As your business grows and expands, it might become time to upstick and relocate to a bigger or more suitable location. Business growth is something that should be encouraged and supported. However, physically moving and transporting your equipment, supplies, and staff to new premises can be a massive undertaking.
Preparing for the move is vital, and it isn’t something that should be taken lightly. The following tips can help you to prepare for your relocation and ensure nothing is missed or overlooked.
What you can expect in this article:
Start As Early As Possible
The last thing you want to do is to leave everything until the last minute. Ideally, you will want 6 months to help you prepare for the move and get all the appropriate plans to support the relocation efforts. Sit down and make a list of everything you need to do and ensure everyone knows the master list and its timeline for completion.
Book Movers
One of the first things you should do is book specialist removal firms to help you transport your equipment. Look for office removals, machinery movers, and companies specialising in moving businesses to give you peace of mind that you have people helping you who know exactly what needs doing and have experience in this area.
Delegate
Use your primary list to help you delegate tasks during the run-up to the move. Put specific staff members or family and friends, if applicable, in charge of particular jobs and use collaborative tools to help them stay up to date on the progress. It could be winding up their department’s operations and packing up equipment; it could be informing clients of your move or calling utilities to arrange a shut-off date when you leave and connection for your new premises.
Inform Everyone
Use this time to inform people of your impending move and to share details of your new address, contact details, and how to access the new property. This includes your current landlord if you have one, utility companies, clients, employees, vendors, shareholders, and more. Anyone with contact with your company needs to be aware of the move when it is happening and what this means for them. Will you briefly be closed to the public, or will you run on skeleton staff? Maybe you will be able to stay up and running entirely with little to no disruption. Whatever your plans are telling people beforehand, sending out reminders closer to the date is essential.
Book Cleaners
Moving business locations can be a massive upheaval, and there will be a lot to think about and a lot going on, especially if you are moving a considerable distance away. Once you have everything from your current location loaded up and the building is empty, it can be worth hiring professional end-of-tenancy cleaners to help you leave the place as good as new. This can be one less task for you to arrange, and you can make sure nothing is left behind or overlooked, as someone will be there finalising it before you hand over the keys.
It can also be worth checking your lease agreement about removing any changes you have made, e.g., partition walls, temporary structures, and anything else you added that wasn’t already there. This helps you to ensure you get any down payment back, and you’re not chased for the cost of your landlord having to do this, too.
