HQ&A: Online learning experts choose Northampton for new headquarters
New year, new offices… Online learning agency Spokes Education recently upgraded to an impressive new office on the outskirts of Northampton.
We spoke to Phil Spokes to find out the motivations behind the move and how the team of learning technologists, designers and developers are settling into their new home.
Spokes Education’s new HQ in Northampton.
What were your main reasons for moving?
Our old office was big enough for 4 desks and not a lot else which was okay when there were just 3 of us.
Even though we offer remote working, we still needed a bigger space as right now we have 7 full time staff, 3 contractors and 2 interns.
We have now gone from 4 desks to 4 rooms which consist of the main office workspace, a meeting room, break room and spare room where we can add extra desks if needed in the future.
What do you like about your new location?
Quite a few of the team are from out of town, so being really accessible from the M1 and A45 is nice.
There’s plenty of parking and lots of amenities nearby too which was a big pull. Most importantly (and very conveniently) it’s a 5 minute walk from my house!
I love Northampton and I take great pride in being able to offer jobs and opportunities to talented locals, as well as volunteering our time to local schools and charities.
Whereas the majority of our team live in the county, the central location of Northampton has meant that we have also been able to attract skilled individuals from neighbouring counties too.
Although we are still a fledgling company, it’s nice to contribute a small amount towards the thriving digital community that is emerging in Northamptonshire.
Molly gets more hellos from the neighbours than the rest of the Spokes Education team put together!
Have your new neighbouring businesses welcomed you to the area?
We share the building with the Forefront Church who have been really welcoming – especially as they have been used to having the building to themselves for a while.
The other businesses in the local centre have been welcoming too – although our office dog Molly gets more hellos than the rest of us put together!
How have you made your new office feel like home?
We asked the team what they’d like us to put in the breakroom so it now has a private kitchenette area, table, sofa, beanbag, tv and games machine.
We’ve also got an Alexa in the main office and custom artwork on the walls throughout. The artwork was created by our in-house graphics designer, with the view to other staff creating more in the coming months. We’ve got the whole office branded up, even painting the front door purple.
The best thing though is that we are allowed to bring our Molly into work every day!
Custom artwork designed by Spokes Education’s in-house graphics designer give their new offices an extra touch of class.
Do you have any plans for the future with your new premises?
The new office is a bit bigger than I was looking for initially, but with all the other benefits and ability to expand even further, I felt it was worth pushing the boat out for.
The spare room gives us the option in the future of additional office space or a training room.
Find out more about Spokes Education
Spokes Education is one of many innovative digital businesses that are finding Northamptonshire a great place to grow and thrive.
You can find a list of Northamptonshire tech companies on our online directory.