Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

I would like an opinion.  I am looking to move my business. My current space no longer fits my needs.  I do almost exclusively business to business work. I have a choice between a space that is off a main road and a space that is on a main road.  The difference between the two is $600 a month. Guess which is more?

The higher priced space represents an $800 a month increase to what I currently spend.  But it is a nicer space.  The other looks dumpy (now).  I am also looking to upgrade our web site and exposure.  I currently do not get any walk in traffic - which could be because of my current location off the beaten track.  I have also seen some of my competition move off main roads to side roads which tells me the premium price is not worth it.

My Question is:  Do I take the lower priced unit and use the extra cash to pump into my website or move into the nicer unit and hope the exposure brings in more sales?

I am inclined to increase my web exposure and see what fans out.  The thought of moving does not thrill me at all.

If you have what people want, and they hear about it, they`ll find your location no matter where you are! And people will exert some effort to get to that location. Spend the savings on customer relations, marketing and advertising, or whatever else will put your name in front of people. If you`re mostly business-to-business, how many walk-ins do you really project? What will that increase do? Will it pay the difference in lease rates?

This is such a coincidence! Kathy and I went to find a quilting shop that had been in town, then recently moved. We were searching for a very specific type of fabric pencil, hard to find, and so we were investigating any type of place that sold fabric and supplies.

When we talked with the owner, mentioning that we`d never seen the store when it was in town, she said she`d just moved. It was more expensive, but due to her previous location, she never got "walk-in" traffic, and was having a hard time of it. Now, she`s located right on a main road, very visible, in an excellent location.

She didn`t have in stock our pencils, but after some investigation on the computer, said she could order them wholesale. The retail price was good, so we went with it. Meanwhile, Kathy`s pencils were down to the nub. We needed those pencils.

The customer service totally sucked. We heard no call-backs, nothing to inform us of where the order was. We had one last call, to say we really needed an update, or we`d cancel and search again. Not even a callback on that.

The lesson we took away is that it likely wasn`t the lack of walk-ins, off-the-track location, or anything else about where was the store. It was that this woman has lousy customer service, and apparently could care less about growing her business. Note that we really did do some looking to find her new store in the first place, because we`re not normally on that main road.

Hi artman,

You listed only two choices for your move. What other options have you looked at? Have you considered sharing a space with someone that has a business that would compliment yours? Or, have you looked a business office setup where several companies share in the lease, a common area and receptionist? But, each business has its own office areas. These types of lease arrangements can increase exposure for your company by bringing more potential clients to your location.

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The older we get, the more excuses we make for not chasing after our dreams. But truth is, goals are attainable at any age.

Craigs response kind of falls in with what I have been thinking.  Putting the savings into upgrading our web presence and customer relations, etc. will be better spent.

We have actually looked at 8 places in the last 6 months.  Sharing space with someone is out.  We need our own space for our equipment.   We had a client of ours willing to lease us space at a good rate, but he is too far away. And I really don`t want to lease from a client.

We have had a number of calls over the years of people who want to "combine" services.  Usually they are from someone looking to boost their own client list and have nothing to offer in return. Sounds cynical, but it is the way it is.