Choosing a small business location |
Choosing a small business location is a great deal more complicated than simply picking the cheapest building or office suite you can find. A small business has to be easy to find for its customers, and you have to be in a place where you are free to make it known that your business lives there without being encumbered by surrounding businesses or vacant offices.
A small business location has to accomplish three things. The place where you are has to look good. You can't survive in a community that doesn't look good, because no matter how hard you try, you can't be the one thing that shines in a nasty complex.
A small business location also has to give you options for expansion. The worst thing you can do to yourself is choose a space you'll outgrow in six months. This will mean a move that might turn off your customers. While they may be happy for you, they are not going to want to learn a new location every time you need to expand your operations.
Finally, choosing a small business location should allow for your customers to easily find you. Yes, there are a myriad of office complexes that are easy to find, but is your office easy to find in the muck that surrounds it? When you are in a place that is hard for people to find, you will have a very hard time convincing customers that coming out to see you is a good idea.
The best small business location is a place that is so easy to get to that you have customers dropping by just because it was on their way home or to the office. This is the best way to cultivate face-to-face relationships with your customers. You give them a place to go that they like and they'll keep coming back.
A business has to feel free to live in a space where it can thrive and grow, and you cannot thrive and grow in a poor location. You may feel that you have no other options, but the reality is much better. There are tons of office spaces and storefronts that are easy to find, look good, and give you the chance to expanding without moving every few months.
You don't just put your small business somewhere where you can put up your sign quickly. No, you put your small business in a place where people want to go. The most loyal customers will bring their friends by, and the customer base will grow from there if you carve out a niche for yourself that no one else has. Don't relegate yourself to some back alley. Choose a location that is perfect for your business today.