Whether you’re starting a new business, relocating or opening a new office, it’s important to choose an office location that’s best for your business overall, in both the short and long term.
It’s not as easy as it might first sound, as premises in the most prestigious locations can be hard to come by, and you might be on a tight budget in terms of refurbishing and decorating vacant premises.
Here are our top tips to choose an office location that’s best for your business, and why serviced offices are worth considering, rather than occupying premises that are currently completely bare.
1. Set a budget
Impressive premises might help you make more money in the long run, but you have to be able to cover the cost of your office space in the short term, so set a budget and be realistic about sticking to it.
That might mean compromising on the luxuries like tea-making facilities and on-site shower rooms, but you can also budget by opting for serviced office space.
By renting only the amount of space you need for the short term, you get access to all the on-site facilities, and if you outgrow the room available you can either expand if neighbouring offices are available, or move to larger serviced offices or your own premises nearby.
2. Prominent postcodes
Look for desirable locations, for example single-digit city centre postcodes like M1-M5 in Manchester.
Again, the best locations for offices in Manchester, London and other major cities are not often just sitting there vacant, but serviced offices can give you the postcode you want, without the anonymity of asking customers, partners and investors to write to a PO Box number.
3. Why not a PO Box?
Just to elaborate on that point – it can be tempting to set up a PO Box for the illusion of a central address, but savvy customers know exactly what you are doing when you try this.
It’s a technique that raises suspicions that you might ‘suddenly disappear’, and there’s no need when you can rent serviced office space or a virtual office and get a full postal address rather than a unprofessional-looking PO Box.
4. A fair reflection
Find a location that fairly reflects you as a business (or even as an individual, if your brand is very personal).
That might mean steering clear of the absolute most prime locations, as they can often be associated with more expensive brands – and a postcode in the M3-M5 range might paint a more accurate picture of your business than an M1 or M2 central Manchester office location.
5. Take a look
No provider of serviced office space, or landlord of rented business premises, will begrudge letting you see the site before you decide to move in – and if they do resist an in-person viewing, alarm bells should definitely ring.
As you look around, imagine moving in your equipment and people. In a serviced office space, take note of the available plug sockets, wired and wireless networking options, telephones and so on.
And make sure you know where the tea-making facilities are, so you can celebrate moving in on day one with your first cuppa of many!