Choosing an Office/Inventory Space

To start and grow your business, seeing the words “Office Space Available/For Rent” can trigger elation, dread, curiosity, a combination of all three or even that “Aha!” moment in both positive and negative ways. Whether you’re looking to downsize, upgrade, or expand, there are many points to ponder.

Take a look at these office space considerations:

Downsizing

If you’re looking to downsize your company, you’ll want to ask these important questions:

  • Does your company have more space than it needs? 
  • Are you overpaying for basics such as square footage, utilities, internet and more? 
  • Do you need less space for your actual inventory products?

Upgrading

If business is booming, you’ll want to consider an upgrade to your physical space. Important items to think about include:

  • Is your location or are your locations running out of room and becoming crowded?

Rapid influx of new or even former customers, along with slow, but steadily increasing consumer demand often causes a need for additional space, even with commonly used reorganization practices. 

Choosing office space can be compared to a game of checkers as to which move you should make first.

Major questions that both you and those in your closest personal and professional circle(s) are:

  • Is your current or even future location likely to be admired by your customers and/or competitors? 
  • Is the location as catching and convenient as possible and are you able to follow cleanliness standards along with popular or breakthrough style trends? 
  • Can you choose a well-populated area, especially for maximum in-person and online engagement that could also accommodate on-site and/or virtual events?
  • Are there shops that have similar looks, values, and clientele? 
  • Is the area well maintained and insurable?
  • Can you make your location disability accessible and apply inclusive community standards/movements including Pride Month, Black Lives Matter and more?
  • Ultimately, how will you stand out?
  • If your business moves to a virtual office, how can you evaluate your successes?

Making this type of change can be overwhelming, but by asking the right questions and careful considerations, you’ll be ready to take the next steps!

Written by blog contributor, Amber Chisholm