Are Your Premises Fit For Purpose?

There are a lot of things that you have to think about when starting up your own business. That probably sounds like the most obvious thing that you’ve ever heard but that doesn’t make it any less true. The reality of starting any kind of business is that it is always going to be more complicated than you think it is. Even if you think you’ve planned for every little thing, there are going to tasks within tasks that you didn’t think about that will catch you off guard if you’re not careful. The truth is that there’s only one way to make sure that you’re able set your business up with as few problems as possible and that’s to be sure that you’re thinking about each individual aspect of it in as much detail as possible. One of the things that a lot of new business owners tend not to think about nearly enough in the early days is the physical premises of their business. Obviously, if you’re working from a computer at home and that’s it then that’s not really an issue, but if your business requires premises then you need to make sure that they’re fully fit for purpose.

Size

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One of the first things that you need to consider when choosing the right premises for your business is how much space you actually need. After all, premises that are too big or too small are going to end up causes pretty serious problems. If your premises are too small then you and your employees are going to be massively cramped in together which is not only going to cause a lot of frustration and a lack of motivation, but it also presents a pretty serious safety hazard. However, if you have a space for your business that is entirely too big then that’s just going to end up being a huge waste. After all, the costs of a larger space are going to be higher and that’s not even including the extra costs for power and heating it. You need to think about everything from what your premises will be used for to the equipment that you need to how many employees you actually have when you’re trying to figure out exactly how much space you need for your business.

The Specifics

There are plenty of really useful things out there that offer great advice on the general needs of any business premises but you need to remember that that’s not all you need to think about. Every business is different and across different industries, the needs that different businesses have are going to be enormous. You need to think about what kind of business you’re running. A manufacturing business is going to need a warehouse with a great deal of equipment. A restaurant needs kitchen facilities, a cold room from somebody like The Corner Fridge Company as well as space for the actual diners. A retail space is going to need plenty of space for customers to move around. You need to think about exactly how you, your employees, and your customers are going to interact with your premises when thinking about what it really needs.   

Make it a comfortable space

Are Your Premises Fit For Purpose?

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One of the last things you want is to find yourself in a situation where your working environment is one that people don’t really want to be in. If people are stuck in an office that feels stifling and unpleasant then that’s going to send their productivity and motivation into a serious tailspin. The same goes for pretty much any kind of business premises. If your employees are working at desks, do they have the right back support to prevent injuries? If your customers are going to be coming into your premises, do you have somewhere they can be comfortable while they wait or shop? Is there enough light getting into your premises and are you making sure that it’s at the right temperature. These are things that you might not necessarily think about until they start to cause real issues for you and the people you work with.

Health and safety

On top of making sure that your business premises are a pleasant place to be, you also need to make sure that they’re a safe place for everyone as well. Health and safety are hardly the most exciting things in the world for most business owners but neglecting them can be incredibly dangerous. The reality is that if someone in your workplace has any kind of injury, whether that’s an employee or a customer, and you didn’t put in place the kinds of procedures that could have prevented it from happening, you’re the one who is going to be liable for that. You need to make sure that your entire workplace is thoroughly assessed to make sure that there are no risks of you being at fault for any accident or injury that could possibly happen.

Rental costs

Of course, the most obvious factor for a lot of people when it comes to finding the right premises for their business is the cost. Most of the time you’re not going to be in a position to buy or build your business location yourself so you’ll probably have to rent it. You need to make sure that the rental costs of your premises don’t force you into a position where you have to ask for your business than is reasonable. The perfect location is not perfect if renting it would leave you bankrupt.

Of course, this is far from the only thing that you have to think about when it comes to trying to get your business off the ground. The truth is that you need to be willing to pay just as much attention to pretty much every other part of your business on top of this if you really want to make sure that it succeeds. If that sounds like a pretty overwhelming amount of work, that’s because it is. You have to be ready for that if you really want to be a business owner.

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