12 Things Business Owners Need To Be Aware Of When Moving Locations

If you are a business owner and you have done all you can do with your company in your current location then you may be keen to move to another location. There can be a lot of prep involved with moving. You need to decide whether you are moving your whole business and closing the existing one down or branching out to new places. There are pros and cons to both these options so you need to weigh these out before deciding. If you do decide to pack up your entire business and move elsewhere, take a look at the article below to find out how to do this.

Why You Are Moving

One of the first things you need to decide is why you are moving. There may be many reasons leading up to a move but it is usually due to financials or customer leads. If you think your business will do better elsewhere then this might be the reason for you moving. It is a huge job so you have to be 100% sure that it is definitely something you want to do.  

Budget For The Move

Figure out how much you have to spend on the move. This should include however much rent or deposit you need to put down for your new office space. It should also include rentals, storage, and pay for anyone that offers to help in their free time. Make sure you are writing it all down so you know where the majority of your budget will be going and to ensure you have enough to make the move possible. 

Know The Timeline

You may be unsure how long a move like this will take, typically a business move can take between four and eight weeks to complete from start to finish. This involves everything from solving legal issues to moving furniture into its new home. If you don’t have much time to play with and you don’t want to be without customers or sales for this long a time then consider delaying your move until you hit a quiet period. Make sure everyone who works alongside you and with you is aware of the timeline of events leading up to and including the move. 

Find A New Location

Now is the time to shop around and find your new business location. If you are not very good at finding suitable places or the ones you are looking into don’t fit into your business budget then you might need to speak to a realtor. A commercial realtor will have a list of properties on their books all with their own unique features. You need to ideally know what you want so you can pass this information onto your realtor. Do you need a bathroom and kitchen on the same floor or are you happy to travel for this. Will you need elevator access or do you want a ground floor business? These are all things you need to consider before you start looking around as every business has differing needs. 

Design The Layout

When you have your new location then it might be worth taking a closer look at the layout and designing where everything will go. You may have done this for your previous location and it worked out quite well. The last thing you want is to not have enough room and everyone is then packed in like sardines. Will you have everyone together or will you have a sales team and secretaries in two different areas? Consider which works best, not only for you but for your employees and clients as well. 

Hire Removal Team

How are you going to get your items from A to B when the time comes? You may need to hire a removal company to drive all your things to their new location. This includes desks, appliances, tech, and potentially client information. Make sure the removal team you use has experience handling sensitive information relating to businesses. You can read reviews and check prices to see which company is best to use. 

Have Employees Pack 

Make sure you are always keeping your employees updated with the plans of moving the business elsewhere. They will want to know when they are moving and how far away they are moving to, if you have employees that don’t drive then this could prove tricky for them. Giving them notice allows for employees to look for new work if they aren’t able to commit to your new location. The ones that are moving with you, you could ask them to help you pack everything up. Ensure you are keeping an inventory of items that get packed and which boxes they have gone into. This will help if you are still planning on working and sending items out when you are closed. 

Hire Self Storage 

How much stuff do you have to move? If you have a lot then you might want to consider hiring a self storage locker until you are ready to start moving things like boxes and furniture to your new location. Self storage is a great idea especially if your lease is up and you don’t want to pay any more rent until your new location and contract take over. Self storage lockers come in a range of sizes so it might be worth taking a trip to your local one to see how they can help you. 

Alert Suppliers

If you have suppliers that deliver to you then you will need to tell them that you plan on moving very soon. If you are automatically signed up to receive deliveries then it might be worthwhile pausing these until you have moved. The last thing you want is to be receiving orders to a business that has closed down as this could still be costing you money. Suppliers will update their records and if they cover your new address then you can continue receiving your deliveries from them. 

Communicate With Clients

You will need to inform your clients of your planned move, especially if you rely on foot traffic to drive up your sales and profits. If you aren’t moving too far away then your existing customers and clients may follow you to your new location. That way you know you will still make some sales when you first open. However, moving to a new area could be an exciting time for potential customers. They may see signs about your business and anticipate shopping with you when you open. 

Internet Connections

When you move to a new location you may be able to take your existing internet connection with you. You need to inform your provider of the plan and when you are moving, make sure you give enough notice for this as you don’t want to be without internet when you reopen. There can be up to a two week wait for new internet connections to be sorted. Alternatively, if you have time on your hands and you are out of an internet contract then you could shop around for a new provider. Make sure the internet connection in your new area is strong enough to cope with your demands as a company. 

Security Concerns 

Finally, you need to look into any security concerns that other businesses have had in the area you are moving to. If there are a higher number of break-ins then you need to mentally and physically prepare for this. You may have had security guards in your previous location, if this is the case then they may just follow you to your new location. If you hired them from an outside agency then you will need to find another reputable team to look after your company both during the day and through the night. 

We hope you found this article helpful and that it gave you plenty of tips and tricks on how you can move your business to a new location without too many hiccups along the way.