Tips for Small Business Moves

Looking forward to a move for your small business? The prospect doesn’t have to be daunting. In fact, with a little preparation and lot of dedication, you can get the job done smoothly and stress free. After all, you don’t have as much equipment and office space to move as a larger corporation, so your task is a bit more manageable. You’ll still need a dedicated team of employees to help you pull off the move.

Set the Date

First and foremost, plan when you’ll move. This means picking a firm date and sticking to it. Everything else will revolve around that date. Once you have that done, everything will fall into place. Be smart, though, and choose a date in your slow season in order to ensure a more relaxing and manageable move. If you pick a date during your busy period, you’ll be competing with end-of-quarter deadlines and the like, making for a more stressful move. Aim for the least amount of business disruption by going with a time that suits your business’ slow season.

Select Your Movers

It’s important to fully research local options for moving companies. Make sure you choose at least a few reputable companies to call and get quotes from. Listen to word of mouth reviews, make sure they are licensed and bonded, and check out all references. Beware going with the lowest bidder; sometimes this cheap cost translates to cheap service. Make sure you get on-site quotes instead of simple online or phone quotes for a more accurate price. This is because your movers should be able to view the layout in person and take the necessary measurements.

Put Someone in Charge

You, as the boss, have a lot going on at any given moment. You can’t oversee all details of your move without some help. Choose a trustworthy employee, colleague or small group to become your moving committee, with responsibilities of organizing every aspect of the move. They can finalize appointments, tackle the layout and make sure everything gets done in a timely manner.

Call Vendors and Clients

It’s important to notify your clients, customers and vendors of your impending move so they can make the necessary adjustments on their end. For example, your copier machine and vending machine vendors will need to dismantle and relocate their equipment in the new office.

Start Packing

If you were smart, you started packing here and there as you’ve gone along. However, you can’t get everything packed till the days leading up to the move for obvious reasons. Make sure your employees have backed up their files and packed up their belongings. Have them mark those boxes as directed, such as with a color coding system, for easier unpacking. Keep a master file on hand to keep track of all equipment.

Throw it Out! Or Donate It…

Any obsolete equipment can be donated to local schools and charities for a tax write-off. Throw out anything else that can’t be donated, purging your old office of the stuff that’s been dragging you down for years. Bring in a shredder for old documents you no longer need.

Approach your small business move with planning and precision, and you will experience a hassle free move on the big day.