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What You Need to Know When Changing Office Locations

Businesses change locations for many different reasons – be it expanding, scaling down, or moving interstate or internationally. However, moving offices is not something to be taken lightly, and often requires a fair bit of planning and consideration.

1- Location

The location you will want your office to be will mostly depend on what type of business you are running. There are usually 3 audiences to consider when selecting a location: employees, clients and investors/partners/owners. It’s important to consider all three of these groups when deciding where your prime office location would be. For example, if your business model demand clients visit your location, then accessibility is key.

Think about a central location, with high foot traffic and public transportation and/or parking. Unfortunately, these are often the most difficult offices to nab. A serviced office can be a good compromise for this situation. If you make Servcorp your business home, it will means your business’ office will be in a perfect location, for a fraction of the price and hassle.

Conversely, many startup companies, especially in the tech industry, need to be close to potential and current investors – a la Silicon Valley. Being in convenient and close proximity to advisors and other key groups can be important in bringing your product out of the planning stages and into development.

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2- Atmosphere

The raw square footage is not the only thing you need to think about when moving offices; the atmosphere in general is just as, if not more, important. It’s always a good idea to categorize the usable as opposed to the usable square footage. For instance, an irregularly shaped office will fit fewer desks than a square one. As well as this, think about if there is any room for potential growth. Cast your projections ahead for 6-12 months, and beyond. How many more staff do you see joining your business?

What distractions are apparent? Is the space right next to a bustling highway? Is there adequate temperature control for the climate? Ensure the office allows employees to focus properly on their jobs. Another distraction to consider is the office acoustics. Phone calls, conversations and repair work can be just as distracting to employees as a highway. These are all things you need to think about when moving office locations.

3- Cost

There’s no two ways about it, offices are expensive. Of course, we would all have the perfect office if we could. However, if this is your first business’ venture out of your basement, your 5 star office may have to wait. The primary cost to consider is, obviously, rent. That’s not to say that other financial items – such as setup, bills, internet and equipment – should be forgotten.

Lastly, when negotiating pricing, it’s  strongly recommended that you get your prospective office space looked at by a certified property inspector to ensure you’re leasing what you think you’re leasing, and to ensure the roof doesn’t literally fall in on your employees.

4- Update your details

Lastly, once you have confirmed your business is changing office locations, you will need to do all the appropriate administration to go along with it. Firstly, try and keep your current phone number to minimise the sheer amount of details you’ll have to update. Next you’ll need to inform the government, your clients, your employees and any other related parties that your physical address is changing.

Last, but certainly not least, you’ll need to update your website, your business cards, as well as every other piece of marketing your business has put out into the world. The last thing you want is to confuse the public of your whereabouts!

If you’re moving offices, for whatever reason, don’t miss a beat. Ensure you know just exactly what you need to take notice of. Think about the location and atmosphere you want, as well as the budget that you can afford. Lastly, don’t forget to let everyone know about the move!

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