Whether you’re opening your first business or you are expanding, you need to figure out where you’re going to work. When thinking about a new office space, it is important to think about a few essential questions.

Forecast Growth

First, do you have a plan for how quickly you want your company to grow? Depending on how many new employees you are planning on hiring each year, you might have to sign a lease on an office that is larger than what you currently need. The extra space will give you the flexibility to grow, but could also be a budget killer if you don’t expand as you planned.

Open Concept vs. Cubicles

Another important question is considering any industry specific needs. What type of space does your company need? While a sales based company might want individual spaces for each of its agents to conduct their own business, a marketing or social media agency might want an open style office to encourage collaboration.

Depending on what type of company you are, consider what type of space you need. An open office space averages less square footage per employee (125-150 sq ft. per person), while cubicle style requires more (150-175 sq ft. per person). Once you know your projected number of employees, you will be able to come up with a rough estimate of how much space you need.

Needs for Other Spaces

Next, consider other needs for your space. Will you be holding office-wide meetings or client meetings in this space? Consider whether or not you need a conference room, what size you might need, or how many. Check out this Conference Room Rundown for more.

Do you need storage? A kitchen? A lounge or lobby? Deciding on what additional features you need can help you narrow down locations that would work and help you itemize the additional square footage you may need.

Talk to your employees and see what their ideas are, then work from that.

The key to finding a new space is to have a plan outlining what you need now as well as what you will potentially need in the future.

Once you’re ready to take the next step with your business, give Olympia a call a  800.222.4744 or fill out our form to schedule your commercial move.