So, the time has finally come. You’ve worked extremely hard to grow your business, you’ve taken on staff, and now you need to expand your operations into a new location. It’s undoubtedly an exciting time, but also a daunting one. But moving into a new business home doesn’t have to mean a complete dip in your company’s productivity. If you have a good plan, and a few of the right tools, you can make your move as seamless as possible.
Create A Plan Of Attack
As soon as you know the details of the move – what new premises you’re moving to, what work needs to be done to make it suitable for your business and when you’re likely to move in, you can create a project plan for the move to ensure the minimum possible disruption to staff and services. Hold meetings with all your key members or staff, make sure to update everyone on the situation, and think logically about what needs to be organised, moved or put into storage.
Consider Your Budget
Moving locations comes with a few costs attached, so you’ll need to make sure your operational budget accounts for all this. It isn’t just the removal costs. You have to consider any new or additional equipment that is needed, and any adjustments to the new location, from internal reconfiguration to employing a specialise like United Commercial Roofing to make essential repairs to the building. See the move as a chance to upgrade any old equipment and create a fantastic new environment for your company. Anything you choose to purchase new can then be delivered straight to the new premises, meaning less stuff to move as well. Replacing outdated equipment could also give you productivity gains as older, slower technology is upgraded.
Create A Moving Schedule
A clear moving schedule is a huge asset to everyone involved in the move. It can help you to understand how much time you have to pack up and organise your existing location, if it’s possible to access your new space ahead of physically moving in, and what daily tasks will need to be completed in the run up to the move to ensure it all goes smoothly. That way, you don’t run the risks of important tasks being left until the last moment. You may even want to consider transitioning over to cloud based systems if you don’t already use them, so that you can access your data from anywhere – this is not only sensible business practice in the long term, but it minimises any downtime due to the move.
Let People Know
Don’t forget to let your customer know that you’re planning a move. Even if you don’t run the kind of business where clients come to you, it’s good to tip them off in advance that there may possibly be a little disruption to service while you settle into your new location. You may need to organise some temporary signage for your new premises as well. Take an inventory of any suppliers and subscriptions you hold as you’ll need to notify them of your expected move date and new address too.