Business Relocation
How To Plan A Stressfree Business Relocation
Moving to a new office can be a lot of work and a logistical headache. However, there are a great many reasons why your business may want to move to new premises.
As your company grows, you may find that you just don’t have the space needed in your current location for you and all of your team to work. You may have outgrown the space physically. You may have also outgrown the space as a brand. Your current site might not give off the right impression about you as a business, or, it may not be in a location that is convenient for your clients or customers.
Whatever the reason for your move, you should tackle the whole process of moving in a pragmatic fashion. There will be lots to think about and to do.
In this article, we’ll talk you through some of the steps that you will need to take in order to move your business to a new site. We’ll also give you a timeline so that you can prepare in advance.
Finding The Right Location For Your Business
Finding the right location is vital for your business. Don’t forget that you will need to think about the long term future of your business when it comes to finding the right location. This means looking for a place that will serve you well for a long time into the future.
Moving to a new site is expensive and at the same time, can cause your business to have a drop in productivity and sales. Ideally, you should find somewhere that will become a permanent home for your business. If you need to relocate again and again, then this will be problematic.
Look for somewhere that is big enough for now, but that has enough room for your projected growth. You will also need to think about the location. Is it easy enough for your employees to get to? Will it be convenient for customers to come to you? What are transport links such as main roads, buses, and trains like to the site?
Find an agent that can help you find a location that specifically meets all of your requirements and have the agent negotiate with the landlord to ensure that you get the best deal possible on your rent and business rates.
Planning The Move
You should start planning the actual move around six months in advance. Start off by organizing all of your key documents relating to the move. This will mean sorting out insurance, contracts, and any agreements that need to be put in place.
Get in early and start getting quotes from business removals companies. You will need to be sure that you have the assistance that you need and that you get it for the right price so the earlier you are able to get this booked, the better.
A few months before you are due to move, you can announce that you are going to be moving to a new site. You should ensure that your employees are aware of the move before you tell your customers. You can tell your employees in person in the form of a presentation or via newsletter or email.
You should aim to tell your employees as much about the planned move as possible. This will make it easier for them to understand what will happen and when it will happen.
You should also consult with your team to try and find out what they would like from the new workplace. They may want new equipment or have suggestions that will improve the performance of the company.
Set a budget that will cover your moving costs. Make sure that it is a feasible budget and that it will reasonably cover all of your expenses. There is no point cutting corners when it comes to moving as you will want the event to go as smoothly as possible. Make sure there is a contingency in your budget in case anything goes wrong or you go over budget.
Talk to the key players in your team to organize and establish workflow strategies that are related to the move. You will somehow need to keep the business operating while you carry out the actual move.
When Is The Best Time To Move?
There is no perfect time to move as you will need to continue to trade while you do so, however, you should pick your quietest quarter to plan and execute the move. Look at the previous year’s performance and base your decision to move based on that.
If at all possible, carry out the actual move on a weekend or a day that you would not normally be open. That way, you can minimize the impact that it will have overall.
Packing And Preparing For Your Move
From around three months before you are due to move, you should start to pack up your workplace. Start to get the boxes and crates that you will use to pack up your office. Think about what you need to pack and choose the right option.
Work out where the vans or trucks will need to pull up in order to load and unload at both your old site and your new site.
Hire a cleaning company to come and clean out your old office once you have left there.
The Actual Relocation
In the remaining weeks before your move, you will need to pack up all of your office ready for your move. You may need to get your team to work extra to help with the move. Make sure that you offer overtime whenever possible to ensure you get the job done as smoothly as possible.
The better the planning has been for your move, the smoother it will go.
Once you are in your new location, you will need to focus on unpacking and settling in. This may take several weeks, so expect a bit of upheaval while you all adapt to your new surroundings.
