Weighing the Costs & Benefits: Moving to a Metro Vancouver Office

Working from home may be many Vancouverites’ dream come true. Some consider this a luxury, to be able to have fairly flexible hours, or to be able to wear whatever you want. As Vancouverites, the short commute from your kitchen or bedroom to your home–office is also very cost-effective and time-efficient. However, at some point, when your business is ready and growing, you may want to consider moving into a commercial space outside of the home. Do you know when it is time to consider moving your home–based Vancouver office into a commercial space? In this article, we would like to discuss some factors that may affect this decision.

Moving out of your home–based Vancouver office due to growth and success

Home offices are usually small and independent. As your business grows, you may need more space to work. Do you have boxes of documents and products piling up? Are they making their way outside your designated office area? If so, it may be time to move into a commercial space in Vancouver.

As your business grows, you may also consider growing your team. Working alone at home definitely has its perks. But having other people outside your family working in your home may not work for everyone due to space restrictions and privacy concerns. Plus, when you bring on new team members, they need space too.

Moving into a commercial office in Metro Vancouver for a more professional setting

Sometimes, being in a home office may mean more distractions in your day. Kids, dogs, or the home telephone may be interrupting your work, not to mention your conference calls or in-person meetings. Depending on the nature of your work, clients may need to have appointments with you. In these cases, having an office space outside your home may be more ideal. In some people’s experiences, having other colleagues or professionals working alongside them increased productivity and creativity.

Do research to look into different options for a new space in Metro Vancouver

Moving from a home–based office into a commercial space may seem very intimidating, especially when you have been working from home for a long time. It may be that there are budgetary constraints and you are not able to rent out a whole office right from the start.

For a trial period, you may want to try renting a co-working space or hotdesk. These are growing trends where independent freelancers, consultants, small business owners, and other professionals co-work independently, but together in one shared office. People use this for networking opportunities, and for staying creative and collaborative.

After deciding that moving out of your home–based Vancouver office is the way to go, the next step may be to arrange something small for an adjustment period. This adjustment period is both for you and your bank account.

If you need yet another stepping stone to reaching your full space, keep in mind there are also fully furnished offices that act as ‘regular’ office space, but where the board room, receptionist, waiting room, kitchen and maintenance fees are all shared expenses. Here is an example of one company offering such services, though there are many more in the Metro Vancouver area. So, if you are still a one-man team and are unable to rent an entire office, furnish it, pay for electricity, janitorial, etc. and so on, you may be able to rent and move into an office space that looks just as professional, but is shared amongst other more established business owners.

The only downside with these shared office environments is that they may have limits to the hours you can use their space. For example, if, for security reasons the building closes at 6 p.m., but you want to have an overseas conference call at 8 p.m. in the boardroom, you may not be able to have access at that time. However, eventually, with more time and profits, you may then be able to move entirely out of your small home–based office, into a full commercial office in Metro Vancouver.

Contact Ferguson Moving to get started on your commercial office move!

If moving out of your home–based office is the best option for you, give our professional movers a call. If you would like us to help with your move, contact us at 604-922-2212 or online today!