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As your small business expands there may come a time when you think about moving to bigger premises. It could be that your home office has become too small and you need to expand into a proper office space, or you could be moving to different premises entirely. While this can seem scary it’s often a necessary leap to grow your business.
Is it worth the cost?
Firstly it’s worth making sure you’ve done your sums and the move is viable financially. Lots of business are excited by the prospect of having their own dedicated space only to find business doesn’t increase as much as they thought it would. To save on costs, you could consider a co-working space rather than individual offices.
Plan ahead
Just like with a house move, planning ahead is essential. Make lists of tasks that need to be done and delegate any you are unable to complete yourself. Use a timeline for what needs to be done and when and stick to it. Add contingency plans in case anything goes wrong and work out how best to work around any downtime your business may have during the transition.
Keep any employees informed about what’s happening and how it might affect them.
Will it mean a longer commute?
Is public transport still accessible?
If the move makes life more difficult for some employees you could consider some compromises, such as letting them leave before their contract is up or allowing them to work from home one or two days a week.
Ensure it’s business as usual
If the move means lots of disruption to your business, make your customers and clients aware of this as far ahead as possible. Offer solutions and alternatives if you can. Remember to backup all data and software before computers are dismantled. Ensure important documents such as contracts are copied and stored safely.
Removals
Using a Commercial Removals Company is well worth the money, especially if you have lots of equipment or computers that need moving. As they are experienced in dealing with these items, they will be much quicker and more efficient than you would be. They will also provide a good level of organization such as using coloured coded boxes and some may even help you get up at the other end.
Update Your Address
Firstly you’ll need to update your address with all your suppliers, including but not limited to:
- Insurers (this is extremely important as failure to do so could leave you uninsured)
- Phone and Internet suppliers
- HMRC
- Business Banking
As well as updating your address with clients, you may need to also update it in some other places, such as on your website, email signature, invoices, on business cards and on any other advertising materials. If you have social media for your business you address will need updating there too.
You may also want to let your previous address where they can forward any mail to, or leave them your contact details so they can get in touch with you to arrange to collect it.
Claim Your New Address on Google
Businesses can claim their address on google. This is a useful tool in helping customers find you, as when they search for you they can see exactly where you are on a map without needing your exact address.