Moving While Starting a Home-Based Business: How to Get It Right

Moving is a challenging undertaking. If you pair that with starting a home-based business, it may seem like getting it all done together is impossible. Thankfully, that isn’t the case. Scates Real Estate shares some tips that can help you get it all right.

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Choose the Right Home

Before you worry about moving, you need to find a house that meets your new needs. If your current property doesn’t give you enough space for a home-based business, then upsizing is your best bet.

Figure out how much square footage you need to live and work comfortably. Additionally, consider what features may help both your company and family thrive. That could include extra storage space for products, a separate entrance for customers, parking space for delivery vehicles, or anything else that ensures you can run your business with ease.

As you identify must-haves, put them in a list. Separate them from your nice-to-haves as you do. That way, you know what your deal breakers are and can communicate that effectively to your real estate agent.

Along the way, it’s also smart to conduct housing market research. Look at prices and trends in your area, as well as on a broader scale.

In some cases, moving to a new city or state could be a smart move, allowing you to get the right house with greater ease or save money on the purchase. If you aren’t sure where to turn for data, Redfin and the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) can all be worth exploring.

Plan for Your Move

If you know moving is on the horizon, start packing right away. Any items that you don’t use regularly and you’re comfortable with not having access to for a while are fair game. By beginning this process now, you stretch out the work, making it easier to manage.

As your moving day draws closer, work your way toward essential items. When it comes to the property you need for your home-based business, pack it separately from other household goods and label those boxes. That way, when you get into your new house, you know which boxes to unpack to get your business moving again.

If you’re driving to your new home, it may be best to take your business items with you for the journey, even if you’re using a moving company. That way, you’ll always have your company-related property available. Plus, when you get to your new house, you can unpack it immediately, allowing you to get your operation back into full swing faster.

Handle the Business Part

In many cases, you’ll want to wait to formalize your business until you’re certain about where you’re going to live. Licenses and permits don’t always transfer between municipalities, and they definitely don’t cross state lines. If you want to save yourself some paperwork and filing fees, wait until you have your new address to register your business.

Additionally, after you come up with a company name, you may want to set up a DBA name. With that, you can separate your products or services into categories, allowing you to market them under names that make the most sense. Also, if you can’t get your preferred social media handle or domain name for your main company name, you might be able to with your DBA, allowing you to create a more cohesive brand.

If this is your first time running a business, you may want to build on your current business knowledge. By earning a business degree, you’ll learn key skills in marketing, finance, management, and business ethics. An online degree program gives you the flexibility to complete the coursework on your own time and at a pace that suits your lifestyle.

Starting a business while making a move isn’t an easy task, but it’s not impossible. With the tips above, you can find a home that suits your needs and run a profitable business!