Guide to finding a perfect office space in New Orleans

Things are finally looking up, and your New Orleans business is making a profit. You’ve hired your first employees, so your garage isn’t going to cut it anymore as headquarters. The time has come for you to upgrade to an actual office. However, securing a space that meets both your needs and budget isn’t as easy as it sounds. And that’s where our guide to finding a perfect office space in New Orleans comes in.

If you empower yourself with all the right tools and information, you won’t have any problems with the process. And there’s a lot of things to think about here. Besides location, you also have to learn how to create a productive office space. Pretty much every choice you make will affect your daily operations but also market your brand.  

Determine what you need

When it comes to how much space you need, the rule of thumb is to get about 1,000 square feet for every five employees. You should be able to fit everyone in using this formula. However, it all depends on the layout. So, even before you start looking for space, make sure to figure out just how much of it you require.

Besides the square footage, you also need to look into other amenities. Think about the things like parking spaces and public transport options. If you’re dealing with lots of deliveries, it may be a smart idea to choose a place close to a highway. Or you want a front window in a high-traffic area, so you have more people coming in.

Location and accessibility are the next on the list

Although we already touched on location in the previous paragraph, it is still a critical factor when selecting office space. Any business needs to have an accessible location, as it can mean the difference between success and failure. At the end of the day, you don’t want your employees to blame the traffic every morning because they’re late all the time. Even worse is for their claims to be justified.

So, you want your office to be accessible both via personal vehicles and public transport. This way, neither you, your employees, nor your customers have to worry about making it on time. And while we’re at it, when your customers arrive at your office, they should feel welcome. So, make sure to arrange your business reception area properly to achieve this.

Consider your plans for growth

Always think about your growth plans when looking into options for your office space. It makes sense to rent a more extensive area if it suits your business plans. If you have plans for expanding the venture in the future or adding some departments, this can be a wise decision as you’ll be able to keep using the same building as the firm grows.

Also, if you already have all the equipment you’ll need as the company grows, move it all at once. If you’re using professionals to take care of the transfer, you can save quite a bit of money on your corporate relocation by moving once and not multiple times.

However, this idea for finding a perfect office space in New Orleans is only applicable when the expansion plans are bound to happen within the first year of doing business. Only this way can you achieve the intended cost savings.

Think about the amenities

Depending on what your business is all about, you’ll need different amenities. So, consider nearby facilities you might need. Having things such as hotels, taxis, and shops around is always important. Ideally, you should find a location that will attract the preferred level of skill to your organization.

The key here is to know how to protect your business in the startup phase. The situations you find yourself in should help you capture the growth potential. For instance, if you want to capture international markets, you should consider being close to an airport. Think in that direction.  

Managing the interior

We already talked about how important setting up a reception area is, but now we’ll delve a little bit deeper into the topic. The office layout is also one of the essential factors, and because of this, quite a few decisions are waiting to be made.

Some of the things you need to determine are: 

• Do you want to separate the offices from the meeting room?
• Where your management staff will sit?
• Do you want to have a nicer office than the rest of the team?
• What about the floor and wall decorations?

As we said, a lot of things need to be addressed. You mustn’t forget to make the internet connection and power sockets available to everyone. Also, do a little bit of research on the office furniture. Office interiors make a big difference in staff morale, so it’s advisable to bring in some decor items to brighten up space. Companies like zippyshelllouisiana.com offer great portable storage units that can make the renovation process much easier since they allow you to keep furniture and other inventory onsite.

Consider the needs of your customers

Our last piece of advice is to look beyond your needs and factor in your customers’ needs. Again, this depends on the type of your business. Will the clients have to visit it often? Think about who your target customers are and where they hang out.

If you’re in the corporate world, it can make sense to rent around other corporate companies. Potentially, this can attract new clients. On the other hand, clustering yourself amongst other small businesses also can make sense if that’s what your ideal client wants to see.

All in all, no guide to finding a perfect office space in New Orleans can overemphasize the importance of location. There are many factors to look into, and you can’t skip any of them. Don’t let the price be the only factor; consider the growth potential as well.