Considerations For New Business Owners and Office Space

Among the myriad of other important decisions involved in running a business, the location and layout of your office space is of top importance. Your location decided your daily commute every day. If you have other employees, it decided their commute as well, and can even determine the demographic of employees you are likely to have.

There are two sides of the coin when considering the decor and atmosphere of an office. The self gratification side of us tells us that we are going to spend more waking hours of our life in this office that in our own home, and it ought to be designed accordingly. With this mentality, you might as well make room for the pool table, break room with a surround sound theater, and penthouse views from your office desk. Oh, and remember to hire a maid to come daily as well as a massage therapist to make daily visits. You will need a relief from stress caused by all that hard work.

OK, I was joking. With that mentality, you will be out of business before you take your first step. The only thing you will succeed at is racking up the credit card bill. My recommendation, when considering the upscale-ness and decor of your office, is to focus on functionality. Ask yourself the question, "will this really increase my productivity or an unnecessary luxury?" Another question: "Do I really need enough space in my office to play nine holes of miniature golf... or will a room that holds my desk and other important furniture suffice?"

It all comes down to a choice. Are you trying to satisfy your ego, or succeed in business. You will have plenty of time to improve the luxury of things, but let success bring that about. I suggest leasing used office space. I point that out because I know how tempting it can be to start in a brand new location, choose your own build out and upgrades. Let us turn a profit first. When you decide on a place, keep in mind that commercial landlords are willing to bargain. Have them throw in the costs for necessary build out. I would even consider using temporary wall feature where necessary. You will find that the use of temporary pressurized walls in New York have become commonplace.

Finally, with all the importing our nation does from China, you should be able to easily make your office look like a million bucks, on a budget of a couple hundred. Seriously, the same clock that one store is asking four hundred dollars for, can be found at Ross for forty.