Let me tell you a story about a business person I knew a few years ago. She had a small home business, and she worked hard with a great business plan. After two years her business had outgrown her home. She needed more space for inventory and quite frankly it was embarrassing having customers come over to her house to discuss business.
She needed industrial property, an office where her business could have a professional face and room to grow, so she went out looking, talked to countless leasing agents, and finally “settled” on a small office slightly out of her price range in a rather depressed section of town.
Six months later she realized her new office was not meeting her needs, but of course she had signed a one-year lease, so she was stuck.
And six months after that she was out of business, another sad story of misguided intentions in the business world.
There is a valuable lesson to be learned from my friend’s experience: rent an office which meets your needs!
And how do you do that?
You begin with a list of your needs. If you are reading this article then you somehow relate to this topic, so go ahead and make a list now. What would you like in an office? What do you need in an office? What can you afford in an office space for lease? These are important questions so take your time answering them. The future of your business just might depend on your answers and your response to those answers.
Okay, you’ve got your list. It undoubtedly includes price. All business people have a budget, and the leasing price is a very important factor to consider. Don’t budge on this item. It’s a deal-breaker and your business future depends on it.
Next on your list, we’re betting, is location. Again, a deal-breaker for a small business; unless you are selling a product or service people are willing to search for, you need to have your office either in a location where similar businesses are located, or in a location of very high-traffic. The wrong location can be a kiss-of-death, so choose wisely.
Once you get those two deal-breakers out of the way, you can concentrate on some of the secondary concerns. What size office do you need? Do you need room for storage as well, inventory, that sort of thing? Will there be any small manufacturing happening at your location? Perhaps you need an office warehouse instead of an office? What is your projected growth for the next year? Two years? Three years? Does the office have room for expansion?
What amenities do you need? Wi-Fi of course, but what else? These are secondary needs which oftentimes make the difference between a place to work and a place to inspire, so make sure you get as many of these as you can.
Happy hunting! If you want to see what a nearly-perfect business park looks like, one which can meet all of the needs and desires of practically any small business, do a Google search for Box Office Warehouse Suites.
Welcome to Utopia! Welcome to the shipping container revolution!
