The Most Expensive Mistake Growth-Stage Founders Make: Signing.
The Most Expensive Mistake Growth-Stage Founders Make: Signing a Long-Term Office Lease
Desky Blog · Hybrid Work · 7 min read
How the world of work changed forever, why teams of 20 to 100 people are hit the hardest, and what companies that scale frictionlessly do differently.
The Day We Signed Something We Couldn't Afford
Many founders have been there. They found a nice office in a great location, good price per square meter. The lease was for 24 months, but the company was going to grow anyway, right? They signed.
Eight months later, the team had doubled. The space wasn't cutting it anymore. But the lease kept running.
That's the most common mistake we see in growth-stage companies: treating office space as a stable decision in a business that transforms every quarter.
The office doesn't scale on its own. And in 2025, the work world isn't waiting either.
The World of Work Changed. Permanently.
This isn't a passing trend. The data speaks for itself:
- 29% of work days in the U.S. are done from home (WFH Research, 2025)
- 88% of companies offer some form of hybrid arrangement (Robert Half, 2025)
- 62% of workers would choose an employer with flexibility over one with higher pay
- 25% growth in coworking globally over the past year (Mitel, 2025)
Hybrid work isn't a perk. It's infrastructure. And companies that don't get it pay the price: in turnover, in empty square meters, and in leases they can't break.
Do you know how much you're actually using your office?
70% of companies don't have exact visibility into their space occupancy. Discover how to measure, optimize, and get maximum ROI from your workspaces.
Why the Problem Is Worse at Growth Stage (20 to 100 People)
Tiny companies can operate 100% remote. Large enterprises have negotiating power with landlords. But growth-stage companies, between 20 and 100 people, are stuck in the middle:
- They grow fast: the team can double in 6 to 9 months.
- They spread out: they hire in other cities without planning ahead.
- They have mixed needs: some want to come in 3 days a week, others never, others always.
- They have to justify costs to the board: every expense needs to make sense.
A fixed office lease doesn't work for any of those scenarios. It forces you to pay for space you're not using, or leaves you without space right when you need it most.
The real cost isn't just rent. It's what you lose when operations don't scale.
Desky for Growth-Stage Companies
Over 700 spaces across LATAM and Europe. No contracts. No minimums. A single invoice with the full breakdown of everything your team uses.
The Numbers Nobody Shows Founders Before Signing
Commercial office vacancy in the U.S. hit 19.9% in March 2025, according to CommercialEdge. In tech hubs like Austin and San Francisco, it's over 25%. That means millions of square meters sitting empty because companies signed leases that no longer fit how their teams work.
On the flip side: coworking spaces grew 25% year-over-year. Not because they're trendy. Because they offer what fixed contracts can't: real flexibility.
- 25% year-over-year growth in coworking globally
- 19.9% commercial office vacancy in the U.S. (CommercialEdge, March 2025)
- 40% of workers would look for another job if they lost flexibility
The message is clear: the market has shifted. Long-term leases are on the wrong side of history.
What Companies That Scale Well Do Differently
Companies that manage hybrid distributed teams best don't have more space. They have fewer contracts.
Instead of signing one per city, they centralize space access on a single platform. Instead of managing separate invoices for each coworking provider, they get one monthly invoice with full details. Instead of approving every booking, they empower their team with clear spending limits.
The result: less operational friction, more financial control, and a team that can work from wherever it makes sense each day.
It's not about having the perfect office. It's about not being locked into a decision you made 18 months ago.
The 3 Most Common Mistakes When Managing Space at Growth Stage
1. Sign for longer than necessary to get a better rate
The discount for a longer commitment looks attractive. But if your team changes in 6 months, that discount becomes a penalty. Flexibility has a value that doesn't show up in the price per square meter.
2. Manage space as an HR or admin task
Coordinating bookings, validating access, replying to vendor emails. All that time could go toward what actually matters. Space management should be invisible to your team.
3. Have no visibility into real spending
If you have 4 different providers across 3 cities, you don't know how much you're really spending on workspace. And what you don't measure, you can't optimize or justify to the board.
Want to know if Desky works for your company?
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How Much of the Space You Pay for Do You Actually Use?
That's the question that makes most founders uncomfortable. Because most of them know the answer, and the answer isn't good.
The world of work has changed. Teams are hybrid, they're distributed, they need flexibility. Long-term office leases are yesterday's tool for today's problem.
Companies that scale well don't have more space. They have more control over how and when they use it.
One access point. Over 700 spaces. One monthly invoice. That's Desky.
Start Managing Your Workspaces with Desky
No contracts. No minimums. You only pay for what you use. Full control from a single dashboard for teams of 20 to 100+ people.
Sources:
- WFH Research, April 2025 — Remote workdays in the U.S.
- Robert Half — Remote Work Statistics and Trends 2026
- Owl Labs — State of Hybrid Work 2025
- CommercialEdge — National Office Report, March 2025
- Mitel — The State of Work in 2025
- Aura — 2025 Industry Benchmarking Report
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