When my boss told me that I would be moving a lot for work, I didn't really understand what he meant. I thought he would want me to move once every few years, but he really meant that he wanted me to relocate about once every six months or so for the entire rest of the time I worked for the company. Af first I was pretty upset about it, but after a few relocations, I realized that it was actually a great opportunity to see new places and meet new people. I made this blog to create a better moving experience for everyone out there.
Relocating your business can be a good way to either boost profitability or cut costs. However, moving to a new location isn't as simple as packing up and setting up elsewhere. Rather, there are a vast number of things you need to consider before signing a new agreement. Below are three of the most important decisions you will have to make and help on how to tackle them:
Analyzing the Impact on Your Business
If you're relocating your business, chances are it is in response to your client base or other economic constraints. If you are going through a rough financial period, you may be downsizing or moving to a cheaper location. If you are going through a rapid growth phase, you may be looking for more office space and new markets.
Whatever your reasons may be, you have to consider the long-term impact as well as the short-term financial gain. To make a suitable decision, you will need to carry out a rigorous analysis of your sales and target markets. This will allow you to accurately predict how your relocation will impact your business. To do this properly, you need to look closely at your current clients as well as prospective clients in your new location. It can take take time to establish your business in a new area, so you will need to ensure you take a solid client base with you. After all, you don't want your competition to sweep up the clients you left behind.
Ensuring Your Staff are Happy
When you decide to relocate your business, all of your existing staff need to be brought up to speed immediately. When you break the news to existing employees, they can react in a number of different ways. You may believe that moving your business from a sleepy town to a big city will be great for the atmosphere; however, translating this enthusiasm to each individual employee's life circumstances may be a difficult task.
The best way to ensure that your staff are on board as much as possible is to engage them often and early. Of course, it is you as the owner that has the final say; however, liaising with your staff members early and getting as much feedback as possible will help them understand your reasoning behind the move. A great way to do this is to hold brainstorming sessions with a number of key staff members. For example, hosting a workshop with team leaders would be a great way involve all members of staff, as each leader could present the feedback from their team.
Also, make sure you are active in encouraging feedback throughout the process. Not only will this keep your employees on your side, but it may also generate some great ideas for handling the move.
Calculating How Much Time You Will Need
Relocating a business is a difficult task regardless of the company's size. However, it's just common sense that larger businesses will take a much longer time. When you're moving office, you need to accurately map out each stage of the process. Each case will be different, but you will typically need separate projects for the following tasks:
Deciding on a suitable location
Finding sufficient and acceptable office space
Negotiating the lease or purchase terms
Hiring a design company to develop various ideas
Hiring contractors to fit out the office to your needs
Relocating your equipment and staff
It is imperative that you take the time to think through the relocation on a granular level to avoid encountering pitfalls along the way. Having a proper plan in place will also ensure you minimize costs – even aspects such as moving your furniture can add significant expenditures if you don't plan well enough in advance.
One of the best ways you can minimize expenditures and ensure the relocation goes without a hiccup is to hire a professional corporate moving company. These companies are well versed in handling large-scale relocation and will be able to plan the logistics on your behalf. Not only will this help keep costs low, but it will allow you to focus on the more important aspects of the move – adding value to your company and keeping your team happy!
Share9 March 2017
