Many of us have moved home at least once in our lives – but not many of us will have moved our own business. It may be that you moved into a small space with just you and maybe one other employee but, since you’ve expanded, you need to have a much larger premises for your growing team.
Even if you’re still a small business, there’s a significant difference between moving in with just a couple of computers to moving out and taking several large pieces of hardware with you. Include your numerous items of furniture, paperwork, and many more team members, then it needs to be a slick operation. Here are some tasks you need to carry out to make sure your business’s move is a positive experience.
Create a timetable
Draw up timescales and expected completion dates for the main points of the move. This should include your legal change of address, when you expect your infrastructure to be set up, and when to hire a removal contractor. Your estimates should be generous: you will come across delays and complications. Leave the moving date itself flexible and dependent on other stages being completed.
Have a budget
Include all the costs that this move will involve. This will need to include moving/removal contractors, upgrading or replacing equipment, and any disruptions to sales or other business activities.
Form a moving team
Give one employee overall responsibility for your move. They will then be responsible for contacting all the people involved in the process and can assign tasks to other team members.
Arrange facilities
Taking care of utilities such as water and power is an essential part of your move, but so is ensuring you have all the equipment needed at your new location. This includes having enough data and electrical points to connect to and checking suppliers have been informed.
Business equipment also includes kitchen items, such as kettles and fridges. It can be easy to overlook these essential staff facilities your workplace will need.
Make the best use of space
An office move is a great time to evaluate how you use your facilities. This is a great time to declutter and, instead of moving some items to your new office, you can sort out what you can remove. You may also want to consider using cheap storage units at this point for the task or to store items you may need or to sell at a later point.
Start packing early
Start to pack items you don’t regularly use as soon as you can if you’re moving your own business. Many people will underestimate how long it will take to pack by several days so, if you have a large inventory, add several weeks to how long you think it will take to complete.
Take care when packing computer cables
The best way to deal with moving computers is to remove all the cables one at a time, then put these in zip-locked bags and label which computer they go with. Cables should be removed to avoid damage or loss.
