Don’t Be Mistaken (When Choosing an Office)

Don’t Be Mistaken (When Choosing an Office)

By: Lyndsey Walthall (Blog 17)

The time has come—you’re taking the leap from home office to actual, legit office! You’ve crunched the numbers; your staff has your back. This is a HUGE moment for your company.  The last thing you want to do is mess up.

While diligently researching the best offices in your area, it’s important to know what not to do. Thankfully, you have us! (And we have Google!) Which brings us to a helpful website called i2construction.com. What do they consider the 3 most common mistakes when choosing office space?  Let’s break it down.

First, people don’t plan for the future. According to i2construction, people unknowingly box themselves in by choosing an office they will quickly outgrow. Planning for the now and not considering the later. How to counteract this? Make a 5 year plan. Of course life will happen, and while there’s nothing we can do about that, having even a vague sense of direction is better than going in blind. Right? By creating a plan, you’ll have a better idea of where you want your business to go and the steps you need to take now to help get it there.

Second, they only consider desk space. Personally, one of my roles within my company is managing the reception desk, but it’s still unusual I go home at the end of the day with less than 7,000 steps on my pedometer. (Get your step count in, people!) What I mean by that is yes, nice desks and chairs are important, but so is all the other stuff. According to i2construction, productive teams need solo and communal workspaces—not to mention appropriate storage for extra office supplies, furniture, etc.

Third, they underestimate the importance of design. Again, speaking from experience, here, I previously worked in an older, unkempt building with the shadiest elevator you will ever see. (Fun fact: my poor coworker at the time actually got stuck in it one morning. To the day she’s traumatized.) The paint on the walls was cracked and peeling, the carpet was old and musty, and the whole place just gave off a certain… vibe. Needless to say, we didn’t receive a lot of compliments. Or clientele.

At the end of the day, you’re the only one who knows what is (and isn’t) right for your business. But don’t psych yourself out! As long as you do your research and go on tours, you’ll flourish!