1 YEAR LATER: LESSONS LEARNED FROM OUR HEADQUARTER RELOCATION
September 17, 2020
Happy anniversary to us! On September 20th, we will celebrate one year at our new headquarters t the Smith Bros Hardware Company!
And what a year it's been...
Most aspects of the move went smoothly. Pandemic aside, our first year in our new space was a positive experience that was well worth our time and efforts.
Here's what we love about our space:
- IT'S COMPLETELY US. We constructed our space to match our brand and that's so important. As we work through the pandemic, our space keeps us focused.
- THERE'S ROOM FOR GROWTH. We have the space to grow as our business does.
- THERE'S VISIBILITY. With tall windows, glass-walled offices, open workspaces and spacious conference rooms, we can see the whole office from any vantage point.
- THE KITCHEN. Just like at home, the kitchen is the focal point for meals and socialization. It's perfect for grabbing your morning coffee, hosting a lunch meeting, enjoying a meal or partaking in a happy hour (and ours is spacious enough for good social distancing!)
- PARKING. Parking is a premium in any downtown office space. We have plenty!
- IT'S AN ENTREPRENEUR-FRIENDLY SPACE. We encourage our clients to use our office space for their off-site meetings, strategy sessions or just a change of scenery.
The move did teach us some important lessons about the best way to physically relocate a business. It's no small feat however you lice it, but here's what we learned:
- HAVE A PLAN. We had a detailed, written plan complete with checklists, timelines and accountabilities. Much like a business plan, we had to adjust along the way. But it gave us guidelines to follow.
- BE PREPARED FOR "BUMP". No plan is fool proof, and some things are just out of our control. So put some buffer timeline for
construction delays or unexpected complications. - APPOINT A PROJECT MANAGER. Assign someone you trust to lead the project and be the contact person for contractors. This will free you up to focus on the business. The project manager must be someone who understands your vision, knows what you want, and can comfortably make decisions.
- BE A GOOD COMMUNICATOR. Communicate your progress with your team and with clients so everyone understands the plan.
- GET YOUR TEAM INVOLVED. Make them part of the process. We polled our team members for their feedback on how they want to use the space. They attended some walk-throughs, and we event hosted a happy hour so they could spend some time in the new office before move in day.
- DON'T FINISH IT COMPLETELY. Give yourself time to live in the office for a while before adding the finishing touches. Some decisions - how to configure all your furniture - can't be accurately made until you move in.
Like most business owners, the pandemic forced us to rethink how we use our office space. Fortunately, it was built for flexibility so we could spread out and be productive.
Have you relocated your headquarters? What lessons have you learned? Share with us on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn!
