New business, new premises: What to consider before you choose
So, you want to start a new business and you need a premise to operate from. But how do you find the best place to work?
In this article, we’ve put together a helpful set of pointers on what to consider and how to approach this important task.
Pricing your workspace
The most important consideration to start with is simply your budget. If you’re taking the path of establishing your business independently in its own property, there are serious questions you need to have answered before you put your money down.
The best place to start? A frank look at your own business and what its operation involves. A company that’s involved in manufacturing products will have different requirements to one that focuses on coding, for instance.
The former will have a need for manufacturing and retail space for the storing and selling of products, whereas a business that is focused around providing or innovating digital products and services will need a comfortable office with reliable internet and local amenities.
You’ll also want to consider how much you wish to have a degree of separation between your personal life and your new property. Taking unfinished work home with us is something any freelancer or business owner can attest to, but it’s an unhealthy practice by and large!
Ask yourself these questions
With convenience in mind, we’ve put together a helpful list of pointers you’ll want to run through before you bend that credit card. Remember to tailor these to your own business and its services, requirements and future goals.
What’s the area cost?
Some areas are more expensive than others. Convenience and proximity to cities usually come at a cost, but is it a cost you want to meet?
If your company is set to expand quickly, you might benefit from closer proximity to areas where potential staff might be living. If manpower is less of an issue, you may instead be well suited to a cheaper area with more limited immediate benefits.
What’s transport like?
Just as cities are more expensive, so too are areas that have great transport links.
Remember to consider this beyond simple bus and rail services; if you have real shipping needs, you might want to Google the area around where you’re considering for logistics companies that may in time become business partners.
Can you arrange visitor management?
When you have new premises, you need to be able to manage people who are on-site. But what is visitor management? Essentially, it’s a service that makes it easier to track who arrives at and leaves your property daily. Companies use it to enhance their security and protect their workers on-site. If premises aren’t set up for it, then you might want to look elsewhere.
Does it reflect our branding?
It’s important to consider how the area reflects your company, its present state and its goals for the future. If you want to establish your service as a trendy, premium-themed business, you’ll probably want to pay more on your premise so that you can have a beautiful area for it to reside in.
Conversely, if your premise is more a logistical ‘store’ for your company and won’t be customer-facing, you can afford to be more flexible.
What are the legal considerations?
Overlooking your legal concerns is something you can’t afford to do. Key to this subject is ensuring that your premise has planning permission for the use class of your business and whether you will need planning permission to do any important changes, such as placing signage on the frontage of the building.
Fixed wire electrical testing
Once you have your property secured, it’s important you also take care of your fixed wire electrical testing needs. Fixed wire inspections are an integral part of health and safety compliance, making them a must-have entry on your checklist prior to beginning your work in earnest in your new property.
A provider of this service should be able to adjust your recommended testing schedule to fit your needs, resulting in minimal disruption to your business and a safety compliance element easily taken care of.
Beyond this, though, they can actually save you money. When engineers and electricians come to test your premise and its wiring, they will tend to highlight areas of your premise where improvements could be made.
These often relate to energy efficiency, which can be a serious expense if poor systems and wiring are used. Depending on the kind of business you have and how you will use your premise, you could save serious amounts of money by listening to this advice and by upgrading areas of your building.
Good luck!
Securing your business premise is an exciting time for a new business owner. There’s lots to do and to consider and we know you’re busy getting a hundred and one things done in preparation. We wish you the best and hope our article on what to consider has helped you on your path to success!
