There are all kinds of reasons why you might be planning to relocate to a new office. Whatever the reason, it is a great opportunity for a bit of a spring clean and a company revival. While moving really can be a logistical mountain, there are plenty of ways to soften the blow and minimise downtime as far as possible.
For instance, many businesses turn to serviced workspaces for a short time before they move into a new headquarters. These fully furnished offices are the ideal stepping stone because they carry very short leases. You can rent an office for three months or twelve, it is entirely up to you. Check out Servcorp’s Virtual Offices and Serviced Offices for more details.
This guide to successfully relocating your business will give you some helpful tips on where to start and what to do first.
Ecosystem Support
It isn’t possible for all businesses, but if you can use your connections to smooth out the transition, don’t hesitate to do so. This is particularly important if you’re moving to a new country and getting to grips with an unfamiliar culture.
Reach out to clients, investors, and suppliers from your past; anybody with links to your new home. You never can tell where a chance encounter will lead. You might land yourself a meeting with some key market players or just get the inside scoop on which neighbourhoods are the best place to find flexible office solutions.
Consider a Test Run
It isn’t always essential to invest precious time and money on a full-scale relocation. It is certainly worth considering whether a minimum viable move would be the better option. This would involve something like commuting to the new town or city and working from a virtual office for part of each week.
Alternatively, you could use this as a trial run, if you’re not sure whether the destination is a good fit for the business. Virtual offices are well suited to temporary arrangements of this nature because they can be paid for on a week by week basis. There are no lock-in contracts and everything you need is part of the flat fee.
Regional Habits
The differences between moving across a country and moving between them are pretty huge, but they both present certain challenges. In either case, it is important to explore the things that make your new home tick. Get to know what people expect of you. For instance, Malaysians are similar to people throughout central Asia.
They avoid confrontation at all costs because good manners and courtesy are very important to them. Malay people aren’t upfront or direct in the same way that westerners tend to be. However, this doesn’t mean that they’re not sincere. If you’re a newcomer, you need to be careful not to offend potential partners and investors by being too outspoken.
How to Make Your Relocation a Guaranteed Success
Virtual and serviced office solutions can be found throughout Kuala Lumpur. This lively, thriving city is a magnet for foreign investors and it has proved to be very popular with tech start-ups over the last five years. It could offer the relocation of your dreams, but you’ve got to be careful not to jump in too quickly.
International expansions require a lot of planning and it is a good idea to put measures in place to ensure your flexibility. That way, if things don’t go as smoothly as expected, you’re not locked into a costly long-term lease. You can downgrade, reshuffle, reinvent, or return your business to its previous location if you run into problems and have to cut costs fast.
