Transitioning Your Small Business from Home to an Office

Your small business is growing. At long last, you’ve finally met a major milestone: you’re able to move your business from your home office to an actual brick-and-mortar office!

While you’re excited about this momentous change, you’re also anxious about making the transition and ensuring that you’ve done everything correctly. Make sure that your transition moves smoothly and that you still have everything your small business needs by paying attention to these key details.

1. Check Your Insurance

When you transition your small business to an office environment, your insurance needs are going to change. In your home-based business, you may have carried insurance that would protect your equipment or that would protect you in case business associates visiting your home had an accident on your property.

As you make the transition to an office environment, your insurance needs will change. Make sure that you have insurance that will cover:

• Damage or loss to your equipment
• Accidents on the premises
• Continued coverage for liability and other issues

Talk with your insurance provider to ensure that you have the right type of coverage to take care of your business no matter what happens. From policies that will cover natural disasters to policies that will cover you in case of legal issues, make sure you have business insurance that will fit the changing needs of your business.

2. Evaluate Your Employees

For years, you may have handled most of the needs of your business yourself or with employees who are also members of your family and therefore trustworthy.

Now that you’re transitioning to an office environment, however, you may have broader needs for your employees—and the security that comes from knowing that they won’t be working inside your home.

Ask yourself these key questions:

• Is your current staff adequate to handle the current demands of your business plus additional demands as you increase visibility?
• Do you need additional staff to handle issues like cleaning or security?
• Does the income for your business support the increased need for staff that will come with your office?
• Will temporary employees be helpful in making the transition to your new office environment?

Your need for employees will continue to change as your business grows. Evaluating those needs now, however, will help smooth your transition.

3. Examine Your Area

When you’re ready to move your small business into an office environment, you want to choose the right setting for your office. Don’t choose it just because it’s cheap! Instead, examine your area to find the perfect place for your office.

These questions can help:

• Where in your area is there a demand for the type of business you offer? How can a specific geographic location benefit your business?
• How close to your house do you want to stay? For years, your commute has taken no time at all. Now, however, you’ll need to take the drive into account.
• How safe is the area? Security is a pressing concern for many businesses. The safer the area, the less you’ll have to worry about theft or other potential problems.
• How big of an office do you really need? It’s easy to become overly excited about the sudden increase in space you’ll get from working in an office environment. Make sure, however, that you’re choosing an office that’s the right size for your business. There’s no sense in having space you won’t use!

Transitioning from home to an office with your small business is a big step. We’re here to help! If you need to know more about evaluating your insurance needs as you make the transition to an office environment, contact us to learn more about what we can offer to protect your small business from disaster.