So, you’ve decided to start a business? Nowadays, many folks dream of running their own company and making a name for themself on the market. If you’ve got the right idea and the right kind of people surrounds you, you’re bound to strike gold. Since you’re reading this text, you might be thinking about opening an office for your new enterprise. Also, you might be wondering where you will find the perfect office space? Maybe you already have an office, but you’ve noticed it’s time to move your business elsewhere? Whatever the case: we’re here to help you. In other words: we’ll show you how to choose the right location for your business premises. Stay tuned for some quality info.
Who and where are your customers?
If your customers are somehow settled in a specific area, you’ll want to be close to them. Let’s say you’re opening up a souvenir shop. You don’t want to be away from the tourists and place your shop somewhere on the city outskirts where no tourist ever cared to roam (a good idea for an absurdist screenplay, actually). This might be a plain kind of an example, but it gets the job done. Find out the demographic characteristics of your ideal customer and make sure you’re always somewhere nearby.
What about your employees?
If you’re on the lookout for a perfect spot for your office HQ, you might want to consider your employees first, rather than putting your consumers’ needs upfront. Make sure you find a compromise, a solution that will somehow consider every person coming to your office every morning to work. That is a tough one, but it’s not impossible. If there isn’t a way to find a place close enough to each of your employees, try finding office space in a well-connected area by public transport.
Is having competitors as neighbors generally a good thing?
Wondering if it’s alright to place your business premises near your competitors? Well, the answer is not strictly a YES or a NO. For some businesses, having competition nearby is profitable. For others, it’s not. Let’s give an example. A real estate agent can benefit from having an office in a neighborhood that serves as a cluster for many similar businesses. Opening up a grocery store next to a supermarket is an unprofitable idea. Put yourself in the shoes of a customer and think about this thoroughly. You don’t want to settle somewhere where you’ll get eaten by the completion or ignored by potential customers.
Can you afford it?
This is probably the trickiest task: figuring out whether or not you can afford an office relocation to the area of your choice? This includes the monthly rent you’re going to pay and the cost of the physical relocation itself. Commercial moving should be handled by professionals, as every business owner can confirm. Try to cut the costs as much as you can, but not wherever you can. A good moving company is worth the money you’re going to have to say goodbye to.
Did you receive a fantastic offer?
If you get an offer that sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t as good as you imagine. An unreasonably (at first sight, of course) lower price indicates that something isn’t the way it should be. Maybe the properties in that area are pretty vacant, and the place certainly isn’t a professional hotspot or something.
Care for an after-work drink?
A happy employee is a good employee. As a business owner, you probably don’t need a lecture about that. Anyway, choosing to open up or relocate your business to an area that offers many after-work activities for your employees is the way to go. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a local bar (with happy-hour martinis) or a gym (for more serious types). The area needs to be alive, in a way.
If your employees don’t have anywhere to spend their lunch hour, there’s a fair chance it will affect their feelings about the job. At least that’s what we hear from the folks at spydermoving.com, who know how important personal relationships between employees are. If your team doesn’t have a chance to (informally) bond over some drinks, well… You know that yourself.
Is the area safe?
It’s critical you choose an area that hasn’t got a reputation for being unsafe. You wouldn’t install a jewelry shop in a neighborhood notorious for being a bit too much obsessed with criminal activity, would you? Okay, that was a bit far off. Still, you certainly want to think about the safety of the area in which you’re operating a business. First of all, the security of your employees and customers should be your top priority. Secondly, you should protect your office inventory.
A conclusion on how to choose the right location for your business premises
These were some tips on how to choose the right location for your business premises. Hopefully, this article has provided you with enough info to start fresh in a new place. Choosing the (new) site of your (new) business is, as you can imagine, a tough one. One needs to think way ahead. Still, with a bit of clever thinking, planning, and organizing, you’re all set for the ordeal. You won’t have to think twice before choosing the place where you and your employees will enjoy a significant amount of time.
