How to Find a New Location for Your Business

Not only the move itself, but the planning about where you are going to go – this is your chance to start afresh in a brand-new place, so make the most of the opportunity.

Location

The first thing that will often come to mind when it comes time to move your business is where to go. Where are you going to go? Some businesses are location dependent (more so if the name of the company incorporates the name of a town or county) so it is essential that they stay in or near their present geographical area. Others are less restricted, and if now is the time to move into a new city (or a new country altogether) you should consider it. You should use this as an opportunity to assess what you really need to have in your new space, which is less of a hassle than you might expect; simply store your equipment off site until your new site is up and ready to go, then you can move the relevant furniture and equipment in.

The Customer

You've found a great office – it's perfect; just the right size, in the right place, and the cost works with your budget too. Will your customers like it though? If your business relies on customers being able to get to you, and stay in your shop or office for a reasonable amount of time, you will need to make sure they can do just that. What is the parking like? Is it restricted? Are there good public transport links? You don't want to lose the footfall that you may have been relying on, so it's important to check this out. These factors will also be important to your employees – they will need to be able to park to get to work, or there must be a bus route or train station nearby. If they can't get to you, your business will have problems.

Cost

You must have a budget in mind before you begin your big move. There are more costs involved than you might realise at first. There is the rental cost, of course, and this could be the most expensive – and you may need to pay a deposit too, making the first month's rental around double what it will usually be. You will need to time your move carefully so that you don't end up paying two sets of rent. On top of the rent you will need to disconnect from your old utilities and open accounts for new suppliers, and you will need to look into business rates. If you have stationery with your company's details on it, that will all need to be changed too so that your new address is shown. Have a website? Make sure it's updated; if you don't know how to do it yourself, you will need to hire a professional to hep you.