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If you have been running your business from home for a while, and now you are ready to found your own company and become one of the big players, you will need an office space to accommodate your employees, your client meetings, and your infrastructure. There are plenty of things you will have to consider before you can decide that you are making the right move. Below you will find some of them listed.

Calculate the Running Costs

While you might have a good idea of the cost of the office building or the monthly lease, you will also have to take into consideration the other regular expenses. You might have to pay business tax on the building, heating and air conditioning bills, as well as maintenance and internet, receptionist, and cleaning services. You must be comfortable with the monthly cost, or you will find yourself regretting your decision.

Assess Facilities

It is also important that you check which facilities are present at the office building. If you are sharing a building with other businesses, you have to make sure that you have a strong enough internet and dedicated phone lines. Having a small kitchenette for your staff if your office is far from the city center can also be a benefit. Make sure that you get designated parking for your visitors and your staff, too.

Transport Links

In case you are planning on filling your office with employees, you need to make sure that they can get to it fast in the peak traffic. Consider the needs of your employees who might not have a car, and make sure that there is a train station or bus stop nearby. Before moving office, you should test the roads before 9 a.m. and after 5 p.m. to make sure there are no regular traffic jams in the area. For your business partners’ and customers’ comfort, you should also need to position your office close to main road links and junctions.

Security

It is crucial that you have adequate security on site. You need to control who can enter your office, and monitor the site remotely at night when it is empty. You can get quotes on security camera installation if your business will be the only one on site, or talk to the owner of the building about different options. After all, you want to keep your business and employees safe.

Flexibility

In some cases, committing to a huge lease can be scary for businesses. It is important that you focus on flexibility, so you can expand your business when you need to. In case you are not sure about committing to the location or the building, you can take out a flexible office space or a rolling contract, so you can evaluate the premises and make sure it fits your business needs.

Moving into your first office can be a challenging decision. Think all aspects of the building and location through carefully before you make the final choice.