- By NJ Great Moving
- In How To, Moving Tips
Tips on How to Relocate Your Small NJ Business
As much as you might love your current business location, you might need to change it for a variety of reasons. Maybe your company is growing and you need more space for your employees, or perhaps you are downsizing your office space as more of your employees are working remotely. Whatever the case, you need to move your NJ business to a new location. A commercial move requires careful balancing of each step to avoid potential issues and/or downtime. After all, in the business world, time is money! Below are some effective ways you can minimize the impact to your business during this transition.
Is Your Business Ready to Move
Before you go through the entire moving process, you should first figure out if you’re actually ready to move. Are you planning to expand or contract your business significantly in the coming months? Moving might seem like the best option, but remember that signing a new lease can incur costs, especially if your previous lease has not ended yet. You may have to pay a fee to break the prior lease on top of the money you’ll need to spend to secure your new place.
Moving is also very disruptive so you should double check to make sure you and your team are prepared for the inconvenience of moving. After all, it means packing up supplies, including things like computers, printers, servers, etc. Chances are everyone will have to work from home for a few days while things get set up. And if you run a retail business, you might have to wait a week or so to reopen in a new location. Do you have the savings and capability to weather the few days of working from home or being closed?
Plan Ahead
It pays to be proactive in the business world and relocating your business is no different. While you do want to consider the economic impact of moving, you should also keep an eye out on how much space you currently have. If your employees are too cramped and can’t find a quiet place to meet, you’ve waited too long to move. At that point, it will be hard to manage a transition to a new place.
Keep an eye on your space needs, so you can figure out what to do ahead of time, not when tight spaces start disrupting your business.
Analyze Your Space
Consider how many people you will be hiring in the next ten years. In general, you should have about 100-175 square feet of space per person who works in the office depending on your layout. And don’t forget that you’ll need some meeting spaces, too! Before you start looking for a new office or retail space, look at your current location and see where there might be some inefficiencies in the setup. A better layout could free up a ton of space and save you money. If you need help, there are efficiency experts you can hire who will help you out.
Of course, sometimes you just need more space. To avoid moving too often, make sure you have a little breathing room in your new location to account for additional growth. The same is true if you’re downsizing because you’re opting for a more hybrid office approach. You should still consider the max number of people who you think will be in the office at any time and then calculate your space needs from there.
Make a Budget
Once you’ve decided how much space you need, it’s time to figure out how much you can pay so you can start narrowing down your options. While rent will take up a significant amount of the budget, don’t forget to include other monthly expenses like utilities, insurance, and maintenance costs. You’ll also have to add-on one-time fees for renovation/construction and hiring professional NJ commercial movers. And, of course, there are the other ongoing costs like payroll, office supplies, and so on. Make sure you calculate everything carefully so you don’t end up in the red after moving to your new place!
Research Locations
Once you’ve got your budget drawn up, it’s time to take a look at all the available locations that fit your budget and space needs. On top of these two factors, you also need to consider the following when choosing your new place:
- Accessibility for clients and suppliers
- Parking and/or public transit
- Zoning
- Room to grow
- Average commute for employees
- Nearby amenities like restaurants, etc.
Get feedback from staff on the different locations that match your needs. You should appoint a few to the moving committee so they can go with you to look at the prospective sites before you sign the lease. The more involved they are, the better they will feel about the move.
Don’t Forget to Negotiate
A lease and/or purchase agreement isn’t set in stone. There’s also some room for negotiation even if the broker doesn’t budget on the price. For a lease, always make sure to carefully read all the legal paperwork and review incidentals costs, responsibilities, and so on. If you’re moving during off-peak season, you can often negotiate a free month or even a slightly lowered rental price. If you buy, make sure to do your due diligence including getting environmental and building assessments, an appraisal, a title search, and reviewing necessary documents.
Create a Timeline
Once you’ve found your new place, create a timeline for the transition with the employees on the moving committee and IT. While you’ll of course set aside time for typical moving day tasks like packing, unpacking, and actually getting everything in the office hooked up properly, you shouldn’t forget things like renovations, setting up phones and Internet, buying new equipment, and so on. All of these could take longer than you expect so make sure to give yourself extra time especially if you are doing any kind of construction.
Oh, and during the moving process, you’ll also need to contact some agencies before you move to update your address. Here are the authorities you should reach out to to update your address:
- IRS – complete form 8822 Change of Address
- Secretary of State – reach out for next steps. The documents you amend will depend on the entity you incorporated as
- City and/or county – if you have a specific business license and permit for your operation, make sure to contact your local officials to alert them about your change of address and cancel previous licenses and permits
Communicate
Before you make the big move, make sure to let everyone in your contacts know about your new business location. Send out emails to clients with the new address. You can even schedule a postcard or letter to be sent out to your mailing list to make sure they don’t miss the new information. If you are a retailer, make sure your customers also know about the upcoming move by putting the information in the shop window and start handing out new business cards and promo items!
You’ll also need to communicate with your current building owner. Let them know as soon as possible and make sure to ask if there are any procedures you need to follow to make sure the transition is as easy as possible. And don’t forget to call the utilities to get your name taken off to avoid double paying.
Choose Reputable Movers
There are a lot of commercial moving options, but the last thing you want to do is hire movers who don’t know what they’re doing. Take some time out of your day and do a bit of research on potential NJ movers and make sure they list commercial moves as one of their services. After all, a commercial move is different from a residential move in a lot of ways since they will be dealing with larger pieces of furniture, heavy equipment like printers, and delicate tech. Professional commercial movers will work with you, IT, and the designated moving committee to ensure all of the details are right.
At NJ Great Movers, we’ve moved tons of NJ businesses to their new offices with ease. We work with you to create a custom moving plan that matches your needs and budget. So give us a call and we’ll walk you through the process.
FAQ
How much does a commercial move cost?
It depends on how much you have, but commercial moves tend to be more expensive than residential moves. You can expect to pay anywhere between $2,500-$5,000 for a small office move and over $10,000 for larger offices.
What can I expect from a basic commercial move?
A basic commercial move includes basic loading and unloading. On top of that they will help with logistics planning, basic disassembly and reassembly of furniture, and sometimes installation of furniture such as desks, bookcases, etc.
Will the movers provide moving supplies?
Yes, you can purchase moving supplies and rent plastic bins directly from the moving company you use. Make sure to mention that you would like to add-on these options so it gets included in your initial quote.
