Your business isn’t getting the traffic that you hoped it would get when you first moved in. Guess it’s time to throw in the towel and move to a new location. You started doing your research and there is an area where your business would probably thrive.
The problem is that its miles upon miles away from your current location. Still, you can’t afford to not move. Telling your employees is going to be rough but surprisingly it won’t be the toughest part.
Keep reading for a few long-distance moving tips that will make relocating your company go as smoothly as possible.
1. Create Your Plan of Action
Every office move starts with a plan of action. Start making your to-do list months in advance. This will keep you organized and stop you from forgetting something crucial to the move.
When you have a checklist in front of you it will keep you on a time schedule as well. Make sure to add everything to it from choosing your movers to throwing a celebration party in your new office space.
2. Set Your Budget
So, we’ve established that you’re making a long-distance move which isn’t going to be cheap. Still, there are ways that you can cut down costs if the need arises.
Create a checklist of all the expenses that you’ll need to factor into this move. Go online and get pricing quotes from movers and office cleaners. Once you’re finished, you’ll know how much money you should be putting back in order to make the move happen.
3. Look for a New Office Space
Before you can move, you need a new office space to move to. There are quite a few things that you should consider when looking for your new building. Research to find out how much competition you have in the area.
Once you’ve done that, narrow things down by figuring out how much business your competition gets. If they’re getting quite a bit then that means there’s a demand for your product at least. Next, there’s size.
You want an office building that’s going to be big enough to house all your office furniture and employees without being too cluttered.
4. Let Your Employees Know
Now comes one of the hardest parts. Telling your employees that you’re moving the company a long-distance away. Some of them may elect to move along with the company but not everyone is going to be able to.
Regardless, it’s important that you keep your workers up to date on the move. Give them information on a week by week basis, even if it’s something small like listing off the local lunch places.
5. Hire a Moving Company
You could move your stuff yourself but it will be a lot of work. You also don’t have the qualifications to ensure all your belongings will reach your new office in one piece. That’s why it’s so important for you to hire office or commercial movers.
They’re trained to get your stuff to the new office with minimal hangups. You just have to choose the right movers.
Do some research online to get different quotes to be sure you get the best price. Check out reviews from other customers so you know the company you’re hiring is reputable. Don’t be afraid to have a list of questions at the ready when you’re calling around as well.
6. Put Your Extra Supplies in Storage
So, you get all your things to the new office and realize that the new one is much smaller than your old one. It’s no big deal, it’s still able to hold all your employees. The only thing is now you have all this extra office furniture.
You could get rid of it or you could seek out the help of a storage service. If you put that extra furniture in storage, you can ensure that it will stay safe until you need it again.
7. Hire a Cleaning Service
You should leave your old office building in the same state it was before you moved in. The best way to make sure things are tidy is to hire a cleaning service. Some building managers provide this service but if they don’t, you’ll have to do it.
You should also hire a second cleaning service to clean up at your new place and get up anything that the previous owner left behind.
8. Choose the Right Packing Strategy
Packing is the longest part of any move. Some commercial movers will handle the entire process for you. If yours doesn’t, you’ll need to gather the boxes, duct tape, bubble wrap, paper, and markers and set to work yourself.
Whatever you do, label all of your boxes. This will make unpacking at the new building go a lot faster.
9. Connect the Utilities at the New Place
You’ve finally unpacked the last box of office supplies but your job isn’t done yet. Before you can start throwing the office party, you’ve got to connect all of your utilities.
Go seek out the local electricity, water, and internet companies to get a jump on it ASAP.
10. Plan Your New Workplace Decor
The and the way you arrange the furniture at the new office matters. It will have a huge impact on the productivity of your employees.
Let’s take a look at color theory as an example. You could leave the walls white but it can come across as too sterile and corporate. Go for something more vibrant to get your employees excited about working.
Long-Distance Moving Tips for Your Small Business
Moving your business to a new location is never easy. Not only do you have to tell your employees about the move but you also have to worry about packing, hiring movers, hiring cleaners, and planning your set up at the new place. Use these long-distance moving tips for businesses to make your move as stress-free as possible.
Here are more tips from The Packing Store.
