An office cannot be exported. The building stays in Sydney, London, or Singapore, and customers still have to walk through its doors. Yet NSW businesses generated A$64.9 billion in services exports in 2025, accounting for 45.7% of Australia’s total services exports. So the key export story isn’t about border-crossing physical goods, but about services that lead customers through non-exportable solutions.
Office Hub expanded from a Sydney search tool into a global platform across 100+ countries by pairing digital reach with market expertise. The success is being recognized at the 2026 NSW Export Awards in the Digital and Smart Technologies category.
The business evolved from a Sydney-based office-search service into an international business operating in over 100 countries. It leverages digital reach and local market knowledge to export localized offerings.
The Problem Looked Local. The Demand Wasn’t
Finding a workspace is a local process, as it depends on the availability, prices, location, and availability dates within a particular city. At the same time, the decision-making process itself is similar for companies searching for offices in Sydney, London, and Singapore.
Recognizing this universal need across markets, Office Hub expanded and is now present in over 100 countries. The company focused on creating a scalable service by shifting from the local Sydney market to an international office-search assistance business.
Office Hub’s success stems not only from its international expansion but also from its ability to address a universal problem through localized solutions.
Why Some Local Services Have Global Potential
Businesses considering international expansion often ask themselves if they can sell their product abroad. However, a better question to ask is whether the problem they solve recurs in other markets. A positive answer suggests the service has export potential, even if its current application is very specific.
Office space is a good example. The product itself cannot be shipped. An office in Sydney stays in Sydney, but the process of finding, choosing, and comparing workspace can cross borders. This creates a two-layer business model. By not doing research from scratch in every city, customers can search, compare, and evaluate workspace options because the first layer is digital.
At the same time, an offering available digitally on a global scale must reflect local conditions to stay relevant. To scale their solution, companies need to combine their digital outreach with local expertise to address different markets.
The Technology Doesn’t Replace the Local Market
This is where an international office marketplace encounters a challenge compared to a strictly digital product. A software subscription can be offered to customers worldwide with minimal adaptation. Offices are harder to standardize. The workspace is inextricably linked to:
- Individual buildings
- Local business districts
- Transport networks
- Rental structures
- Provider availability
- Team requirements
- Local operating conditions
A customer searching for an office in Sydney has therefore made a different property decision from a customer entering London. An international platform must account for this difference rather than flatten it.
For Office Hub, this implies that the software offers digital workplace discovery combined with local office market access. Digital delivery is quick and convenient, but local implementation takes longer, and overall value depends on what each site provides.
What the NSW Export Awards Recognition Says About the Model
Office Hub was honored as a finalist in the 2026 NSW Export Awards’ Digital and Smart Technologies category, which recognizes businesses that export goods and services through digital technology and platforms.
The award aligns with the 2026 prizes theme of ‘Growing Global Strength’, which celebrates companies building international capability. It shows how service providers can grow exports significantly, alongside traditional goods exporters.
Rather than exporting locally produced tangible products, Office Hub scaled a service concept it initially developed for Sydney-based clients. The company has built digital and market infrastructure that lets organizations worldwide search for and book space internationally.
The strategy represents a potentially viable approach to international business development. The example shows how local expertise, combined with digital infrastructure, can enable global outreach for specific services.
Going From One Market to Global Business
Another lesson comes from the shift from a Sydney-based business to an international network. Expansion does not just add customers, it adds complexity. As soon as you’re serving more than one market, assumptions that worked in your home base can fail elsewhere. For a workspace business, that can mean differences in:
- Customer expectations: A startup may need a short-term office, while an established corporation may need a larger shared space.
- Property markets: Vacancy rates, prices, and space flexibility can vary significantly from one city to another.
- Local knowledge: A simple search online cannot replace the value of local market knowledge. Many customers will benefit from a range of options, depending on their needs and the specific market they are entering.
- Operational consistency: Regardless of the property market, the client should get the same service.
These challenges are amplified internationally and should be prioritized accordingly.
The Bigger Lesson for Service Businesses
Office Hub’s successful expansion into a different market is an excellent case study for other service companies considering international growth. The trick is to focus on the problems, not the geography. If a business issue can be solved similarly across markets, then there is a business opportunity that can probably benefit from being exported. However, an analysis should be undertaken to see if the service can be localized without destroying the qualities which gave it success in the first place.
This is especially important for businesses operating at the intersection of digital and physical worlds. Technology can make a service discoverable anywhere. It cannot, by itself, make the service relevant everywhere. Businesses managing this tension must offer a consistent customer experience while adapting to local market differences.
A Sydney Beginning, Not a Sydney Limit
The story of Office Hub is, in many ways, a story about how a business refused to be constrained by the market that spawned it. The company was originally founded to help a Sydney-based client find serviced office space. This same problem echoed worldwide, and Office Hub saw an opportunity to go beyond being just a local player. Its success in the 2026 NSW Export Awards signals its transition from a local business into a truly global marketplace.
To explore international expansion opportunities for Australian businesses, one productive angle is to consider how a locally developed solution could be adapted to address the same challenge elsewhere. This is often more productive than simply asking where to go next.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for general informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute professional business, export, or investment advice. Award details, export statistics, and market conditions may change. Readers should verify all information independently and consult qualified business advisors before pursuing international expansion. The mention of Office Hub, the NSW Export Awards, or any specific organization is illustrative and does not imply endorsement. The author and publisher disclaim all liability for business decisions, financial losses, or outcomes arising from reliance on this content. Always conduct independent research and due diligence before entering new markets.
Looking for content that solves, not just informs? Explore our action-driven articles—built to help you do, not just know.
