So, you’ve decided that it’s about time you relocated your business – you’ve been postponing it for a while, but your old workspace is starting to take a toll on you and your employees. Whether it’s for the sake of allowing your business some space to grow, or just because you want to improve the in-office productivity levels by increasing the level of comfort, the moment you start considering relocating means that it’s going to happen – the idea has popped up, the need is real, and now it’s only a matter of time until things are set in motion.
Of course, moving is always hard – if you’ve ever experienced it in your personal life, you know this. A business move is manifold more complicated, complex and patience-consuming. Bearing this in mind, we’ve rounded up a list of tips that were designed to help you go through the business relocation event, regardless of whether it’s your first time, or you are a seasoned business moving veteran.
How important is the location?
So, your business operates online, and you’re thinking “Well, as long as our online appearance offers a cutting-edge experience, we’re good”. While this is partly true, the location still plays a vital role, even if you are mostly based online. Why? Well, for one, your place of business is essential for maximum productivity.
On the other hand, if you are a more traditional business that gets a lot of foot traffic, changing the location is essential for reaching new markets, increasing income, lowering the costs, but also fixing workforce issues.
The need for a suitable workforce is by far the most common reason behind making a relocation effort – a lack of qualified professionals in a particular field can be detrimental for any business.
Everyone should be on the same page
The first thing that distinguishes a personal move from the business one is the fact that a business move potentially affects much more people. There is nothing worse than a disgruntled employee, especially in such trying times, so you have to make sure that everyone is on the same page. So, call up a meeting in due time and give your workers the reasons why you think a move is a good idea and a necessary step – they won’t really have any say in it, but they will definitely appreciate that they are included in the whole thing.
…your customers included
There aren’t too many extra opportunities when it comes to moving your business, and this is one of the rare ones – you can use your move as an advertising effort! The majority of your customers and leads are probably used to being exposed to similar types of advertising from you, and your move is your opportunity to make something special.
Use your entrepreneurial skills – tell your leads and customers why you’re going through the move and what will the new benefits be.
Informing your customers about the move is particularly important for businesses that experience frequent customer foot traffic – they’ll want to know at least a month in advance.
The financial factor
As a business, you should have two main goals: bringing a quality product/service to the market and getting paid for it accordingly. That being said, most businesses are inclined to move in order to try and reach new markets, increase their revenue, while lowering the costs; and the good news is that moving is an excellent idea here.
Of course, here comes the hard part: choosing where to move. Of course, some locations are simply more expensive than others – the prices vary from state to state, and from one city to another.
Here’s a rather typical example: New York is an awesome moving option for reaching out to some of the best business clients in the world, but it’s also an enormous investment, given the fact that the Big Apple is a ridiculously expensive city.
Saving up on trivialities
If your business is ridiculously successful, you don’t have to worry (then again, if you’re filthy rich, you can go ahead and hire a moving expert, no need to waste time reading this), but if you are a startup that has just managed to come up with some decent, yet hard-earned cash, you’ll want to play it safe and try and save up here and there.
For example, if you have a choice of a furnished vs. a blank office, always go with the latter, as getting an already furnished large space will be just a waste of money. Buy a decent space and invest in all the necessary renovations. Hire experts that specialize in junk removal in Sydney to get rid of old desks, chairs and other stuff you don’t need.
Don’t say goodbye to your old location just yet
There should always be a 30-day period where your old and new locations overlap; i.e. they are both open. This is essential because you do not want to lose your valuable documents and data, and you can rest assured that the new owners are going to hire junk removalists, just as you did for your new place of business.
Instead of risking to lose important data, don’t be afraid to cash out a double rent for at least a month – no one said that the move is going to be cheap.
Don’t lose the receipts
One of the biggest money-guzzlers and potential future legal issues are lost receipts. These electronic or physical documents are important for a multitude of reasons: first of all, they serve as proofs of purchase; secondly, they allow you to calculate your weekly/monthly/annual spending, which is of absolute essence, especially when going through a move!
You have to be able to keep track of all the company expenses, in order to be able to figure out what is deductible from your taxes and what can be used for reimbursement.
Lower your expectations in the beginning
So, you’ve opted for the big move in order to make your business more efficient and more profitable, and this is most likely imminent. However, the adjustment period is going to take its toll, make no mistake about it – everything from new commute time, to different placement of file cabinets, printers, light switches, etc. is going to reflect negatively on your in-office productivity.
The best way to tackle this is to expect it – once some time passes, and everybody gets accustomed to the new way of things, your employees’ productivity levels will increase, and you’ll reap all the benefits of your recent move.
Every successful business goes through relocation, at least once, so you can rest assured that it’s going to happen sooner or later. One of the most important factors of moving is starting early in order to set things into motion properly. After realizing just how important the location is, make sure that everyone is on the same page early, including your customers. Always look to save up one way or another, keep your old location active for at least a month after moving, pay close attention to the receipts, and expect lower productivity levels right after the move.