Smoy - giving up on our own office has increased our freedom

Smoy is a full-service advertising agency that has created bold marketing solutions and nurtured long-term client relations already for 43 years. The agency is pragmatic in its approach, making sure that trend terms and digital speech are translated into action. The office may be small in size, but it has people with versatile skills and knowledge and an agile approach. Smoy makes things happen.

CEO Maria Blomberg: “Giving up on our own office has increased our freedom”

Smoy moved in to the premises of Workery+ Teurastamo in December 2022. It had given up its personal property already years ago so the transition went quickly and smoothly.

Smoy has been in the business for decades and seen many different workspaces during its years. The transition from office and personal workrooms towards multi-space offices and hybrid work started already 7 years ago making Smoy a forerunner on the market. The change has been huge, but it has happened gradually.

– The first step towards a more mobile working life was giant. Giving up an office of our own also meant giving up on all our personal property, so the biggest step was definitely mental. Over the decades, we had accumulated dozens of filing cabinets, in which we had archived print models from all our campaigns. There was an emotional value attached to them, which we had to let go, Blomberg recalls.

Today, this transformation and moving to co-working spaces is seen as a positive thing at Smoy.

– The work of companies that offer expert services is largely independent of location so not having an office increases cost efficiency, flexibility and freedom. Moving to the Workery+ premises freed up my personal resources even more as the in-house staff took care of all matters related to the premises. Workery+ has a service-minded and an outgoing team that takes care of everything. We never run out of toilet paper and the kitchen is always kept tidy, says Blomberg with a smile.

Easy to try it out

At Workery+ Teurastamo, Blomberg works on shared premises for the first time ever. Only three desktop employees have their own room, the other three move and work in the co-working space with their laptops while the team of freelancers works entirely remotely.

– At first, we were a bit nervous about the idea of working without a permanent workstation or a desk of our own, but Workery+ has a flexible contract model that made it easier for us to try it out. The contract adjusts according to the situation so it is easy to make decisions even within a short timeframe. We moved into the premises of Teurastamo with just a few days’ notice, says Blomberg.

It turned out to be worth the risk. The mobile workplace has proven to be a viable solution and the co-working spaces at Teurastamo are also fine for work that requires concentration.

– I got used to the mobile way of working in a week, and now I don't want to go back to the old way of working. The space adapts to our changing needs, and the initial worry about not being able to concentrate has proven to be unfounded. I think this is quite a nice way of working. The atmosphere at Teurastamo is calm, but at the same time lively enough, Blomberg shares her experiences and continues:  

– The only downside is that we need to pay separately for conference rooms. If there are many meetings with clients, the monthly fee can increase significantly. This is also why the full potential of the facilities is often not utilized by our team. With costs in mind, we often decide not to use the conference rooms even when they would actually be useful for us, Blomberg says offering a development idea to the Workery+ team.

A presentable space and an accessible location  

Smoy organizes a large part of its meetings with clients in Workery+ premises, so a presentable space and an accessible location were key criteria in choosing the space. Teurastamo is located right next to Kalasatama metro station, away from the downtown traffic, which is really convenient for Smoy.

– I myself come from the east, so I save time significantly when I don’t have to queue in the downtown traffic jams. Instead, I get here conveniently by public transport. The meeting rooms and co-working spaces are versatile, functional and tidy. Many of our customers have actually commented on this saying that the place looks nice, modern and comfortable. It’s a pleasure to be able to meet our clients here, Blomberg concludes.

Author: Mari Korhonen