Are you on the map?
I’ve been in a home office for 9 years and was in a rented office 15 years before that. The 9 years has correlated with the increased ability to create a business environment that is strictly online. It also has to do with my virtual workforce and the freedom to tap into talent from around the country. And, here is the biggie, my children went off to college and I could pick almost the best room in the house. (If only I hadn’t promised my husband that he could have the front office when we moved.)
Web Location
Katey Maddux provides some food for thought when it comes to where you want to plant your flag, whether it is online or on location:
Before you do anything, secure the name of your company by doing a search on state and federal websites to see if it is available. Then, visit a domain registration site to see if your business name can be purchased; if so, register it so no one else can use it for their website. It’s a good idea to register any close variations of the name, too—each domain only costs about $10 a year. At one-stop sites such as com and GoDaddy, you can not only register your domain name, but also build a website and access online marketing tools.
Key steps for choosing a good domain
- Make it easy
- Keep it short → the lower the risk of misspellings the better
- Include the keywords that people enter when searching for your products or services→ it improves your SEO
Office Location
10 things to consider – Before you start shopping for a business space, you need to have a clear picture of your needs vs. your wants. Also, decide what you absolutely won’t tolerate and how much you’re able to pay. Be systematic and realistic
- Style of operation: Formal vs casual, should reflect your brand, mobile ready?
- Foot traffic: Do you need it? Are you retail or does your business need confidentiality? What’s the traffic at different times of day?
- Accessibility and parking: How accessible is your space for customers, employees and suppliers? Deliveries? Traffic? Loading docks? Does the AC get turned off at night? Lights? Are the doors locked on the weekends?
- Proximity to other businesses and services: Do you benefit from the traffic they generate? Will they enrich the quality of your workplace? (ex. Lots of restaurants nearby, day care center, etc)
- Image and history of the site/space: Check the history of the site. Ask about earlier tenants, what’s the reputation? Have many previous businesses tried there and failed → why?
- Ordinances: Zoning restrictions
- Infrastructure: Older buildings can’t always support high-tech spaces and operations, hire an engineer to check for you
- Rent and utilities cost: Ask for a summary of the previous years utilities from the utility company. Insurance rates? Janitorial service? Etc.
Customer Location
Understand the niche or demographics that you wish to appeal to. Who is your customer and what’s their proximity to your location. Scope the community and ask “does the population match your customer profile.
And, what about your workforce? What skills and talents do you need? Is there available and quality housing and schools and culture for employees? Using my online tech stack as the basis for my tools, such as TeamViewer, HubDoc and QuickBooks Online, I’m free to provide services to franchises and QuickBooks users all around the country from the comfort of my own home office. More and more larger companies are going the same route with their workforce.
Are you on the map?
Building an online presence is important for customers to find you. Next, seek help for developing an SEO strategy (Search Engine Optimization) for your website and web presence. Finally, build your name recognition through Yelp, Google Reviews or social media. Do you want to know if people can find you? Do a search of your name or company name in the library where there are no cookies associated with the web browser. Find out today if you’re visible tomorrow!
