It’s time to swap the slippers for the heels and fly away from the safety of your home office. Scary stuff right?!
Moving into a commercial office space is, in a nutshell, stepping out of your comfort zone. Maybe your business has grown too large for your spare bedroom, or maybe you find working from home lonely and want to try a co-working space.
Whatever the reason, the decision to commute to work often comes with hidden catch-22s.
Here are some tips to make the move from home office to commercial office easier and less daunting.
Work within your budget
Renting a commercial space is an entirely new kettle of fish to add to your finances. Only make this move when your business can afford it and stick to the budget allocated.
There are lots of lower cost options if moving into a commercial space is something you really want to do. Hiring hot desks permanently or semi-permanently has grown in popularity, especially in metro areas of the city.
You could grab a desk for as little as $50 a day – perfect if you’re not ready to make the full commitment to a full time space! There is also the option upgrade the size of the office as your business grows.
Some popular options for co-working spaces in Melbourne are One Roof Women and Waterman Business Centres.
Familiarise yourself with the lingo
Commercial real estate agents differ from residential real estate agents and may come at you with different terms and lingo that don’t apply in the residential world. They often refer to commercial rental prices in terms of square metres.
Just to give you an idea, it’s been recommended to add 10-12 m 2 per person if you’re working in a relatively open plan space. Keep this in mind when you’re comparing prices.
Update your contact information as early as possible
It’s one of those things that everyone procrastinates, when really it should be on the top of your priority list. I recommend updating your contact details as soon as you sign the lease. This ensures that any future deliveries will be mailed to the right address and any enquiries will be made to your new place of work.
One of the many reasons people move from a home office to a commercial space is to have the opportunity to separate your work life from your personal life. If this is something you feel is important, changing your contact information from the get-go will help.
Systemise your packing
You want the transition from home office to commercial space to be as smooth as possible. One of the best ways to pull this off is to pack everything in labelled or categorised boxes. To save waste, you can also hire boxes from companies such as Hire-a-Box which makes organising the move whole lot easier. Rate your items and furniture from unimportant to important and pack and unpack accordingly.
Maintain your home office
Often things don’t go to plan no matter how hard we want them to. It’s important to keep your options open and maintain the space for your home office in case the landlord decides to up the rental rates or your profit margin has slimmed. It’s a good safety net to ensure your business can continue even if your commercial space has fallen through.
This article was written in collaboration with box hire and packaging supply company – Hire A Box & Influencer Management Service – #AsSeenOn.