Is Your Business Ready To Open A Second Office Location?

When your business is growing and your reach is expanding, you might decide that it’s time to open a second office location. There are a lot of benefits to opening a second location instead of simply expanding the office. If you have customers spread across the country, it gives you the opportunity to be closer to them, and you may also be able to move closer to suppliers and manufacturers. Opening a second office location is the best way to set the foundations for a big expansion. However, it is a lot of work and there are plenty of things that can go wrong along the way, so if you are considering it, make sure to read these important tips first.

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Consider The Alternatives
In some cases, opening a second location is the right thing to do. But it costs a lot of money and managing two offices is a lot harder than one. If you do it too early, you may overstretch yourself and it could cause the business a lot of financial problems. That’s why it’s important that you think about whether it is really the right choice and look at some alternatives. For example, you could hire a few employees and put them in a coworking space for a few months to see how they perform. You may find that they are very productive and you don’t need to spend the money on a whole new office. You should also look into using remote workers because that’s a great way to save money as well.

Do Your Market Research
If you have considered the alternatives and you think that opening a second office location is the right thing to do, market research is the first step. Deciding where to place your office is absolutely vital because you need to be somewhere that is close to customers, easy to access for employees, and affordable. Finding that balance can be tough, so you need to research some different locations and make your decision carefully.

Focus On Communication
Communication is absolutely vital when you are running separate locations, so make sure that it is a priority. You need to implement a good business phone system so you can easily stay in touch with the other office without spending huge amounts on phone calls. You also need to have regular meetings with your managers so you are always in the loop.

Hire A Good Office Manager
Some business owners have trouble giving up control and delegating, but if you’re opening a second office, you need to. You’ll never be able to run two offices on your own, so you need to hire a good office manager. They can take care of your current office while you get the new location up and running or vice versa, whichever works best for you. Often, it’s best to hire from within because the transition will be a lot smoother if you choose somebody that knows the office already.

As long as you keep these tips in mind, you can successfully open a new office location without any problems.