Moving Your Small Business to a New Space

It’s the ideal tech giant scenario: You’ve started up a business out of your garage, become a wild success, and now you are moving your company out to Silicon Valley for more visibility and a larger space.

Okay, maybe you haven’t found the success level of Google, and perhaps you aren’t even a tech company and won’t be moving out to Silicon Valley because your business is located on the East coast. Whatever the case, to grow and expand your operations, you will need to relocate your business — whether it be for a better location and target market, a larger space for services, or both.

Moving your small business is easier said than done; it requires extensive planning, organization, and communication. But, to give your business the space it needs for your growing operations, and subsequently more employees, you’ll need to relocate. Consider the tips below to make the big leap in transferring your business down the street, to a new city, or even moving to a new country.

Moving a Company 

No one likes to move, and in many cases, moving your company will be more work than moving your house. But, if you find that your company is gaining in operations, and employees to fulfill these operations, you need to start thinking about moving your employees to less cramped quarters. Or, maybe you are moving to reach your target consumer audience better. Whatever your reason for relocating your business, it will involve packing it up and moving everything to a new location.

Packing and moving all of the parts of your company — furniture, computers, and many other office supplies — will be extremely difficult and time-consuming to do all by yourself. You might consider asking your employees to help or even hiring a moving company for a much easier time and to help you minimize the damage of your furniture during the move. More hands working on your move can make it go much smoother and keep it manageable.

Employee & Customer Retention 

Depending on availability, some employees may not be willing or able to relocate. Furthermore, you may lose customers since you haven’t communicated that your business was relocating, or you may just be moving too far away. A significant reason for relocating your business is to gain new customers and employees, so why would you want to lose your existing ones in the process? Understanding how to retain your customers and employees during a move will be significant to your success in relocation.

An employee may not be as willing to relocate as much as you are, especially if it’s going to be long distance. If you are going to move your small business, explain to your employees your reasoning for doing so. Offer, if you can, to set up a visit to the new location — maybe they’ll enjoy the unique scenery or find it a better fit for their family if they have to move. Finally, address some financial concerns your employees have by reimbursing them for the move.

These acknowledgments will go a long way in getting your employees onboard to relocate. In the event that an employee is just too valuable to lose, consider hiring them on as a remote employee. Additionally, there is always the option of hiring people for your new location. In this case, you’ll want to recruit employees who will embody the same values of your company and current employees to easily integrate them into your new and growing business.

When it comes to retaining customers, make it as easy as possible for them to know about your moving plans. Social media, email blasts, along with other forms of communication will be instrumental in informing your customers of your relocation. Let your customers know that you are planning to move as soon as you know you are going to move. Don’t forget to include all the pertinent information: your new address, phone number, and other ways they can reach your company.

To show those who can travel to the new location when you are open for business, have a grand opening with sales and promotions. You can even post the grand opening on social media to stay visible to customers who can’t travel to your new location, as well as alert your new customer base. These steps will help you keep the customers you have while marketing your business to your new potential customers.

Higher Costs and Maintenance 

More square footage usually means more money to rent/own, as well as higher upkeep fees. Even your initial costs of packing and moving things from your original location will need to be taken into account. It is vital that before you relocate your office you take everything including tax and property fees into consideration.

In an ideal world, your new revenue from growing operations and an expanding customer base will supplement these fees. The end goal here is to grow your business, not have to shut it down because of these additional costs. Do your homework to make sure you have room in your budget for all of the fees it takes to move your business before you make this critical decision.

Moving your small business to a new location is no small task. However, if your business grows significantly, you’ll have no choice but to find a bigger home for your company. The information above can help you get started on making the proper decisions that come when relocating your business and employees. The decision to move your business usually is because of the joyful outcome that your business is doing well. Make sure that you have the tools and know-how to take on the next chapter in growing your business.