The number of offshore and Johannesburg-based tenants in the Barn has increased by 6% in the last couple of years.

According to Odette Potter, GM at the Bandwidth Barn, the Barn offers an affordable solution for start-ups and smaller companies opening branch offices in the Cape.  “Smaller companies are looking for a low-risk option when opening a branch office,” she says.  “Because they share reception, meeting rooms, technical support and other essential services, the Barn offers them all the functionality of a fully-fledged office without the massive overheads.”

Sue Bell, sales manager at ITWeb says that the Bandwidth Barn’s shared services are what attracted the leading online IT publication headquartered in Johannesburg.  ITWeb has been a tenant for over five years.  “Opening our Cape Town office in the Bandwidth Barn made sense for us from a cost perspective.  We also didn’t have to hassle about applying for phone lines, bandwidth etc – it was all readily available.” 

ITWeb’s location in the Barn has led to some story opportunities for the publication.  For other tenants, such as LiveCode and Sisha Fax, networking with other IT entrepreneurs was a main attraction. 

“Being in the Bandwidth Barn means you can share ideas with other entrepreneurs and corroborate on projects,” says Fred Maggege, director of web development company LiveCode.  “Often entrepreneurs feel quite isolated, but the community in the Barn creates a supportive environment.”

Hein Uys, CEO of Sishafax says that the Barn also helps to provide credibility for small companies.  “We offer telecommunication value added services, such as fax to email and competition lines, and target our products at large corporates.  When they see Bandwidth Barn on our letterhead, they’re immediately more at ease as they realise we’re not a fly-by-night start-up.”

Potter says that the Bandwidth Barn has supported the sustainability of entrepreneurs. “64% of the businesses who have started in the Barn are still in operation after five years,” she says.  “This is a significant achievement given that 80% of start-up companies fail in their first year of business, and many more drop off in their third year.  Many of these businesses outgrow the Barn and move to larger premises.”