We haven’t told many people yet, but we’re preparing to move our business to a new office space soon.
It’s been just a short time since our last move, and as I look back, we’ve done a lot of moving over the
past 7 years as our business has grown. The move we are preparing to make now feels like we’ve finally
found a place to call “home” for our growing team.
I’ve learned quite a bit through these moves and through the moves we’ve helped clients through over the
years. As we get our own ducks in a row, it seemed like a great opportunity to shared some lessons
learned with other business leaders in the community.
Plan, Plan, Plan
Our current takes us into a brand new space and we were able to be involved in planning before the
concrete was dry. This meant we were able to put plumbing, electrical, and walls where we wanted. For a
business that’s grown from 3 people to 7 over the last 2 years and plans to continue scaling, that means
we have plan ahead. We don’t want to overbuild but we also can’t be outgrowing our new space in just a
couple years. Our strategic plan guided us down the road to some private offices, a conference room, and
a large open workspace for our technical talent. There was a lot of give and take, but this new place will
truly be our home for years to come.
Wireless Isn’t For Everything
WiFi makes connecting to local systems and the Internet easy… until it doesn’t. Steel framing, electrical
interference, and competing WiFi signals can all make what seemed like an easy solution to networking an
expensive hassle to resolve. When possible, overbuild your network cabling and run cables to your
printers and desktop computers – they’ll thank you for it.
Don’t Forget the Juice
While my business runs on technology, it doesn’t seem like we use a lot of electricity. If an employee
needs an extra boost of heat and plugs their space heater into the same circuit as their neighbor’s
computer, things can go bad quickly. Plan for your electrical usage early, make special accomodations for
server rooms, and don’t forget that computers are small space-heaters themselves and need to stay cool.
Get the Internet Ready Early
We learned this one the hard way. Don’t take the salesman’s word on it that fast Internet service is just a
week away. We signed a letter of intent and discovered that promise was only as good as the paper it was
written on. Internet would take another 3-4 months to get installed, and it was going to cost more than
expected as well. Thankfully we found a solution, but you can’t rush these guys, so plan early.
Plan For Some Bumps in the Road
We’re moving into our space in just a few weeks. We said that about a month ago, too, so we’ve had to
adjust our plans a few times as we plan move in dates, keep projects moving, and help our team stay
motivated in a crowded workspace. Plan for bumps in the road, enjoy the ride, and when you’re all settled
in, sit back, breathe, and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
For publication in the Business Leader
By Chet Cromer
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