Finding Your Perfect Office Space

by Jordan Crehan

Moving your business into an office space can be a frustrating process….unless you have read this article.  Typically, when small and large businesses alike obtain space, they lose sight of employees’ needs and long term budget requirements.

When moving into an office you need to business needs your first priority. First off, make a list of office qualifications that can be given to a Prime Manhattan Broker in order to find a perfect office space. Finding an apartment is a lengthy and time consuming process.  One must identify a quality building in a neighborhood that fits their business culture, whether it be Soho, Midtown, Chelsea, or Wall Street.   Then create a budget that fits your current financial situation, but is flexible enough to meet future expenses as well.  Your budget should also account for possible improvements that may need to be made to the office once you have moved in.  These improvements can range from implementing lighting, designing new offices fixtures, breaking down walls and electronic wiring. 

A common mistake is miscalculating the amount of workspace necessary for each employee. Many company employees are stuck working in inadequate areas that are either too small, too close together, etc.  Statistics have shown that this lack of planning leads to disgruntled employees and a poor working environment which will ultimately hurt a company’s future.  As an organized and efficient business you want to forecast these problems—that starts with finding the right office space. To find the right office space for these “worker bees” use a space calculator that can be found on real estate websites like primemanhattanrealty.com or simply type  “space calculator” into your local search engine.   By taking these steps you can avoid incidents like Jon from accounting running around the office in a Barney suite singing Christmas carols.

After skimming through the past paragraphs you’re probably at odds: should I buy or rent? To be frank, you should rent.  By renting an office space it allows you to avoid large upfront costs and it will protect you from a decreasing property market.  Renting an office will also act as a fixed cost on your balance sheet that will allow you to stabilize your budget, since the rent is does not change depending on market conditions.  By renting an office space, you are given the opportunity to adjust to different neighborhoods depending on the three to five year lease. 

Now that you have learned these “essentials,” visualize how you want to organize your office once you move in. If you incorporate this advice into your office search, you will be able to find that clean but conducive work environment where your employees and business will thrive.