Relocating your business may seem like an opportunity to access a new market or increase your expansion prospects. However, it’d be best to consider the immediate and long-term impacts of the move. Your client base is set to change, and your staffing composition will also be affected. These two should form your initial analysis before committing to the relocation process, among other factors.
Despite the uncertainty that comes with it, relocation can be the opening your business needs to grow. You may only need to conduct thorough research of your chosen destination. To help you in this research, you can search for a business-related site with the location’s reviews. Such a site can be more detailed than getting info from other sites, like social media. For instance, if you’re planning to move your business to Los Angeles, California, you can learn the facts here that you may want to consider before finalizing your decision.
Aside from these business-related sites, the below points should form your list of things to consider before relocating your business operations.
Business Growth Prospects
When planning to relocate, it’s essential to look at your business’s short-term and long-term goals and objectives.
In the short-term, you’re looking at establishing a name for your brand in the new place, such that you need to look at getting new customers and upstaging the competition. Therefore, you need to ensure that competitor businesses don’t stiffen your customer base, slowing down your growth possibilities. Thus, you should select a location that allows your business to get customers enough to improve your profit margins.
Additionally, as with every business, you should look at how the location affects the future growth of your business. You can look at this long-term growth curve regarding labor availability, space, and supply lines. In terms of labor, if you need to expand and your staffing needs increase, will you find the right staff from the location? Or, will it necessitate bringing in a team from elsewhere? If you need to bring an outside workforce, you may incur other staff-associated costs. Overall, look at how the local population can enable you to access the labor force you need.
Also, you need to look at the location’s space availability and how it’ll affect your growth path. Check if your need for a bigger office floor or storage space, for example, will be met. In addition, if you need to increase your shipping, can the local shipping companies handle it, or you may need to outsource this service from another location, which may be expensive in the long run?
The Cost Implications
While the possibility of a better customer base can encourage your decision to relocate, you should also consider the costs that come with the move. Various costs you’ll incur during and after your move can be the difference in making your business profitable.
First of all, there are costs that come with facilitating the movement itself. The logistical costs will differ depending on the size of your business and the distance to your destination. For example, moving a medium-sized business of 1,000 staff is more costly than a small business of 100 team members. Additionally, moving from one town to another would cost more than moving from one part to another within the same city. Therefore, you need to consider if it makes business sense to make any of the moves.
Secondly, you also need to consider the overhead costs in your desired location. You can determine the difference between what you currently incur and what you’ll incur once you move. For example, if you’re moving to a bigger town or city, the lease or mortgage costs would be higher than your current budget. In addition, wage brackets or supply chain costs will also be higher. Utilities, like gas or water, might be increased, although using services like SwiftSwitch could help you find a better deal. Ultimately, despite the prospects of a larger customer base, these costs will have a larger stake in your profit margin.
Another cost factor to consider in the staffing aspect is relocation versus hiring and training. If you move to a bigger town, your current staff can move with you to ensure continued standards. However, you may have to increase their wages and salaries due to the higher cost of living. On the other hand, some staff members may decide not to relocate with you. Thus, you have to hire and train a new crew altogether. Whichever the case, it’d still increase business costs.
Taxation
Sometimes, your relocation can involve crossing from one tax jurisdiction to another. Let’s say you own a pub, and now you are planning to move it to a new location while converting your existing pub into a residential house. In this situation, it’s important to understand the tax implications involved in converting pub to residential use. Additionally, you will need to research the tax policies and laws specific to your new location, as these regulations can directly affect your business operations. As it’s a law, you have to factor in taxation when pricing your products or services. Thus, it can have a significant effect on your profit margins.
Additionally, you can check if the new location has subsidies or levies, and how they can impact your business operations. Some taxes, like value-added tax (VAT), may vary. Once you have a clear understanding of the tax system of the new location, you can make an informed decision.
Conclusion
On the outside, relocating your business may seem like a chance to enter a new market with more potential. However, before relocating, you should consider factors like growth possibilities, cost, and taxation. Such factors can significantly impact your profit margin, and you should research them carefully before finalizing your decision.
