Moving can be complicated, especially when you’re trying to move a whole business. Whatever your reasons are, when you’re moving a business, you can expect a few problems to come up. This is true if you’re a new business and you’re just moving from your own home, or garage, to a new office, but even more true when you’re moving a large business. Here are a few tips and tricks, from certified NYC movers, about moving a business the right way.
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Prepare Early
One of the things that is true for when you’re moving a business and when you’re moving apartments is to prepare as early as possible. That means starting to look for a new office space at least four months in advance, maybe even longer. This is that you’ve got enough time to find the perfect office space for your needs, instead of having to deal with a place that is not suited to your requirements.
Keep in mind that moving offices isn’t going to be easy, and you might just see a drop in the productivity of your employees if it’s not handled well. If you want to avoid that, then planning for your move in advance is required. Ideally, you should start planning your move before your office space becomes cramped and unwieldy.
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Consider Your Budget
Another thing to consider when moving offices is your budget. If you’re just moving into an office from your own home or garage, then maybe don’t splurge on a large office; it’s simply not required. If you’re a big firm and your current office is cramped, then you might not have a choice in the matter. It’s important to keep in mind expenses, and especially how expensive a lease can get.
Location is also important, and going for an office space in a central location might not be worth it, especially when taking into account the costs. Of course, it’s not ideal to have our office placed too far away from where your employees live. This is why proper budgeting is a must, and why preparing early is also necessary. If you plan ahead, and take into account proper budgeting practices, you might just find the office of your dreams.
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Tell Your Employees About the Planned Move
Don’t take your employees by surprise by moving without giving them a heads up, it’s definitely not in your best interest. Tell them as soon as you start planning the move, so they know what to expect. Also, consider giving them the ability to work from home in order to avoid productivity losses, or maybe even giving them some days off. They will definitely appreciate it, and a happy employee is definitely a more productive one.
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Hire a Moving Company
If you’re moving apartments, you might get away with a car and a few friends, but this just won’t cut it when moving offices. No matter if you’re a new business moving into your first office, or a big one needing a larger space, a moving company to handle your move is a must. Be careful who you hire though, look at reviews online, maybe even hire by word of mouth, as any office has fragile equipment, such as computers, laptops and sensitive documents, that must be handled with care.
Unless you’re planning on furnishing your new office from the ground up, a moving company will also make it much easier to move all of your company’s furniture to a new place. Besides physically carrying all of your stuff, they will also deal with parking regulations, plan a good route through, in order to avoid traffic jams, and insure your goods in case any damage occurs.
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Take the Time to Negotiate Your New Lease
This is an important aspect of moving, true when you’re switching apartments and even truer when switching offices. Never take the asking price at face value, your new landlord will most definitely be open to negotiations, especially when it comes to such high-value leases. No matter if your business is young or old, a good lawyer is indispensable, and you could do worse than hiring one.
Carefully take the time to read through the leasing contract together with your lawyer. Make sure to also read the fine print, just in case there are some hidden clauses in there that might come to bite you later on. Take your time, don’t rush into a lease without knowing everything beforehand.