Working from home has become drastically more popular, especially in the last few years for obvious reasons. Many counts show as high as 70% of people working from home at least once per week. That said, there is still a huge section of our population working from the office at least partially.
With so many of us working in the offices, you might be wondering how best to select a small office space. If you have been working on some small office space ideas, we are happy to help. Read on for the five most important things to look for while you search for office space for sale.
1. Location Is Crucial
It likely doesn’t surprise you to know that the first thing you’re going to want to check is the location. This is more important than anything else, and can often be the make-or-break for much of your team. If you find a nice, affordable office space for sale hours away from the city, your team won’t appreciate that commute – if they even apply to the position.
You also don’t want to put it in a part of town that others would hesitate to commute through. Websites specializing in workplaces help you sort your prospective office spaces by location. This will help you see the surrounding area and what is within reach.
It isn’t all about your team, though. Your office space will benefit from being in an ideal spot in quite a few ways. Even something as simple as finding new team members becomes easier in a great location, so keep this in mind while you search for office space.
2. Easy to Decorate
There is a common stigma against offices that they can often feel cold and lifeless. One of the biggest stereotypes of work culture in general is a gray, boring office with people typing away on keyboards. Your office space won’t be like this, of course, but only if you find one you can spruce up and decorate.
This can be a pretty tricky if you are looking for office space for lease. Since it isn’t technically your property, some of them will likely have codes against certain decorations. This is especially true for anything transformative or that requires renovation, so keep that in mind.
A daily office space rental is likely to have the same restrictions. This doesn’t stop you from decorating and sprucing up the place, of course. You will just have to make sure you can decorate however you need to to make a warm, inviting office space.
3. Size and Ease of Access
Obviously when we are discussing a small office space, you should expect a small office space. But that doesn’t mean that you want to take the smallest office space you can. Keep in mind what the needs of your team are before you pull the trigger on a space that can’t hold everything you need to.
Think of the size of your team first and foremost, for example. Do you have enough room to hold everyone who is going to be doing the work on an average day? You need to make sure there is room to work – and to collaborate as well, not just individual disks for each member.
You will also want to consider facilities – a single restroom for twenty employees isn’t going to cut it. Think of everything your employees are going to need in a day and make sure your office space has room for it. What about a proper break room?
If your current office space isn’t sufficient, you may want to view professional commercial fitouts to get it where it needs to be. Think of it as an investment in the growth and success of your employees and overall business.
4. Room to Grow
Another important thing to keep in mind about the size of your office space is a bit of future proofing. Maybe you intend to keep your team the same size and your business endeavor relatively modest. If that’s the case, your office space doesn’t need much as far as the room you’ll use goes.
But if you intend to grow your business and team like the vast majority of businesses, you’ll want to make sure your office space is giving you room to grow. This is particularly the case with offices for sale rather than temporary set-ups like leases and rents.
As you grow more and more popular, your team is going to need more room while your business expands. Make sure that your office can grow along with you. This could be in the case of extra room that you don’t need or being in a location that makes expanding easier. Either way, don’t end up garroting your business by leaving it nowhere to go once you inevitably find success.
5. Acceptable Price
Finally, and likely the first thing on most people’s mind, you will want to look around for a good price. This can often be the most difficult of the five that we mentioned. Office space is common and in high volume, but it is also in incredibly high demand.
Don’t just take the first offer you see and move on with it out of eagerness. You will want to shop around for a while and compare and contrast offers. Don’t be afraid to negotiate a bit and get the best price you can for your team, either!
The closer to the city, the more expensive your office space is bound to be. In contrast, office space in a less-than-desirable location is likely to have a better price-tag. The trade-off there is that you are paying for the benefit of being in a city, as well as the struggle that comes with a good location.
What constitutes a good price depends on your budget, needs, desires, and what compromises you are willing to make. Shop around and find what best suits you before you jump into an office space.
Picking a Superior Small Office Space
While your needs might be low enough for a small office space today, the chances are high you will end up in a bigger office later. Keep track of everything you have and need and what you will want later on down the line. That way, you will know exactly what to expect while you pick an office space.
If you have more questions about office spaces and the business world, be sure to contact us for more information. We also publish a wide variety of helpful articles on office space and workplace improvement tips in the Business section of the Everything Entrepreneur Blog.
