Tips for Moving Your Home Business Into an Office

If you’ve been working hard at home, growing your own business but are outgrowing the space, maybe it is time to upgrade your premises. Along with business growth, other areas need to expand too, and that can often mean your means of working. Moving to an office space may come with additional costs, but it also comes with a plethora of benefits. A commercial premise is a smart and exciting move and can look more professional, and help your business establish better visibility within your industry. 

To ensure that your move enhances your business, here are some top tips to help you get started. 

#1 Make sure you are ready to move 

It is important to make sure you are ready, physically to pack up and move. But it is also vital that your business is ready for the move too, which means having the right infrastructure and finances in place. The last thing you want to do is overstretch yourself and end up in financial difficulty. An office is a great move to make when you feel you have outgrown your current home office, to accommodate staff members, host meetings and workshops, and much more. Make sure you are making the moves for the right reasons. You will also need to ensure that other areas of your business can accommodate your anticipated business growth, for example, do you need to invest in new staff to undertake the increased work and customer service? Do you need to switch from a shared server to a VPS to accommodate the increased traffic to your website and internal storage? There are lots of aspects of your business you need to consider. 

#2 Choosing the location is key 

It is easy to find an office for a good price, however, it is more important to consider the location first. Therefore, it is important to look for commercial properties that suit all your requirements. For example, you need to make sure that you can commute there, but it is also in an ideal location for your target customer base (if relevant) and important contractors. If you host regular meetings whereby you expect staff, stakeholders, customers, suppliers, etc. to be attending, you may also consider how close to public transport your premises are to ensure they are easily accessible. If you have a product-based business, a large factor you need to consider is how your location will drive in foot traffic, and perhaps consider locations that are in towns or shopping malls.

#3 Size 

You may have found a small, cozy office that suits the first upgrade of your business, however, you would want to consider where your business is going to be in the next 3, 5, and 10 years. This will help you to locate the right size property, to ensure it accommodates the growth, staff, and space your business needs. It will also help when it comes to signing a contract or a lease for the property, to ensure that if you plan on moving, you can. If you have to get somewhere bigger to accommodate plans, you can always consider letting out part of the space to help with money until you are ready to use it. 

Moving your home business into an office is an exciting new step, just make sure you are prepared to do so.