How To Choose The Right Office For Your Small Business

As you grow your business you will most likely reach the point where you want to look at expanding into a purpose made office and possibly to hire employees and grow your operation into something more official.

Google’s HQ basically define what a nice office space is!

Moving into an office for the first time can feel daunting and exciting, but it is also important to plan carefully and avoid making mistakes which could limit your future growth.

Fortunately, this post is about just that:
6 simple things to consider before signing the lease!

Where Do You Want To Be?

If you already have any employees then it is worth considering where they live and trying not to cause too much upheaval for them. Obviously an office close to home is ideal if there is something suitable.

You should also consider the location; some areas are cheaper than others, but sometimes with good reason. Hopefully you already know the area where you live, so do consider security and ensure that you are in an area where you will feel comfortable.

Finally, transport links may be worth considering:

Although it may not matter so much now, having a location near to bus and rail links may make hiring easier in the future.

Consider Building Security

Again, location is important, but the security of the actual office building will matter too; particularly if your business uses a lot of expensive technology or equipment. There is a lot you can do to make your business more secure”

An office within a building rather than being on its own may be more secure and benefit from having neighbors to look out for one another. In addition, safer offices and safer areas will probably mean that your insurance costs less. Management can look into implementing window tints from Campbell Window Film, to help with keeping windows from being shattered due to riots or potential break-ins. This adds an extra layer of security.

Consider Employees

Chances are good that eventually you will want to hire staff (if you don’t already) and as your business grows so will your employee base.

Your first office will be tricky because you want to find something that is cheap enough to afford now, but has enough space to grow into – after all, what if you need to move in 6 months time because you run out of space?

If you can find an office in a purpose built building you should find out whether there is the possibility to move to a bigger / smaller office within the same building if and when you need to – this would be a big plus.

What About Comfort?

As well as physically fitting them in, you will also need to keep your staff (and yourself) comfortable. Choosing a less than comfortable space to save money could be a huge mistake because if you and your employees are not comfortable they won’t be as productive. Something as basic as an air conditioning unit can make a real difference to your employees and this page from a Philo HVAC company might help you find a solution that will work for your office. By not having these essentials, your staff will feel uncomfortable and unappreciated.

A decent modern office should as a minimum:

Have working heating – which is effective
Have draught free windows and doors
Have a secure entrance
Have air conditioning for the warmer months
Be warm but not too warm
Be relatively free from noise
Generally be in a good state of repair

And Of Course Costs

Hopefully the above points have demonstrated that costs are not everything and that in fact invest a little more now could pay off. But even so, small businesses do need to consider costs, so don’t forget to factor in these items:

How much is the rent?
Do you need to buy/rent furniture?
How much will it cost to heat?
What about keeping it cool?
Are business rates payable?
Don’t forget about insurance”

About The Author

Hi there, this post was written by me. My name is George and I work at Andrew’s Air Conditioning Services. We provide repair and maintenance services for every type of office air con system. Thanks for reading!

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