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Relocating Your Business: The Ultimate Checklist

You might have been thrilled when you started your business, but hopefully, you’ve grown and so has your need for new space. Once you start thinking about moving your offices you won’t have a peace of mind until you’ve done so. However, relocating a business is just as difficult as it sounds, which is why we’ve come up with a checklist for your convenience.

1. Timeframe and schedule

Planning is of the essence when it comes to relocating your business and there is no good planning without a proper schedule. Start by setting the deadline for your move, when all your office furniture needs to be moved out of the current office space. Then, set a date that you will consider your final one and make sure that it’s a week ahead of the actual one. Now, set the date when the move is supposed to start. You’ll probably need a couple of days to physically move all the items out.

2. Work with your staff

Getting the staff involved is always a good idea and doing so early is recommended. The designated move committee will help you with organizing and planning the move, but it will also ease the transition for the rest of your staff. The designated committee should review all the tasks and assign roles as needed. Keep in mind that you will have to add tasks to your moving list, but also to assign them – you can’t do everything on your own.

3. Hire movers

Unless you are running a one-man business from home, you won’t be able to move out on your own. Hiring good movers is obligatory, but also time-consuming, so this task should be among your priorities, put at the top of your moving list. For example, if you are moving to San Francisco, work with your local San Francisco movers to get things going. Team up with your move committee – have a single member come up with a list of at least five moving companies. Next, assess them while keeping in mind the budget, the quotes and comparing the services of the other movers.

4. Professional packers

Although this step can be avoided, if your moving budget can cover professional packers, we recommend that you hire them. Primarily, we’re talking about professionals who will guarantee the safety of your items. Secondly, this will save you time, as well as the physical trouble. Have your employees pack up their desks and leave everything else to the pros.

5. Leave the old place in best possible shape

In addition to this being simply the right way to do things, leaving your old offices in mint condition will do wonders for your property value. This also requires professional help – property management is best left to the professionals – from building service engineering and financial and accounting analysis to renovation. This is why proper maintenance of your business venues during the time spent in your current offices is so important.

6. Timely change the address and notify everyone

Assuming that you have already realized that your business will be closed down for at least a couple of weeks during your move, you now need to change your address in time, which should be on your last work day in the place you’re moving out from. Failing to do this timely may lead to financial loss, and, sometimes, even legal issues. Timely notify the all your clientele, your insurance carrier and all of your vendors, and don’t forget to contact the post office, the IRS, the Employment Development Department, the Franchise Tax Board, your bank and the Secretary of State in order to report the change of your business address.

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