Moving Your Business
When It Comes to Your Business, Time is Money
Doing some prework and then working with your moving company to strategize a comprehensive plan will help you be at the ready to move your business efficiently.
Here are some tips to help you hit the ground running.
Evaluate. Assess. Brainstorm. Take Notes.
Step back and make mental note of your whole operation and then start making lists and memorializing your thoughts in writing. Meet with key team members and make lists, outlining everything that must be organized, coordinated and physically moved.
Leave no detail unturned.
Take a Physical Inventory
As part of your planning, take inventory by physically moving through the space and taking visual stock of everything that needs to be moved to your new location. This could include:
- Product & inventory
- Office furniture & equipment
- Manuals, file folders & contents of individual workstations
- Cubicle panels
- Electronic equipment (e.g. computers & telephones)
As you do this, consider the requirements of moving these items. For example, the cubicle panels will need to be broken down and reassembled. Specific items will go into individual workstations. Tag and color code workstations. This will make for easier assembly.
Create a Spreadsheet
Make a spreadsheet of everything you plan to move. This is essential to give you a tangible idea of what needs to be moved and paves the way for an overall moving strategy with stages, schedules and timelines.
Create a Comprehensive Plan
While the actual move is your long-term and ultimate objective, establish phases for the move and target individual deadlines for each phase.
By compartmentalizing the whole into mini-phases, you’ll feel more in control and more organized. You’ll make your to do list less overwhelming because you’re addressing tasks in small chunks. You’re also experiencing the satisfaction of items completed and interim milestones achieved and feel a sense of progression, not overwhelm.
The staging will also enable you to come up with a realistic timeline and schedule for your move and evaluate target dates in relation to the following considerations:
- How much time do you have before you need to be out of your current location?
- What’s the overlap between your required move-out date and your allowable new location access date?
You’ll need to take a strong reality check. How much time do you actually need to make sure you have enough time to get things organized before your moving date?
And, remember, you must consider the fact that through this prep period, you and your team must maintain daily business operations.
Allowing yourself enough time for prep and planning will make maintaining daily business activities a much easier task.
Consider Your New Space
While the actual move is your long-term and ultimate objective, establish phases for the move and target individual deadlines for each phase.
By compartmentalizing the whole into mini-phases, you’ll feel more in control and more organized. You’ll make your to do list less overwhelming because you’re addressing tasks in small chunks. You’re also experiencing the satisfaction of items completed and interim milestones achieved and feel a sense of progression, not overwhelm.
The staging will also enable you to come up with a realistic timeline and schedule for your move and evaluate target dates in relation to the following considerations:
Allow Ample Time for Packing
You may decide to pack yourself or hire your mover to pack for you. In either case, allow enough time so the task can be completed properly. Make sure all boxes are clearly labeled and color coded to make move in seamless.
Coordinate Logistics
Keep on track of the following switch-over requirements:
- Reach out to the service providers who manage your servers, internet, office network and phone systems and establish target dates for transitioning from your old location to your new
- Remember your customers by making sure you give them notice that you’re moving to new space whether by email, signage, letter or a combination of the three
- Target a move day
In a perfect world, you will plan your move during non-business hours and work with a mover who will move you on your schedule—after hours or over the weekend.
If you must move during a workday, make certain you keep your phone system working so that customers will still be able to reach you.
