Before starting up a new business, always have a business plan written as a guide to what your goals are for your business. Visit some other businesses, which have recently started up and ask questions about where they purchased their furniture, office supplies, etc. Go online and do your research on where to get the things you need. Do a lot of comparison shopping for everything. Try to stay within your budget.
Finding the Building for Your Office
Take your time when looking for a place to set up an office and take time to carefully and clinically think everything over before agreeing to the terms. Look in the local newspapers or go online to find an office building within your budget. Ask people you come in contact with if they know of a place you can check on.
How to Furnish it on an Extremely Small Budget
Shop for the bargains, but don’t skip on taste to make it cheap. There are so many second hand or second chance stores where you can find great buys on office furniture, with many often giving their profits to nonprofit organisations. Try to keep in mind what overall theme you would like to use in your office to keep it in line with the type of work you will be handling. Cheap furniture does not have to mean uncomfortable furniture, after all to get the best out of your workers you’ll need to make the office as comfortable as possible.
Supplies for Your Office
Now that you have the furniture you need for your office, it is time to supply it. Buying in bulk is a great way to save money if you have the storage space to keep the excess supplies. One way you can save money is to buy large job lots on eBay, where you’ll find everything from second hand furniture to paper supplies. One other great way to save significantly is to combine your order with another local business so that you can pool your buying power and save money by getting suppliers to compete for your order.
What Needs to be in the Office?
Know exactly what you need before you have to have it. Plan ahead! For example, you’ll want to research Alarms for Home and Business, and install a suitable security system to ensure your property, belongings, and employees are as safe and secure as possible. Depending on the size and type of business you are starting up you may choose to have cell phones instead of landlines to keep employees in contact with each other and you. Do you need desktop computers or laptops? The answer to that question would depend on how mobile the employees need to be to get the job done. Will they be working at a desk the whole time they are at work? Or will they need to travel to get the job done? Work this out and equip your office accordingly.
Do You Need High-Speed Broadband for Your office?
High-speed internet means getting to your online customers fast or just getting the emails sent to customers, employees or suppliers is crucial to a business. Having a fast broadband connection will also help your staff in their research and development. However, fast internet is not available everywhere, so when you’re choosing the location of your office you should also find out what kind of download and upload speeds you can expect to get.
Good Transportation is a Great Thing
A company needs to be able to depend on their transportation to get there products to the consumers, because without consumers there is no way your business will survive. It works the other way round too. If you want to attract the best talent to work for you, then make it easy for them to get to work. Ideally your office will have adequate parking for commuters as well as good public transport links.
Buy Cheap Decorations
Bare walls or empty tables are depressing. You want your customers and employees to want to be there and not feel so melancholy when they walk into the office. People have found great decorations to spruce up the office at yard sales, auctions and thrift stores. Some office personnel have taken the time to create their own projects for sprucing up the office. Don’t over crowd the office where it is impossible to work in it.
Happy Employees are Worth the Investment
Making your employees feel good about themselves and the job they are doing will in turn benefit the company as they will strive to do a better job if they feel like they are making a difference.
The Break Room is Extremely Important
Everyone needs a break from work even if it is just for a few minutes. Drinks can refresh that sore throat a telephone operator or receptionist might get and perhaps keep them talking. Set up the snack area to provide drink machines for cold and hot drinks. Also, set up snack machines. The money these machines make can help pay for the purchase of resupplying them. If your office only consist of a few employees you may want to just purchase a refrigerator and a coffee pot. Hence, the employee can bring their own drinks and snacks. Taking turns bringing in coffee and coffee supplies is a great way to help keep your finances low and keep employees happy and working. Make sure to keep this area clean to keep you and the employees healthy.
Bathrooms are a Must
Please keep it clean! You don’t want bathroom problems. Maintenance your office bathrooms and make sure it is well stocked at all times. There again, you can purchase bathroom supplies in bulk and decorations for the bathrooms can be simple and inexpensive, yet .
Customer and Employee Support
Set a time to handle meetings to allow employees to discuss their concerns. Be interested in the employees, don’t just brush them off. It the employee feels like you are really concerned about them and their well-being, then they will return the feelings.
What would you recommend for furnishing a small business’s office?