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Taking Your Business to the Next Level – When is it Time to Move Out of Your Home?

Yvonne Weld

March 01, 2007

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The best indicator you have a thriving business is that your home office is no longer the best alternative for your business. For many just starting out, running your business from home is a wonderful opportunity because it is an easy way to “get started”. A home office can be as simple as a computer in the corner of your guest bedroom or as elaborate as a dedicated space in your home. For some business owners though there comes a time when being at home just won’t cut it anymore.

Before you trade in the convenience of working from home for a commute to an off-site location, here are some key considerations to determine if it’s truly time to move:

Need Employees But Not Willing to Have Them in Your Home

For many, the key reason they look to move their business off-site is because they begin to require employees, but just don’t relish the idea of having someone in their home. Of course one alternative is to outsource or subcontract the position to someone that works off-site as well. Many tasks nowadays can be performed off-site, but it just may mean being creative or thinking outside the box to determine just how this can work. If however, these tasks can not be performed off-site and require a physical presence at your location to complete them, this would indicate it’s time to get out there and start looking for some space to rent or buy.

Too Many Business Visitors at Your Home

Many municipalities have regulations for how many clients or business deliveries you can have at your home office. One phone call to your municipality can determine whether your business is on the edge of breaching any regulations or bylaws that have been established or not. Of course, once you know what those regulations are you can determine if creative scheduling can allow you to remain within these bylaws and regulations. One way to stay at home might be to have off-site meetings or have your deliveries sent to an off-site location for pickup.

Interrupting Your Home Life

Are you disciplined enough to realize when it is time to walk away from your desk? If your office line rings during dinner do you run to pick it up? These are signs a home office might not be a great idea and commuting might be a better solution for you. Perhaps setting up a schedule and sticking to it or turning the ringer off outside of business hours might be a solution. For many, however, it is hard to walk by their office without the urge to finish one final thing.

Not Enough Space

Perhaps you want to add a service or a product but you are restricted because of the space you available in your home. Is there any other area of your home you could utilize for your business? Is it possible for you to expand your home to create this space? These are considerations you need to make before deciding you have outgrown your ability to remain at home.

Of course, each of these considerations may or may not have a solution that will allow you to remain in your home and not every business can be run from a home office. For those contemplating moving from a home office be sure to truly weigh all the pros and cons of moving off-site. Sometimes the things that bother us the most about working from home are far outweighed by the advantages of not having to commute to an off-site location daily. Only you can make the determination of when the scales begin to tip in favour of moving your operations off-site. For many the only way to truly create a thriving business is to be honest with themselves and figure out what is best for them and also what is best for their business.

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