Starting a new business involves a lot of work before you even get started; you have to come up with a business plan, find funding, sort out a budget, and figure out how to keep the doors open beyond the first year. One thing you should work into your budget is a space to work. While it might be cheaper to work at home in the beginning, there will come a time when your business has to go out into the real world. The office you choose as your main headquarters will be the face of your company, so it’s important to get it right.
Things to consider when opening an office
Location
As a business owner, you want to have a good location to attract customers, but you should also consider the needs of your future employees. Your staff will be commuting to work, so the obvious question for big city center offices is how close the nearest subway or rail line is, but consider bus, bicycle and automobile routes, too. You should also consider telecommuting as an option if you want to attract talent from all over the country; it could also save you money on rent if you don’t need a huge space. If your business relies on interaction with customers, then you’ll also want it somewhere visible. High street offices might cost more in rent, but if it gets more people in the door then it might balance out.
Clutter
A small office feels even more cramped if you’re crowded by boxes, old documents, unopened packages, and miscellaneous junk. If you only do one thing to make the office a welcoming environment, it should be clearing out the clutter and putting everything in its place. This means keeping everything in drawers, files, or cabinets. Your employees shouldn’t fear being crushed and suffocated by a mountain of paperwork before they’ve even started on their own work.
Details
Technology is the best colleague all small businesses can have, because can make make everything run more efficiently; if it works. We’ve all felt the panic when your computer experiences a technical fault with an upcoming deadline, and it will only feel worse if your first customers are waiting on your to send them products. Avoid all the deadline panics by stocking your office with the latest computer hardware and software, or make it possible for everyone to bring their laptops from home and connect to a business mainframe. Also, as your employees are going to be in the building for around eight hours per day, why not make them more comfortable by providing a fridge and a kettle for snacks.
Desks
Healthy employees are productive employees, so as their boss you should be concerned about their working conditions. When buying the office furniture, you should pay particular attention to the chairs. Each chair should be comfortable enough to spend a few hours sitting in it, the height and backrest should be adjustable to accommodate individual comfort, and they should have arm rests at a 90 degree angle.
