
We really like to involve in aspace different types of
textures.
(16:09):
All of that is part of theexperience.
The experience is not justaesthetics and what we can see.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
It's really immersive of all the senses.
You know what that makes methink of like.
If you close your eyes, can yousmell an abercrombie store?
I can like you, walk in and itwould just like hit you like a
brick wall, right the smell, butI can still remember that
there's a few stores like that.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
Obviously Lush is like that.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
Yes, the body shop used to be like that also.
You can smell that from likesage, 50 yards away.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
Yeah sage, does it a clinic?
We just did.
They have like lemongrass.
I think it's beautiful like youwalk in and it's so comforting.
So yeah, people can use that attheir will thanks for tuning in
to Radio Front Desk.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
If you found this episode helpful, it would mean
so much to me if you gave it arating and leave a review
letting me know what you think.
And if you're a fan, you cansubscribe to Radio Front Desk on
Apple Music, spotify andwherever you get your podcasts.
Welcome back to Radio Front Desk by JNAP.
I'm your host, denzel Ford.
If you listened to part one ofour conversation with Meg and
Nina from Articulate Design andConsulting, then you know just
how much goes into creatingclinic spaces that are beautiful
and functional.
In this bonus episode we'rejumping into the second half of
(00:27):
that conversation.
Meg and Nina will sharehighlights from their playbook
for finding your space.
They'll walk us through a fewof their tips, like what really
matters when choosing a location, why square footage isn't
always what it seems, and howpreparation gives you an edge
when negotiating with landlords.
Let's jump back in so you bothhave created a resource for us
(00:52):
and our listeners and we'regoing to link that so everyone
can find it and take a look atit.
But before we start, have youever helped a clinic or a
practitioner find their actualspace?
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Yeah.
So part of what we offer islike a clinical consultation
where we're helping clinicians.
Once they've honed in maybeinto like two or three different
spaces, we consult on theirchoice.
And that actually is the firstcategory in our playbook is why
(01:28):
is that important and how to dothat?
So, most definitely, we do thatbecause you kind of can't start
the design process too early.
So, in terms of understandingflow and design, how many rooms
do I need?
What kind of special elementsam I requiring?
You need to kind of know all ofthat before you even settle on
(01:51):
a space.
So using us as a sounding boardto kind of help our clients
think of all of those elementsbefore they make that big
commitment is, I think it's areally, really great offering
that we do provide.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
Awesome.
Yeah, I think to Nina's point.
Most people spend too littletime considering the space, we
believe, because I think it'sjust it's easy to get caught up
in the idea of like this spaceopen.
Open, it looks really cool, butthere's a lot of intentionality
(02:28):
and consideration to put intoit.
So, you know, is it worthspending more money to be at
street level versus up in anoffice?
Like, what are the differentconsiderations for your business
and marketing and what kind ofconcerns do you have from, like,
an accessibility standpoint?
And there's just a lot more toto think about.
(02:49):
And oftentimes people areengaging with us after they've
signed a lease and it's hardbecause it's hard to go
backwards, right.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
I've noticed that from talking to several guests
is that the the choice they makein their location impacts a lot
of business decisions that comedown the line.
One of the biggest ones I'venoticed is how they do marketing
if you make in their locationimpacts a lot of business
decisions that come down theline.
One of the biggest ones I'venoticed is how they do marketing
.
If you are in a location thatis like you know, pop in and
like you got street traffic, youalmost don't need to do much
(03:18):
marketing.
If you're kind of in a buildingor up and you know, like tucked
away somewhere, you need to domore like active work and
getting people in the door ormaybe different versions of how
you're going to get peoplerebooking that kind of thing.
But I also feel like it'sprobably really stressful in the
sense that anytime I've neededto go look for a space, you're
always under that panic of themarket that you're in yes, so
(03:39):
like it's you are, it's reallychallenging and and there's pros
and cons too.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
Like I will say, we were at a space we designed
yesterday.
They're on the second floor.
For them, that's perfect,because their services are like
needing to be very intimate andprivate, and so for them, like
it's a disadvantage to be atstreet level or to have a lot of
windows, that outlook onto astreet.
So, just putting a lot ofthought into that, even maybe
making a checklist, and that'ssomething like we do with our
(04:06):
clients, but for those needingto do this themselves, of like
really putting thought intothose features before then even
looking at properties, and thenreally stick to your list, right
, stick to the places that meetthat criteria, yeah okay, take
us through your playbook.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
So, so the first tip is really all about considering
the location, and we just spoketo some of that.
Considering accessibility, youknow, are you having tons of
patients on crutches orwheelchairs or strollers, things
like that?
Thinking of the accessibilityparking is your public transit
Really?
(04:42):
Then, beyond that, it's likeyour target demographic right
Location is really everything interms of attracting your
patient base.
And then our pro tip is, as Megwas saying, like considering
visibility and foot traffic.
Is that actually something thatis beneficial to your practice
or is that something thatactually you want to avoid?
(05:03):
So those are things to alsothink about in just when you're
picking, like the geographicallocation.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
Great, okay.
Our second tip is square footageis not created equal, and what
we mean by this is that oftenpeople kind of get a idea in
their mind of how much squarefootage they need.
So you know, for an example,let's say they've decided 1,000
square feet is perfect for thesize that they want to inhabit,
(05:34):
and so then they'll look forspaces that have that square
footage.
But it's not created equal.
You can have 1,000 square feetin a nice rectangular shape
where it's very easy to to likebuild out rooms and spaces, or
you can have a thousand squarefeet in a very awkward
orientation that makes it verychallenging, or there's a lot of
(05:57):
dead space, or I'm not reallysure what to do with it, and so
then you're paying for squarefootage that you're not actually
capitalizing on, and so theshape of the space and knowing
how you need to utilize it isreally important.
So our pro tip is that creatinga floor plan for the spaces
you're considering beforeputting in a letter of intent is
(06:21):
very, very helpful, and ifthat's something you struggle
with, then we'd encourage you toget help doing that from a
professional.
But it's amazing how muchclearer the picture is to people
when they start to consider oh,this really is very challenging
to lay out, or the position ofthe doors or position of the
washroom or things like thatreally make it challenging, or
(06:43):
it works in my favor and it'slike a no-brainer is there a
simple way somebody could dothat like a solo practitioner if
they weren't able to hiresomebody?
Speaker 1 (06:50):
just get a piece of paper and kind of map it out
yourself yeah, I mean for, like,smaller spaces.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
For sure you can just map out, like, based on your
equipment and and kind of do itto scale.
Uh, for bigger spaces whereyou're needing to build out
multiple rooms or differenttypes of areas, if that's
something that you're quiteinclined to do, then do it.
But otherwise we'd say, see itas an investment.
You're about to probably spendthe most amount of money you've
ever spent to lease a space andto build out a space.
(07:16):
So you know it's really a smallinvestment to have somebody
help you who's got a brain forkind of seeing spaces Great Okay
.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
What's next?
So our next tip is to audit thebig items, and I think this is
really really important andoften overlooked.
But things like plumbing, hvac,sprinklers they're all really
really expensive elements tomove or relocate, and so knowing
where those are in the space,based on the floor plan that
(07:47):
you're looking to create, isreally really important.
And so we've had clients wherethey've picked a space and we're
designing it, and maybe they'reproviding a lot of pelvic
physiotherapy and so each roomneeds a sink.
Well, now we need to rough in aton of plumbing, and so those
are unforeseen costs and thereare, unfortunately, costs that
(08:09):
if you were to move, you're nottaking any of that with you.
So planning ahead, being awareof those big ticket items,
getting a rough estimate ofmoving those, how much those
things would cost to change, isreally really important for for
budgeting.
And then a pro tip is try tonegotiate a lot of this kind of
(08:30):
work actually being done by thelandlord or covered by the
landlord for that very reason inthat it's enhancing their space
.
But you can't take any of thoseelements when you leave.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
How do you assess the health of those systems?
Who assesses, like if you havea healthy HVAC system?
Speaker 2 (08:47):
I would say it's less about the health of the HVAC
system I would say that's kindof on the landlord to ensure
efficiency it's more thelocation of them and the
understanding of how easy wouldit be to relocate.
So if you're adding new wallsright, you may need to move
sprinklers and you may need tomove these ducts, and so that
(09:08):
comes at a cost.
So, understanding some of that,because a lot of us assume like
yeah, I'm just going to throwup some walls and it's like,
well, no, there's a sprinklerright there.
So how are we going to?
We need to think about it, youhave to get heating and cooling
into each room.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
Yes, you know, you have to get electrical into each
space.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
So I mean, the big thing is is like taking our time
, like not hopping into justlike I got to sign a lease today
, least today, right.
It's like taking, you know,stock of all of these things.
Maybe lining up your team, likelining up a GC that can walk
you through these spaces withyour designer, so someone who's
helping you with your floor planand understanding that, but
(09:46):
then also cross-referencing thatwith a GC who's going to be
able to say, yeah, like thiswon't cost you that much, but
this will kind of thing, right,you know, doing that upfront
work.
Yes, it comes at an investmentand maybe you will walk away
from that place, but you willwalk away having saved hundreds
of thousands right for notchoosing the space that
(10:07):
eventually would cost you tripleor quadruple what you intended.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
Yeah I'm thinking like the emotional side of going
through all this and then yougot to walk away from a space.
How do you set your mind aroundthat so that you feel like it's
okay, you know we're going tomove on and we're going to find
the right space?
Speaker 3 (10:24):
I think that you have to see this as such a big
investment in your futurebusiness and you have to pick it
well.
It's like picking a partnerLike you don't take the first
one.
That pick it well.
It's like picking a partnerlike you don't take the first
one that comes around becauseit's convenient, right.
It's like does this align withwhat I'm trying to create?
And I think there's a bigscarcity mindset of like if I
(10:47):
let this one get away, you canget caught up in the emotions of
like I need to get it, anotherone won't come up and another
one always comes up yeah, italways does.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Yeah, what are your last two steps for your playbook
?
Speaker 3 (11:01):
negotiate with a plan .
This kind of speaks to whatwe've talked about previously,
but the more information youhave going into your negotiation
, the more power you have.
So when you can come to alandlord with, this is the floor
plan.
This is how I'm going to buildit out.
This is my design concept.
You're coming to the tablereally prepared and you're
showing them how you'reessentially going to elevate
(11:22):
their space.
And we found clients just haveway more negotiating power.
They often get more in tenantimprovements or maybe they have
a longer fixturing period, maybethey are able to save on the
rent if they're investing, orthe landlord will put more money
into it.
So that really really helpswhen you come to it with a plan.
(11:44):
And then I'd also say we'rereally trying to bolster up
clinicians in particular, soanyone in the medical
paramedical field, clinicians inparticular, so anyone in the
medical paramedical field.
They may not know this, but tocommercial landlords you are
like a tier one client.
(12:05):
They want you in your spacebecause you run a very stable
business, and so we want peopleto feel confident that what
they're bringing to the table issomething really, really
advantageous to the landlord andto use that power that even if
there's other offers or otherpeople wanting to come in.
Many, many businesses are quitefickle, but anything kind of in
the medical sphere isconsidered an incredibly stable
(12:28):
business and they really wantyou in that space.
So just be aware of that and beconfident in your negotiating
power.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
I love that.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
I didn't know that, yeah.
And then our final tip is andwe've talked about this a lot is
just understanding your brand.
Have that brand flushed out, gothrough the process of really
thoroughly developing the brand,whether that's independently or
with a professional.
That just makes all thefollowing steps so much easier.
(12:56):
And, as Meg said previously,that doesn't mean just jumping
into aesthetics.
It's more about focusing on howyou want your clinicians and
clients to feel as they walkthrough the space and create
that brand experience from there.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
And then can we talk a bit about low-high buying.
What is it?
What does that mean?
Speaker 2 (13:20):
I'm interpreting it as like where am I investing
more and where am I investingless?
Furniture it's going to take abeating.
It's going to, in most places,only last you X amount of time
and you will be replacing it.
We tend to recommend moreinvestment in some of these
custom pieces.
They're more durable, they lastlonger and they also can become
(13:41):
iconic to your space.
They will stand the test oftime and they really create
almost like an artistic featureyeah, and customs are where
people get really uncomfortablewith, because they think it's
very expensive.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
Oftentimes, though, doing custom millwork in a
commercial setting can be muchless expensive than furnishing,
and it also is a way moreefficient way to use the space.
So like, when you have a littleodd nook, okay great, we're
going to create some like retailshelving where you can sell
product that otherwise that nookwould go unused or you know.
(14:19):
So people can get a little bituncomfortable with that, but
when you do it and it's verydurable, um, and in a commercial
sense it's a lot moreeconomical okay, and then maybe
just to wrap up, what are yourhot tips for using scent or
sound or lighting?
We love the idea of immersingthe senses as part of the
(14:42):
experience.
Now, that comes very differentfor very different people.
So lighting is maybe our numberone investment or tidbit of
like it's going to make such amassive impact on how you want
to regulate the people in yourspace and everybody needs
lighting yeah, it's thecomponent that we probably put
(15:04):
the most emphasis on and reallyunderstanding like what is the
vibe you're trying to create.
Often lighting is a bigcomponent of what that is.
For scent, that's a tricky one.
Some places are like completelyscent free, others like scent,
like our olfactory sense isreally tied to memory, so some
actually use sense as part oftheir marketing.
(15:26):
We have places where they havereally nice hand soaps and then
they sell the hand soap and thenevery time someone's at home
using the hand soap it conjuresup like a thought of the clinic
they were just at like.
It's like really kind of sneakymarketing or like in my space I
had this like unique diffuserblend I had created with oils
but I would diffuse at nighttimeso it wasn't an offensive, like
(15:49):
there's scent coming at peoplewhile they're in the space.
But I am not kidding.
Every person who walked in thedoor was like what is this smell
and how do I get it?
And I was like it's my secret.
But then again that liketriggers, memory, touch and feel
like textures.
We really like to involve in aspace different types of
textures.
(16:09):
All of that is part of theexperience.
The experience is not justaesthetics and what we can see.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
It's really immersive of all the senses.
You know what that makes methink of like.
If you close your eyes, can yousmell an abercrombie store?
I can like you, walk in and itwould just like hit you like a
brick wall, right the smell, butI can still remember that
there's a few stores like that.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
Obviously Lush is like that.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
Yes, the body shop used to be like that also.
You can smell that from likesage, 50 yards away.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
Yeah sage, does it a clinic?
We just did.
They have like lemongrass.
I think it's beautiful like youwalk in and it's so comforting.
So yeah, people can use that attheir will thanks for tuning in
to Radio Front Desk.
Speaker 1 (16:58):
If you found this episode helpful, it would mean
so much to me if you gave it arating and leave a review
letting me know what you think.
And if you're a fan, you cansubscribe to Radio Front Desk on
Apple Music, spotify andwherever you get your podcasts.
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