Starting a new business is hard, but relocating it might be even harder! You’ve just settled in a new location, created a client base and established your name, and now you have to move. But, where there’s a will, there’s a way, and maybe another location has more potential clients and customers, lower expenses and taxes. You can never know what’s going to happen until you actually do it. However, approach this task carefully unless you want to forget an office desk or an employee or two in the process! Here are three questions you may have while relocating your business.
1. Is Location Important?
Yes, location is quite important. If you want to reach new markets or approach a specific group of potential customers, you have to come to them and make yourselves visible. There’s no other way of doing so than being present in their area and in front of their eyes. On the other hand, there are certain areas offering more skilled employees or experts your business needs. Well-known universities, for example, often connect with local businesses and encourage their students to find jobs at these establishments, thus creating mutual benefits.
Location is the key factor for potential success of your company. It doesn’t matter if you have the product of the highest quality or are offering a service nobody else is if you can’t sell it. Moreover, you have to think about the facilities you occupy – small spaces, undersized buildings, outdated warehouses are all bad for your business, especially once you outgrow them. In that case, moving out is the only option.
2. What about the Employees?
Another thing you have to understand is that not all employees are going to be thrilled with the move. Most of them are probably from the area your business is currently located at, or have families and houses there, together with already organized daily lives. As it usually revolves around their jobs – i.e. your company – even a simple move only a few blocks away might cause a ton of problems for all of them. Not to mention relocating to a new neighborhood or an entirely new city!
Being forced to let some of your workforce go is a hard task, but something you need to expect during the relocating process. If your employees can’t come with you, there’s no use in making them commute for hours or raising their paychecks so that they can afford new homes. What you can do is part ways with them in a professional manner, offer parting bonuses and wish them all the luck in the world in their future endeavors. And, of course, you need to hire new employees, train them and hope that they’ll be at least half as good as your previous ones.
3. How to Get Ready for the Big Move?
Now, once you have definitely decided that it’s time to pack up all your things and start fresh somewhere new, what are your next moves? Since organization is such an important thing in this process, you should make a list of things that need to be done. Such a list should include some of the following:
- Select what you do and don’t need from your old offices.
- Get rid of all the unnecessary items you will replace in your new offices.
- Purchase new office equipment.
- Renovate and prepare the new office space, and make sure you have taken care of the garbage removal at both the old and the new location.
- Find trustworthy and affordable transportation options.
- Try to re-establish your business at a new location even before actually making the move.
- Keep your current business running until the relocation is over.
All of these require careful planning and can’t be done overnight, so try to take them into consideration as soon as possible.
The Expected Results
Unfortunately, not all business relocations turn out to be successful. Maybe the new area has even less potential for your company than the previous one, or maybe you can’t seem to hire proper employees. But, as long as you know how to relocate painlessly, you’ll be able to do so until you reach the success you deserve.