Location, Location, Location – What do you need to consider when choosing an office?

officeLocation can often form a large part of the success of a business – even for online businesses.

Having the right kind of office environment is important for both customers and staff and can create the vital impression and branding that you will need to propel your business.

For online businesses, it’s not only the best staff environment you are creating but there is an increasing use of google street maps to take a look at businesses and check out where they are.  So whatever location you choose, choose it well.

Here’s a little help with how to go about making the decision.

The Local Area

The local area you choose needs to be in keeping with the business brand.

There is no point having a high class business based in a rundown area so you need to think of your target market and the type of place they would access.

It’s good to look at what else is in the area. What other businesses are there locally.

Although you don’t want to set up next to some direct competition, having some indirect competition in the area could attract potential customers.

Accessibility

You need to choose an office which is accessible in every way.

Customers need to be able to see and access the business and it also needs to take into consideration your customer’s needs.

If your main customers are elderly, do you really want your office to be 5 storeys up in the air?  Look at how people are able to travel to the site as well.

How are the travel routes to the business?

Also consider parking, both for customers and for staff, both will want to be able to park with ease when coming to the office.

Future Plans of the Area

You need to check out what the area is planning on doing in the future.

Is it an area with a lot of investment going into it in the next few years or is it somewhere that is likely to remain as it is?

Locating in an up and coming area will give you the option of getting in first before the local economy is boosted and prices of properties go up.

Your Employee’s

When setting up or moving office a vital thing to consider is your employees.

Are they all able to travel to the new area – if not you could find yourself loosing valuable employees.

Make sure you include them in decisions and help them to ensure the new office environment is somewhere they can settle easily.  An unsettled workforce will reduce business productivity.

And look at the local area possibilities for future employees.

Is the area a suitable option for future employees with a pool of talent such as university graduates.

Local Infrastructure

You need to consider the state of the internet connection in the area – being out in the country is a nice location for some businesses but without the internet access you are unlikely to be able to work properly.

Having a fibre optic, DSL or T1 line are your ideal options to give you the best connectivity.

The Office Itself

You need to consider how the office itself is set up.

Has it got sufficient heating and air conditioning?  Is it already decorated?  Will current office furniture fit in the office?  Are phone lines already available?

There are a lot of extra costs to be considered when moving into a new office so what is currently available will play an important part of your decision.

You need to be able to move within a set budget so that everything is provided from the start, and not when the money flows in down the line.


In the end it will come down to the desirability vs. affordability and you need to create a balance between this.

You need to have a business strategy in place which defines the future of the business and how it intends to grow in the next 5 years.  This will contribute strongly to where you move your office to.

Being able to consider all the above options will help you choose a location that is best for business, staff and customers.

And don’t forget – your going to need some new promotional products once you’ve moved in to market yourself with.

Office location is key, so plan carefully and think ahead!

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