How To Open Your New Office on a Budget
Opening up your first office can be an exhilarating time for any new company; however, you need to avoid making critical mistakes of overspending. Careful budgeting and being fiscally conservative is an essential part of starting up a new business. If you want your company to thrive in its new location while sticking to the budget, here are a few tips.
Furniture Selections
While your office space may be new, you don’t need new furniture to open it up. While brand new furniture may sound enticing and exciting, don’t be tempted just yet. You can save a lot of money on secondhand office furniture like pre owned desks which can give you the financial freedom to invest this elsewhere.
Flexible Work Arrangements
In a day and age where many people are getting accustomed to working from home, this can be to your benefit. While it is great to have everyone in the office for community and as your home base, you can offer flexible work arrangements and save yourself money. This can also give your staff flexibility to work in an environment where they can work best and signals to them that you trust them.
Sustainable Working
While flexible work arrangements are better for the planet than long commutes, other sustainability practices can positively impact your workplace. Encourage your employees to work greener by fully shutting down at the end of the day and reducing the amount they print, focusing on going paperless. You may be surprised at how much this can positively impact your bottom line and the planet simultaneously.
Office Artwork and Aesthetic
You will likely still want an aesthetically appealing workspace, and you can achieve this by adding plants that can help you enjoy cleaner air and design and décor from the staff. Consider putting together a photo competition within the office and have everyone submit photos that you can blow up and put around the office. This can give you a cool, eclectic feel while also getting your staff involved. You can still create a cool workspace on a budget.
Budget
The most important step when opening up a new office is sticking to a budget. While this is a common misstep for fledgling companies, this is critical to your long-term success. While exciting perks like free coffee, meals and accessories for the office seem like a great idea now, they won’t if they bankrupt you.
You don’t need to sacrifice the aesthetic and visual appeal if you are thrifty, creative and innovative with your approach to the workplace. You need to remember that it is possible to set up your new office on a budget.