Nibletz Staff
So, you’ve struggled through the first year or two getting your business off the ground, and despite the challenges, you’ve managed to grow to a point where your operation needs to expand into a physical premises. First of all, congratulations! Setting up a new office, especially if you’re starting with nothing, can quickly become a very expensive project. If you’re already feeling the pinch of your budget, here are some handy tips to make sure you stick to it.
Less is More
By keeping a firm cap on the amount of stuff you’re going to have in your new office, you’ll not only stand to save a lot of money, but also help yourself and your team to be more productive. In order to establish this cap, make sure you fill your office with the essentials and only the essentials from the word “go”. Do you really need to have hundreds of pens at the ready? Are you going to have a use for a whole cabinet of notebooks, binders and scrolls of printer paper? If the nature of your business means you’ll need these things in bulk, then go ahead and stock up. However, to make the most of the budget and space you have, set a limit on what you’ll buy.
Don’t Forget About Services
Your budget should include more than just the physical items you’re going to have in your office. Aside from all the desks, chairs and other practical purchases, you may need to budget for commercial cleaning services, regular maintenance, printing services from firms like Xeretec, site security, visits from food trucks, and so on. Obviously, this is all going to depend on the nature of your business, and if you’re going to be running a small office with only a handful of employees, you may not need any of these recurring services at all. However, if you are planning on having regular services, make sure you include this in your budget. You don’t want to blow all your money on plant pots and contemporary art, and realize that you can’t source the essential services your office needs!
Go Digital
These days, one of the most cost-effective ways to trim down any unnecessary space is using as many digital alternatives to traditional functions as possible. For example, you could try using a phone-routing system that’s compatible with smart phones, in combination with a good BYOD policy. This will make all those clunky, bible-sized phones more or less obsolete. Obviously, if you’ve had a long history with these old systems it can be a little daunting to adopt, but you can still set up voice mail systems, phone menus, and various other functions from more conventional phone systems. Another good way to save space and money is using digital filing systems. All businesses need good record keeping, and moving all your important records over to digital storage will eliminate the need for bulky filing cabinets, and save you a small fortune that you’d usually spend on paper.
