It is essential to find the most suitable space in order to achieve a successful business, whether it is an office or a commercial premise. Its characteristics, size, measurements, services and especially the location, can maximize or minimize the potential of any company. Below we detail the most relevant aspects to take into account when deciding the ideal place to ensure the success of our business.
1. Conditions of the premises
It is often difficult to find a property that meets the right characteristics for the specific needs of our project. Facilities, dimensions, distribution, technology ... there are many aspects to consider and that can make the search process difficult. It is advisable to look for a place where previously there was a similar activity or that has an image or style that fits with ours (what we call look & feel).
However, it is not common to find a property that suits our needs and also offers a look & feel that matches the aesthetic we need or have in mind. That is why it is essential to have a capital fund to adapt the premises, and it is highly recommended to be in contact with a rehabilitating company or technical office which gives us the real vision of the cost of implementation.
2. Location of the premises
It may seem very obvious, but the location of the property, especially if it is a commercial premise, will affect decisively the access of our business to the maximum volume of the public. Let's not fall into clichés: not all stores are suitable for a tourist area, even if there is a heavy footfall volume. Neither is it always negative that there are similar businesses in the vicinity, since this proximity can attract potential buyers interested in the possibility of comparing products.
If we are looking for a commercial premise, there are three types of areas that will interest us especially:
The touristic zones have the distinctive feature of bringing together both the commercial and the office value. In the case of Barcelona, it is important to take into account that Portal de L'Angel de l is one of the main commercial hubs of Barcelona, but it does not generate as much interest as office location. It is not the same with the Passeig de Gràcia, where a large number of shops and offices coincide. Locating a business space in this prestigious boulevard, however, is unaffordable for those who do not have a large capital to invest.
Commercial neighbourhood axes and pedestrian zones where we will find a great volume of people, especially of from the neighbourhood.
Third and fourth lines: residential areas, although not commercial, are interesting to accommodate services that people may need. This idea is especially interesting if, in the surroundings of the property that we are evaluating, we can find complementary activities to ours. If our business idea is aimed at children and adolescents, it is clear that we need an area with parks and schools. If we want to open a store of nutritional supplements for athletes, it would be convenient to have a gym nearby. Studying what type of business we are interested in having close by will help us choose the most suitable location.
As for the offices or premises where we do not intend to carry out a commercial activity, there are two aspects to consider:
Good communication in public transport and / or private vehicle, facilitating access to both employees and customers, suppliers, etc. We must bear in mind that, although it seems a trivial aspect, an interesting location can be a plus even when it comes to attracting talent for our company.
Facilities in close proximity which provide networking, meeting rooms, business incubators, etc.
3. In what way does our business contribute to the neighbourhood
Now more than ever, citizens are getting used to expressing their opinion and being heard and taken into account. The perception of the neighbours about what type of product they need to have nearby becomes privileged information that will help us to advance in our business journey.
Platforms such as SHOPINION contribute to the city's businesses, adapting to the needs of each area taking advantage of the opportunities offered by new technologies.
4. Price and contract conditions
When we are starting our project, any expense counts. Buying or renting a more expensive property than we can really afford can become a serious problem when it comes to balancing accounts. It is also convenient to negotiate well all aspects of the contract to be sure that we will not find unpleasant surprises that take us away from our objectives.
Here are a couple of tips that can be of help:
• Sign a lease agreement of at least 5 years. This will guarantee a minimum of stability during the first years of our business and the amortization of the implementation works.
• When calculating the fixed costs of our project it is important that high the rent of the premises or office is not so high that it prevents us from investing in other aspects of our business or that even supposes a problem when dealing with such expenses during the first months.
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