When setting up a new business, the location and environment it operates out of are particularly important. Often, you are trying to find an ideal place that is appropriate for everyone working there, and is easily reachable for the key employees and executives, while being in budget. Here are the considerations worth taking note of when you are creating somewhere your business can operate out of:
Think about clients
If you are the kind of firm that entertains a lot of clients, you will likely want an appropriate suite to welcome them into, with upmarket seating and something to impress them. If you are occupying a floor in the building, it may be wisest to take up the top floor that has some sort of view over the city. If you are, for example, working with a lot of banks and financial institutions, it may be wisest to install yourself in the financial district of the city. However, if you are more likely to be dealing with government employees and networking with the public sector, you may want to think about if you want to base yourself out of Washington.
Business needs
Depending on what your business does, you may have different things to think about. For example, if you have premises that are likely to have important confidential documents or objects of high-value inside, you are likely to want to think about a commercial security fence. If you advise a manufacturer, you may want to base yourself on-site, by the manufacturer. If you need to have a lot of meetings, you may want to have large breakout areas, or indeed meeting rooms. All these things can end up being really crucial in the day-to-day running of your business.
Think about your employees
Of course, it is not just about those you serve – it is also about keeping your staff happy. If you have a lot of staff who have specific needs, you may want to think about them – for example, will you need multiple disabled toilets when you consider how many would need to use them? Will your staff want a location that is easy for them to get to, and has plenty of seats that can be assigned to different staff? Or will some employees prefer to work at home some days, meaning there can be hot-desking and you won’t need as large a space for them. All these things are worth considering.
It can feel annoying and frustrating to have to consider so much when you are setting up your business. There is a tightrope to be walked, very often, between what your clients want, what is best for your business, and what your employees may demand. But trying to think about these things from the outset can save lots of time down the line, and be really helpful for the kind of product or service you are trying to provide. As the saying goes: “location, location location”!
