7 Steps To Take When Moving Your Home Business To The Real World
It couldn’t be easier to start a business. And for that reason, it’s something that a lot of people do. Often, this begins as just a side project that people get started from the comfort of their own homes.
But after the business owner has discovered that they have a viable business on their hands, they typically find that the office at home is no longer adequate, especially if they’ve begun to hire employees. Remote work can be useful, but during the development stage of a venture, it’s best to have people onsite.
In this blog, we’re going to run through some useful tips that’ll help to ensure that your move to a real-world workspace runs as smoothly as possible.
Is It The Right Time?
It can take a lot of time, energy, and money to move into an office. So it’s not something that you’ll want to do before it’s actually needed. As a blossoming company, you should put your energy and money into other areas that’ll help your business to grow.
So how do you know when it’s the right time to make the move from being home business? This is something that you will, in all likelihood, just know. If you’ve outgrown remote work, or you’ve reached a position where you’re relatively sure of your company’s future, then look at making the move.
Finding the Space
Once you know that it’s time to move, you’ll need to get to work on finding the space. There are countless different factors that’ll contribute towards selecting the office that’s right for you.
For instance, you’ll need to think about where your staff is generally traveling from, how much space you need if it’s located near other businesses that you’ll deal with, things like that.
This could take a little longer than you might like, but it’s worthwhile being patient. You don’t want to have to move again because you didn’t get the right place the first time around!
Financial and Legal Requirements
You’ll also need to think about the logistical requirements of securing a lease. Let’s assume that you’re renting. You may need to prove that you have enough revenue to meet the monthly payments, and you may need to get the lease notarized; an online notary can help with this.
As well as the cost of the lease, you’ll need to think about the other expenses that are connected to leasing the building. For example, how much will the bills cost you each month? And how much will it cost to style the office?
Styling the Place
And talking of styling the office, this is something that you’ll most definitely want to do. Most offices are pretty plain when they’re rented. They’ll likely be a little uninspiring — just a collection of desks and chairs. It’s a good idea to look at decorating your office with your branding.
This doesn’t have to be anything overly excessive — it could be something as simple as having your logo featured around the space. But it’s worth it. It’ll help to remind your staff of your branding and also impress your business visitors.
Input From Employees
Remember, you won’t be the only one working at your new worksite. Your employees will, too. So why not take a look at getting some input from them?
If you’ve already made the effort to create a sense of teamwork among your staff, then they’ll likely have a lot of good ideas. Plus, this will help to ensure that they are as excited about making the move as you are. People engage much more when they feel like they have a say in a process.
Be Mindful of Budget
Costs can rise pretty quickly when you’re moving into a workspace. As such, it’s important to keep your budget in mind.
You may consider hiring a project manager to oversee the work — they’ll charge, but they’ll help to keep a tight grip on the financial side of things, plus they can ensure that the move goes through smoothly.
Making the Transition
Finally, remember that you’ll need some time to move your operations over to your new worksite. It’s best to do this gradually. This is because you and your staff will also have other responsibilities that they need to take care of to make sure that the business is running smoothly.
You can gradually move your home business into the new place over a period of a few weeks. It’s also worthwhile thinking of when you’re moving — if there’s a low period in your work, then that would be ideal.
