Maybe it is time for your business to move out of your back bedroom, or maybe the lease is up on your current office space. Either way, moving offices can be a real pain in the – wait, this website is rated G.
Anyways, relocating offices does not need to be a hassle. It just requires some planning and partnering with the right professionals to make sure everything goes off as planned. With that in mind, here are some tips to move offices like a pro.
First, Don’t Delay the Inevitable
No matter what the reason, moving offices is inevitable for most businesses. As such, you don’t want to put it off for too long. Instead, get ahead of your move by setting up a plan to make the move as seamless as possible.
Remember, moving an office is not exactly like moving to a new home. First, you need to make sure you can keep in touch with your customers. Then you need to make sure your IT systems are up and running throughout the transition period as well. I mean, let’s face it every company is a technology company today. And lastly, you need to make sure checks find their way to you – after all, you need to make sure you get paid.
As such, don’t put off moving as a painful exercise, assign a project manager to oversee the move and clearly communicate who will be responsible to for what. If you are considering office moving companies to help then make sure they can help you to coordinate the entire process.
Time is Money
When you are running your own business, you are under constant pressure to turn a profit. With that in mind, you need to approach your move with all the precision of a special operations exercise.
Time is money, as such, you should set up a preliminary budget considering rental fees, legal fees, the costs of moving your phone and computer networks, office furniture, and other expenses. Don’t take anything for granted as you are the one paying for it.
This Must Be the Front Row
I might be dating myself but remember the old Bob Uecker commercials where he would end up in the nosebleeds and then say, ‘this must be the front row’. Don’t let this happen to you. One of the reasons for moving is find a location which is a good fit for your business.
Sure, you don’t want to pay rents which will put you in bankruptcy, but you will need a location which will help your business grow. For example, a distribution company will need easy access to major roads, while a law office might need to be located near its largest clients to the local court house. Either way, consider the criteria which are important for your business as this will help you to choose the right office location.
Room to Grow
If you have young kids, then you know that you never buy them close for their size today. Instead, you want to buy them clothes which you know will fit them in six months or a one year from now.
The lesson is that you should approach your office move in the same way. Now I am not saying that you need to get office space which will remain empty for years to come. Instead, look at your new space and make sure it will allow the flexibility to rejig and grow as your business grows.
This is one reason why open offices are so popular now as they allow much more flexibility than a plan which means you will need to continually knock down walls.
Design for Success
This brings me to my next point, which is design. You want to make sure that you design your office to ensure optimal workflows. While this might take some thought early on, it will save you tens of thousands of dollars, and hours, later. In fact, well-designed offices tend to be more productive.
Linking it All Together
We live in a connected world, as such you want to make sure that your new offices phone and internet systems are up and running even before you move in. Let’s face it, the first day in any office is always a bit of an adventure but you don’t want to put yourself on the back foot if you can’t get online or connect with your customers. So, make sure you have a plan to link everything together and this will ensure that you are moving like a pro.