Where are you located right now?

On the Internet, on a laptop or cell phone in a Starbucks or diner? Dodging watchful eyes at your full-time job? At a gym, bar or networking event? At a kitchen table, home office, garage, basement, workshop? In your automobile, on the back of your truck, or on motorcycle or bicycle? Are you a peddler on foot (the oldest form of business location in history) carrying your wares on your back or by hand? At a customers location? In your imagination or minds eye?

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Can you work where you live?

If you live in a residential complex or community can you operate a business
or is that prohibited? Is your neighborhood zoned for any business activity? Do costumers need to come to you?

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What do you need space for?

Office work, meeting people, providing a service, manufacturing, fabrication, assembly, showroom/display or storage? Developing and testing, training or parking and maintaining a fleet of vehicles? Growing plants or raising livestock? How many people do you need to accommodate? Do you need a conference room and or kitchen. Do you need to accommodate large groups or will you have a limited number of visitors.

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How much space do you need?

Will a business card on a community bulletin board suffice? Mall cart, window display exhibit space, flee market or bazaar table, sprawling industrial site? Office tower or office park, cubical in a shared office, private office in a business center with staff support capabilities? Do you need acres of land?

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What type of space do you need?

Virtual? Portable? Fixed: Office, manufacturing, workshop/studio, laboratory, retail (on Main Street, a side street, strip mall, shopping center)? Can you plug in and play or are minor or extensive renovations required? Do you need car or foot traffic? Do you need a certain type of ambience or atmosphere? Is handicap accessibility required? Do you need a freight elevator, shipping and receiving capabilities? Are the ceilings high enough? If there are support columns, what’s their position and how do they affect your plan to fit? What’s available in terms of heating, air conditioning (do you need climate control), lighting, and furnishings? If there are a lot of windows, which directions do they face and will widow treatments such as blinds be necessary to block excessive summer sunshine?

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What type of amenities do you need?

High speed Internet, cable, security, lobby reception, newsstand, daycare, and parking. Would you like to be within walking distance of restaurants? Is there adequate electricity supply, is it metered or sub-metered? Are you in a “smart building” where all cabling is in place or will you be charged separately to run cables into the building from the street and then into your space? Do you need hot and cold water or restrooms in the premises or will common ones suffice? Are building management and maintenance on site? If you think your business will require a lot of maintenance and or repair is there adequate parking for service vehicles? What is the mix of tenants around you (who are your neighbors?) Are cleaning services available?

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Are there any planning restrictions on the building?

Is it in a conservation or historic district that will limit any changes you may require? Can you sublet some or all of the space if you need to? What’s going on in the local real estate market and how does that affect you? Are you aware of zoning and ordinances that may affect your business space plans?

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Where do you need it to be geographically?

Do you need space nearby, in another state or different country? Do you need to be near a customer? Near a major transportation hub or in a thriving commercial or retail center?

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When do you need it and have you considered growth?

Do you need it now, at the end of the month, in six moths or a year? What’s the length of the lease? What rate of growth do you project? Is this a temporary space and will growth require you to expand and perhaps move?

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What’s your budget and making a decision?

• Are you renting in a “tenants” or “landlords” market?
• Can you find space on your own, negotiate the price and terms?
• Do you need a broker to represent you?
• Analyze costs – are your overhead costs affordable?
• Measure and calculate cost per square foot. Multiply monthly space cost by 12 (one year) divide by the square footage = cost per square foot
• Measure twice – calculate usable square footage on your own, since published footage may include common areas such as hallways and lobby
• Are there deposit requirements? First month and last month rent for security?
• What are the lease renewal rights and do you have any?
• What expenses are the landlord paying? What expenses are you paying?
• What utilities are included?
• Are there real estate taxes and are there escalations / increases?
• Is insurance required, what type and how much?
• Are you eligible for tax incentives? Is the city or state offering tax deductions per employee for the next several years?

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What's a virtual office?

Need an address without the overhead of a traditional office? Consider a Virtual Office. A Virtual Office provides an ala carte suite of services ranging from usage of the corporate address which you can utilize on your business card and website. Some higher end Virtual Office providers such as Rockefeller Group Business Centers, RGBC.com, allow you to list your company’s name in their building directory and 411 listing.

This is an economical solution that is modular and expandable depending on your needs. If you have an occasional meeting you can rent out the facilities conference room. A receptionist will greet your guests at the reception area and you can take advantage of other amenities offered at the facility.

• Find resources for helping you build out your workspace
• Decide if you need a collocation plan

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