10 Easy Tips for Moving Your Business to a New Location
Quick answer: Moving your business to a new location requires a logistical game plan to safely relocate your equipment, inventory, and employees safely without impacting your bottom line. That plan will hinge primarily on how you’ll move — whether through a full-service company that specializes in commercial moving or by taking a more DIY approach.
Of course, there’s a lot more that goes into moving your business, and it can be tough to juggle day-to-day operations with bigger-picture grand reopening ideas… and everything that falls in between. We’ve put in the sweat equity for you and come up with a quick list of tips to help keep you on track and under budget.
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Why planning your business move matters
Moving your business takes more than just packing boxes — it’s also about minimizing disruption and protecting your profits. A well-thought-out plan helps you:
- Minimize downtime so you can quickly reopen and keep the revenue flowing
- Keep employees and customers in the loop so they know what to expect… and when. Clear communication establishes trust, keeps people engaged, and helps prevent any unexpected mishaps. You don’t want customers to keep trying to visit your old location after you’ve moved!
- Protect your assets — from inventory to expensive equipment and valuable data. Accounting for these as part of your relocation plan will help ensure they won’t get lost or damaged during the move.
Tips for moving your business
While every commercial move is unique, here are some general tips to keep in mind when planning your business relocation.
1. Map everything out with a timeline
Breaking your move into steps will make your move feel much more manageable and help keep you on schedule. Your office moving checklist should cover every task related to the relocation, including selecting a mover, packing, setting up equipment at your new site, and notifying customers.
2. Budget like a boss
In addition to your timeline, you’ll want to set a moving budget and put aside a little extra for surprises. You can also create a separate list of cost-related tasks to help you sort out what you’ll need to budget for and when certain expenses will pop up.
Plan for costs like hiring movers, setting up tech, and minor repairs. Add 10%–20% as a cushion to cover last-minute expenses. Staying ahead of costs will save you headaches down the line.
3. Pick the pros who know business moves
Commercial moves are a different ballgame. You’ll need pros with experience handling office relocations, specialized equipment, and tight deadlines. Look for top office movers that offer services like custom crating for electronics, furniture assembly, and storage. They also have the logistical capabilities to handle the move based on your business’ required timeline.
If you’re not sure whether a pro movers fits into your budget, use our cost calculator for free instant moving quotes.
4. Read the fine print on your lease
Double-check the fine print on your new lease agreements to check for details on notice periods, maintenance requirements, and potential hidden fees.
You should also review the terms of your current lease to ensure your move-out complies with your lease terms. This way, you can avoid added charges for things like terminating the lease early or not providing sufficient notice prior to your move.
5. Set a reopening date and stick to it
Decide on a reopening date early on — and tell your employees and customers as soon as possible. A clear reopening date will help build excitement and avoid miscommunications.
The key here is to stick to your reopening schedule. This will be much easier if you make arrangements with a moving company before you announce anything. This way, you won’t have to worry about potentially having to reschedule.
6. Label like a moving master
As you start packing for your move, make sure you label every box with what’s inside and where it belongs. This will help you unpack faster.
Full-service moving companies can handle packing for you using quality moving supplies. You should still be present during packing and unpacking, however, so you guide them with labeling and setup.
7. Keep the essentials handy
Set aside laptops, important documents, and other must-haves you’ll need on day one, and encourage your employees to do the same. This saves time and avoids digging through boxes when you’re setting up.
8. Update your address everywhere, pronto
Be sure to update your business address as quickly as possible. While this naturally entails contacting utility companies and other service providers, as a business, don’t forget to update all public-facing listings, including your website and Google Business profile. Promptly updating your address will ensure that customers go to the right place and that business correspondence actually reaches you.
9. Plan for tech setup
In today’s business environment, you need to make sure your internet, phones, computers, and other tech equipment are up and running before you reopen at your new location. Be sure to schedule time on or shortly after the move date to get everything hooked up.
Some full-service movers offer equipment set-up assistance as part of their services, while others will simply place the equipment in the desired location and leave setup to you. If you have specialized equipment, entrust this task to your IT team, who has the know-how to handle everything properly.
10. Have a backup plan for “uh-oh” moments
We all know the saying about best-laid plans. Even with top-quality movers and a well-thought out plan, you may hit some unexpected snags or delays. Whether it’s hiccups with your tech setup or weather or delivery headaches, things like this often happen during moves… and it’s not really anything you can control.
You can, however, prepare for setbacks with a backup plan. Adding in a one- or two-day buffer to your moving timeline, for example, can save you from scrambling come reopening day.
Ways to move your business to a new location
You have three main options for your business relocation: full-service movers, DIY moves with truck rentals, or moving containers. Here’s what you should know about the different types of moves.
Full-service movers
Full-service movers will load and unload your furniture, equipment, and other office supplies on a moving truck, and take care of all transportation. Many full-service movers also provide packing and unpacking services, equipment setup, and other value-added services that can streamline a move for you and your team.
White-glove moving companies offer premium service to further protect your infrastructure or inventory. If you’re relocating your business out of state, you’ll need to work with interstate movers who are specifically licensed for these types of moves.
While full-service companies can help you save time and energy — especially if you own a large business — keep in mind they are, by, far the most expensive option. This could negatively affect your cash flow if you’re operating on a limited budget.
Here are our top picks for full-service moves for businesses:
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DIY business moves
For smaller businesses or those with a limited budget, a DIY business move may be the way to go. Simply rent a moving truck, and manage everything yourself, including packing, loading, and driving.
This is certainly the cheapest way to relocate your business, but it can become time-consuming and stressful, particularly if you need to move a lot of furniture and equipment. And you don’t want to put any undue burden on your employees, who may already be stressed about changing locations.
Before opting for a DIY move, be sure to consider your employees’ wellbeing, the scope of your move, and whether you have anything that requires special handling.
If a DIY move seems like a good fit for you, consider these top-rated moving truck rentals:
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Moving containers
Moving containers fall between full-service and totally DIY moves, both in terms of pricing and the amount of hands-on work required. If you go with a moving container company, your containers (or a larger trailer, if you prefer) will be dropped off at your current business. Depending on the company you choose, you’ll have a few days up to a full month to load everything.
One perk of using a moving container over a rental truck is with the former, you won’t have to do any driving. The container company will pick up your loaded container or trailer and transport it to your new office or storefront.
If you also want some help with the heavy lifting, you can hire moving labor to help load and unload your container. Some labor-only companies also provide packing services for an additional fee.
Here are our recommendations for moving containers:
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FAQ
How far in advance should I start planning my business move?
How do I choose the right moving company for my business?
What steps can I take to reduce downtime during my business move?
Should I move all my office furniture and equipment?
Our rating methodology
At moveBuddha, we understand that all moving companies aren’t created equal. We undertake a rigorous review process to rate and review companies to ensure we provide accurate recommendations.
Here’s a breakdown of the methodology we use to rate movers:
- Customer satisfaction: In addition to looking at reviews with the BBB, Google, and other third-party sites, we rely heavily on interviews with Better Moves Project participants to understand the pros and cons of each mover.
- Standard services: We look at what services are included as part of a company’s standard offerings, and which ones you can only get for an additional fee.
- Reputation: We evaluate a company’s industry ratings, including aspects like carrying sufficient insurance coverage and compliance with applicable regulations.
- Add-on services: We look at any add-on services that can simplify a move, such as custom crating or storage options — services that aren’t offered by all moving companies.
- Availability: The areas a company serves — as well as whether they offer local, long-distance, or international services — is another important consideration. Widespread availability is most useful.
- Type of mover: A moving company’s capability (such as full-service vs. DIY) will directly impact its service offerings.
- Payment: Ease of making a payment (including submitting a deposit) with multiple options (credit card, check, cash, etc.) can also make moving easier.
- Scheduling: How easy is it to book a move? What kind of lead time is needed? Readily available booking services and streamlined scheduling will help get your move underway.
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