Being systematic and realistic before choosing the perfect location for your business is incredibly important, especially if your business is small. Before you start shopping for that ideal place for your business, you need to have a clear picture of what exactly you want to have.
Think about how much you want to pay for business space, what you won’t tolerate, and what exactly you would like to have. This can be a time-consuming process, but it’s a necessary one, and it will save you a lot of time and money in the future.
Visibility
Visibility is important, and setting up your business in an area with high car or foot traffic would be ideal. Having your sign visible to many people on the street is basically free advertising.
Keep in mind that many cities have incredibly strict zoning requirements, so make sure that your business is allowed in an area you like before you start shopping for business space there.
Competition
According to some experts, you should look your competition straight in the eye. Opening your business right next door to your competitor can actually bring customers to you. By being really close to your rivals, you’ll be able to profit from their marketing efforts.
Why should you spend the money when they already did that? This is especially important if your business is small, and you’re competing with a big company. There’s a big chance that a ‘perfect’ customer will choose to do business with you, simply because your competitors are too busy or overwhelmed with work.
Public perception
Asking about the history of other businesses in an area is a must. If there was already a company that offered services similar to those you want to offer, and it’s closed now, you should probably avoid locating your business there. You can also ask around why exactly that company failed. Sometimes businesses have issues that are not connected with the location.
Accessibility
People are incredibly lazy, and that’s the truth. There’s no way around that. For example, if you’re opening a restaurant, and you want to serve many customers on a daily basis, you need to have a parking space right in front of your restaurant.
If you’re opening an office, then you only need a few parking spaces for your employees and potential clients, but in any other case, you’ll need a big parking lot.
Switching locations
Only a handful of people on this planet enjoy packing boxes and lugging furniture, and you’re probably not one of them. Moving your business to a new place can be a painful process if you decide to do everything by yourself.
Some companies offer professional and affordable truck rental services, and they’ll make the process of moving your business feel like a dream. The only thing you need to do is contact them, lift your legs up on the table, and wait for them to finish the job.
Finances
Obviously, money is the most important thing when it comes to any business. Research all kinds of taxes and consider how much you’ll be paying your workers. Maybe you’ll save money by finding a location for your business somewhere else.
You should also know that very few places are business ready – most of them need renovation, decoration, even IT support implementation, and many other things.
If you plan on leasing a property, make sure you have a good lawyer who can negotiate your lease. By doing that you’ll save a lot of money in the long term.
Do your homework before moving your business to a new location. Ask real estate agents even seemingly small and unimportant questions. Protect yourself by knowing absolutely everything about the location where you plan to set up shop.
