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4 Tips for Small Business Moving Out of the Home and into an Office Space in Kansas City: Part II

Once you have decided that you are ready to move your small business out of the home, and you have assessed your budget and business needs, there a still a few more steps to smoothly transition into a new office space:

#3 Choose a Location

Making a final location decision will require some research. You want to make sure the presence of your business will be felt, but also that you are visible and accessible to your regular customers or clients. If you are in retail, it is a good idea to have a design or store concept ready to help you describe your business plan to landlords looking for a certain kind of tenant for their property.

#4 Update Your Paperwork

When you move to a new city, state, or county, you will have to make sure to update several different business requirements. For instance, your “Doing Business As” name will need to be updated with the local government, as well as your business licenses and permits. You will also need to make sure you understand your new location’s tax requirements. Finally, make sure you notify your former state of your move.

If it is time to move your small business out of your home office, do not be afraid to take that leap, but do prepare yourself by assessing your needs and finances, doing a little research, and making sure you have all of your paperwork in order.

If you are looking at commercial MLS listings in Kansas City, give Kathy Woodward at DDI Commercial a call at 913-685-4100 to learn about our available spaces!

4 Tips for Small Business Moving Out of the Home and into an Office Space in Kansas City

While running a business from home is a low-cost and low-risk way to start a business, often there comes a time when business owners feel the need to move into an office space—whether because their enterprise is growing or because they are going a little stir crazy at home. Here are a few tips for making the transition to an office space smooth and cost efficient:

#1 Consider Your Needs and Budget

When looking into commercial property, have an understanding of your budget on a per-square-foot basis. Consider how many offices or cubicles you will need at this point and in the future. If you are anticipating growth, look for properties with extra space you can expand into.

Also factor furniture, utilities, and IT expenses into your budget. Be sure to spend wisely; you might avoid excessive expenses by renting furniture and equipment or buying government surplus equipment. Another option is shared office space or a hot-desking environment in which employees share desks by working at the desk at different times throughout the day while the other person does other tasks.

#2 Look Into Serviced Suites or Offices

Spaces like these are usually located in busy business districts and are already fully equipped and are managed by a firm. They often have more flexible rental agreements and have easy options to upgrade spaces.

Though moving from the home to a professional space might seem like an overwhelming process, there are options and preparation work that can be done to make the jump less daunting!

If you are looking for office space in Kansas, give us a call at 913-685-4100 to learn more about our available commercial realty in Kansas City!

5 New Year’s Resolutions for Your Office Space in Kansas City

You may have resolved to exercise more or to finally get to some projects around the house this New Year, but have you thought about some resolutions for the office? Here are a few suggestions for ways to make 2014 a productive New Year in the workplace:

#1 Set Clear Goals

An obvious first step to improving your year is setting goals, but make sure these goals are clear and attainable so they provide motivation and not frustration.

#2 Delegate!

Do not take all the work on yourself, which can be tempting in a small business environment. Save yourself some stress and achieve a more balanced work lifestyle by passing along tasks to others.

#3 Try Something New

Whether you take a free ecourse or talk to other people in the business for new ideas, stretch yourself to do something new. You might improve your business skills, or you might just find a new area of interest unrelated to your business, which still adds a healthy element of balance to your life.

#4 Schedule Time for Yourself

Part of achieving healthy balance is knowing when to scale back and take time to reenergize. Try to make a weekly commitment to do something you enjoy and be as firm in honoring that time as any other business commitments.

#5 Be a Good Community Member

There are plenty of worthy causes out there—find one you are interested in and resolve to volunteer, donate, or even be a leader in an organization.

You spend so much of your time at work—don’t neglect this part of your life as you are considering your New Year’s resolutions!

If your business is looking for Kansas City office space for rent, give us a call at 913-685-4100 to find out about our affordable office space in Kansas City!

Frequently Asked Questions About Office Space in Kansas City: Part II

If you know nothing about finding an office space for your business, do not panic. It is important to go into negotiations with some preparation, but luckily there is a lot of information out there about how to find and negotiate a commercial lease. Here are a few frequently asked office space rental questions and answers to get you started:

3. Are lease terms negotiable?

While landlords are looking out for their own best interests, they are almost always willing to discuss concessions. Know that your bargaining power will depend on the local market—if it is tight, you will not have a lot of ability to negotiate. Even if the rent is non-negotiable, you might be able to negotiate for limits on rent increases and costs of things like utilities, repairs, taxes, etc. You can also negotiate for the length of your lease, as well as potential improvements to the space with financial assistance from your landlord.

4. How can I find out if my potential location is properly zoned for my business?

Start by checking local zoning ordinances. Next, you need to see if there are any other legal restrictions that might affect your business. For instance, there might be limits in that city on certain types of businesses (i.e. coffee shops or fast food places) in a certain area, parking or advertising stipulations, or certain restrictions on hours. Check to see if the city has a business development office that can help you navigate these questions.

5. Do your research before entering into lease negotiations!

Is your business looking for office space for rent in Kansas City? Give us a call at 913-685-4100 to set up a tour of one of our available office suites for rent in Kansas City!

Frequently Asked Questions About Office Space in Kansas City

If you are just starting to look into finding a commercial space for your business for the first time, the process can seem overwhelming. Don’t go in unprepared. Think about your business’s needs and research what the leasing process entails. Here are the answers to a few frequently asked leasing questions to get you started:

1. Should I rent or buy a business space?

Almost all businesses who are just starting out in their own space choose leased (rented) spaces, and most businesses in general lease space at some point throughout their lifetime. When you lease instead of buy, you can avoid using up valuable capital for working, and leasing also makes it easier to relocate if you outgrow a space or need new accommodations.

2. What is a commercial lease?

A commercial lease is different than a residential lease. It is a contract between a landlord and a business for the rental of an office building space. A commercial lease can consist of a short term (i.e. a month) or a long term (as much as ten to 15 years). Leases can be written or oral, but a written lease is a safer bet because a judge will typically not enforce an oral lease after a year.

Having an understanding of basic commercial lease information is a good place to start when thinking about renting a space for your business

If you are interested in commercial space for lease in Kansas City, give a commercial real estate broker in Kansas City a call at 913-685-4100!

What Type of Kansas City Office Space Location is Best for Your Business?

In order to find a profitable location for your business, you will want to consider the various factors that will increase customer traffic to your location. Here are a few questions to ask yourself as you are considering what type of location would be best for your business:

Will customers be walking in? It is important to distinguish between foot and automobile traffic. For example, if you are opening a coffee shop in the city, you might depend on nearby pedestrian traffic for business.
Will customers be driving to our location, and if so, is there parking available? For example, if you are opening an auto repair shop, you might want to locate on a well-travelled street where your business will be noticed by drivers.
Will the reputation of a particular area or building help draw more customers?
Will we draw more customers in a space near other similar businesses? A woman’s clothing shop might do well near other clothing stores, since people shopping for clothes tend to spend some time browsing multiple stores in a particular area.

Finding the perfect location varies from business to business. Be sure to take some time to consider the habits of the customers you are interested in before choosing a location.

If you are interested in locating your business in an office space in Kansas City, give us a call at 913-685-4100 to find out about our available commercial realty in Kansas City!

Understanding Tenant Improvements for Your Small Office Lease in Kansas City

Have you found the perfect space for your business, but just need to make a few improvements? You might need to do anything from changing the flooring to upgrading the electrical wiring, all of these things are known as Tenant Improvements.

About Tenant Improvements
All different kinds of spaces might need tenant improvements. You could be renting a completely unfinished space, called a shell space, or a space that is mostly unfinished but includes lighting and HVAC systems, which is called a warm shell space. Standard space is finished, but could still potentially require improvements. The last kind of potential space improvements are custom finishes, which could include things like unique designs or luxury or specialty materials.

Why You Should Negotiate for Tenant Improvements

From the perspective of a landlord, long-term tenants investing in improvements that will be useable for future tenants is a smart business decision because it will increase the value of the space and allow them to charge higher rent. Therefore, if you are a tenant with good credit requesting general improvements, your landlord might be inclined to give you a Tenant Improvement Allowance or Tenant Improvement Credit, which is a fixed dollar amount given by the landlord to the tenant for improvements.

Don’t let a few improvement issues with a space prevent you from leasing it, talk to your landlord about your improvement options!

If you would like to learn more about office space for rent in Kansas City, give us a call at 913-685-4100 to learn more about our available office space in Kansas City

Determining Office Size for an Office Space in Kansas City: Part III

You can ease some of the stress of determining the amount office space you need by considering a few important factors. Here are a few final ones to think about:

Conference Rooms
Adequate space in conference rooms is essential. Think about how many people are typically invited to meetings. A good rule is to allow for 20-25 SF per seat, which will help ensure adequate space per employee. Here are some guidelines for estimating conference room dimensions:

Board Room – (375 sq. ft.) Holds 15 to 18 people
Conference Room – (300 sq. ft.) Holds 12 to 15 people
Small Meeting Room – (225 sq. ft.) Holds 9 to 11 people

You might also consider sharing resources such as conference rooms or break rooms with other tenants on the property, though be sure to look into lease types and terms before making that decision.

Future Growth
A final factor to consider is the growth of your business; you want to aim for a space that will accommodate all of the personal projected through the midterm of the lease. A common calculation used for projecting future growth is simply adding 10-20% to the current needed square footage. However, bear in mind that growth can vary by industry and a variety of other factors, so talk to the landlord about the possibility of expanding in the building during your lease term.

Pinpointing your business’s needs, especially in regards to space, is the most important part of finding a new office space. Be sure to consider factors such as personnel, area layout, special arrangements, conference rooms, and future growth as you calculate square footage!

If you are looking at office suites for rent in Kansas City, give us a call at 913-685-4100!

Determining Office Size for an Office Space in Kansas City: Part II

Determining the amount of office space your business will need requires consideration of several factors. Here are a few more to think about as you search for a space that will be a comfortable, smart, and financially feasible location for your business (also, if you missed Part I – here it is):

Area Layout
How do you want to arrange your office? Do you need a reception or waiting area, a conference room, a break area, extra storage, or open office space? Estimating the necessary size of open office space can be challenging, but picturing necessary elements of this space in scale can make the task easier. For instance, if you know that 15 employees work in cubes, then think about the size of each cube. Here are some guidelines for standard cube sizes:

Supervisor’s Workstation – (100 sq. ft.)
Standard Cubicle- (48 sq. ft.)
Small Cubicle – (25 sq. ft.)

Special Arrangements
You will also want to consider things like parking arrangements. The typical preset ratio landlords use for parking spaces is 4:1000Ã¢â‚¬â€ four parking spaces for every 1,000 SF you lease. Check out the spaceÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s parking lot to see if it appears to have adequate parking. If you have doubts, talk to the leasing representative for the space. Next, think about any special requirements such as reserved parking for top management, parking garages, and handicap access.

Check back for a few final factors to consider as you determine what sized Kansas City office space for rent your business needs.

If you would like an expert to help you figure square footage for a new office rental space, give us a call at 913-685-4100!

Determining Office Size for an Office Space in Kansas City

Finding a new office space can be time-consuming, difficult, and stressful, and office space size can be one of the most common areas of misunderstanding. It is important to know that the majority of landlords lease space by Rentable Square Feet, which includes a share of the common area in proportion to the size of their space (i.e. a tenant might be paying for 175 RSF in a 10’ x 15’ space). This fact is important to consider, along with a few other factors to consider:

Personnel
When deciding to change office locations, one of the most important things to consider is how many employees will be utilizing the new space, as well as the types of employees. Usually, upper management employees have larger office spaces than entry level employees. Here are some basic guidelines for personal office sizes:

CEO or Director’s Office (300 sq. ft.)
Manager’s Office (225 sq. ft.)
Standard office(150 sq. ft.)
Small Office (120 sq. ft.)

Considering the amount of personnel who will be occupying your office and the sizes of spaces they will need is a good way to start determining how much office space you will need.

If you want someone to help you calculate square footage, give a commercial real estate broker in Kansas City a call at 913-685-4100!