So, it’s come time to say goodbye to the home office. At least, it won’t be your central point of operations now because you’re moving up in the world! You’ve got yourself a commercial office space, likely because you need to scale up. But, any drastic move in business comes with its own risks. What are the road bumps that you would be better off avoiding?
Anticipate Those Overheads
One of the reasons that so many people start a business from home is because of the extremely low overheads involved in running the business. Now that you’re moving, you need to look over the finances of the business again.
Look beyond how you’re going to budget the initial move and any down payments or security funds. What are the costs you have to start considering? Don’t go into a new office without creating a financial plan for how you’ll handle the operating costs.
getting an office for your freelance business
Think About How You’ll Use that Space
A return on investment is what you’re looking to get from any property. In this case, the space has to allow for as much workplace productivity as possible. You and your team have to be able to do the work there that can make up for the costs and then some.
To that end, planning out your space can be one of the most effective steps.
How do you lay out desks?
Do you have zones appropriate for solo work and cooperation?
What resources will the team share and where is the most convenient place in the office for them all?
These are all questions you must consider.
Minimize Your Downtime
You’re going to need to plan some downtime while you move the setup from one business to the next. Planning for it is crucial, but so is making sure you minimize it as much as possible. Pair with commercial movers and find your furniture and tech suppliers well in advance. Make sure the dominoes are all ready to set up by moving day so that when it comes, everything moves as one. The sooner you get yourself set up, the sooner you’re back in business.
running a writing business
Know Your Responsibilities
Once you’re in an office, the responsibilities you deal with change somewhat. Most crucial is the health and safety of the work environment. But you might also be moving from remote freelancers working alongside you to more permanently situated employees, so know their rights and draft up a formal company policy to deal with them. You also have to consider employee morale and relationships from now on, forming a corporate culture that enhances their efforts.
Keep Everyone Updated
If your customers or clients don’t know how to reach you after you’ve moved, you obviously have a major problem. Publicly display the pertinent information on your website and social media. Go through your contacts list and update your most important clients.
There are others you need to inform when changing your business address, too. Don’t forget to keep it all above board by informing the postal service, the federal revenue service, and so on.
Some upheaval, some stress, and some unexpected costs should be anticipated. But so long as you avoid the major problems mentioned above, your move should get you into the next phase of business as quick as possible. Now, it’s about finding your next step upwards.
