Before an entrepreneur starts shopping for business space, he needs to have a clear picture of what must he’d like to have or work in, he/she should be clear about what they won’t tolerate and how much they are able to pay. Analyzing the whole scenario feels like it is a time-consuming process that’s both exciting and tedious, but essential to give the attention it deserves.
One can say that half the success metrics of the business depends on its location. It is more important to select a suitable location for the business than any entrepreneur might consider, while there are many factors to consider when choosing a business location.
One might have the most exceptional and irreplaceable product/service on earth, but if the location of the company is in the middle of nowhere, it won’t make any money and get lower attention. This is why it is important to conduct a business location strategy and choose a good location for business. Not many people know what should be considered while selecting the place of business. This article will state the major factors to be considered for the location of a new firm.
Importance of Location While Setting up a Business
Choosing a suitable or good location for business is all about setting your business up for success. One shouldn’t just choose the trendiest building or the cheapest listing as they should look for the best location for business. Entrepreneurs need to put careful thought into where they want to establish their business. After all, a business location isn’t something that can be easily changed.
The importance of choosing the right location for a business is that it sets the tone for the business. It also decides what customers think of your business. You should give reasons why you have chosen the specific place for your business, as it determines how well you perform in your business. But in order to find what is the right location for business, you must follow the business location factors.
There are several crucial factors to consider when it comes to choosing an apt business location for the company. These factors also determine the location having the most companies. So, lets look at the factors that should be considered for a location.
1. Explore the Community
2. Affordability
3. Demographics and Closer to Market
4. Easy Accessibility and Infrastructure
5. Distribution Network
6. Foot Traffic
7. Competition
8. The Zoning Rules
9. Remote Location
1. Explore the Community
When choosing a location for a business, most business owners start with exploring the communities. Before planning to set up a business somewhere, study the community by reading some of their local newspapers.
Also, visit the library and research the history of the place. While choosing a business location you have to communicate with other small business owners in the area and enquire whether their business is succeeding or not.
2. Affordability
Create a business budget for the impending expenditure before planning any business idea. Budget is the most important reason for location while choosing a suitable business location. Think of how much can you afford to spend on your business location and find ways for it. You might have many business location ideas but it should be affordable.
Monthly rent or lease payment is not the only total cost of the location for choosing a location for a business. There are several other costs to the property. Owners need to pay taxes when they buy a commercial building. While most people don’t know how to choose the place where business is located. Sometimes, there are hidden costs to the building, costs like renovation or installation upgrades.
For example, one might need to add insulation or run communications cables. Expenses like decorating the interior to fit the business style and brand. The affordability also depends on the different types of business locations.
3. Demographics and Closer to Market
Demographics are one of the most significant factors to consider when choosing a business location. A good location for business is important to be near the target customer group. One cannot sell gaming consoles in an area populated with older generations. A good location will sales will be higher in an area dense with the target market.
The benefits of a good location for a business your customers by going near to them, the higher are the chances that they will buy from you regularly. Where are your target consumer group located? Are they other manufacturing companies? or are they an end consumer? How to choose the right location for your business to fit your demographics? Analyze these questions and try to answer them.
Parnas Ghosh
4. Easy Accessibility and Infrastructure
The place where business is located good infrastructure is key to any kind of successful business. Uninterrupted power and water supply, good roads are a few significant factors to consider when choosing a suitable business location.
Lack of enough parking spaces for the employees, or accessibility for people with disabilities, can be an issue in some locations. Another reason for the location being accessible is that nobody wants their employees to spend hours getting to work which is why you want the best location for business. Hence, select a location that won’t cause any problems with daily travel.
5. Distribution Network
If a particular business is manufacturing, it requires a good location and network for a business to produce. Unnecessary commute to work can be avoided because nobody likes to spend more money on transportation than they have to.
Analyze the location of a company before choosing a business location, good proximity to suppliers is key in minimizing logistics costs.
6. Foot Traffic
More than many businesses look for foot traffic and this is one of the top factors to consider when choosing a business location. No business wants to be swayed away in a corner where potential customers will pass them. On the contrary, if some business needs confidentiality, they should opt for a low-traffic area. Try to monitor the foot traffic outside a certain location at different times of the week.
7. Competition
The business location factor creates both an advantage and a disadvantage. Consider if a location has a huge number of consumers because of the business competitors, your business might attract them as well. This is why competing is an important factor while selecting a city or town as a business location. However, it might backfire if both sides sell the same product, one team will end up losing.
8. The Zoning Rules
Local zoning regulations might limit small business locations. Zoning rules might restrict what plot or buildings can be used for commercial purposes, hours of operation, noise levels, signage types, and chemical usage. The need for selecting a suitable location can be competitive and hard, which is why it has to be made sure the building’s zoning designation matches the business’s requirements.
9. Remote Location
Having a business on a B2B platform will give the benefit to access and working worldwide. This is one of the most important business location factors as one will have no location as a barrier and can easily collaborate with companies from every location and all sectors.
Lakshya Singh
Conclusion
A final factor to pay attention to is the closer the products are to the customers, the higher the market value. Planning future expansions, relocating to newer offices, or opening new shops in the right location can mean many things for any business.
Consider and plan a business location strategy to grow the company when choosing a business location. Hopefully, this article helped you find answers to questions like “what is the right location for business?” and “what is to be considered while selecting the place of business?”
FAQs
What should be considered while selecting the place of business?
Some of the factors you must consider are:
- Demographics.
- Style of Operation.
- Nearness to Market and Foot Traffic.
- Accessibility and Basic Infrastructure.
- Competition.
- Zoning/Permit Issues.
- Proximity to other Businesses & Services.
How is location important?
Choosing the right location is important, for example, if you choose a location that is far away from the city many employees will face difficulty in travelling.
Why is competition an important factor in selecting a city or town as a business location?
Competition is an important factor while selecting a location as it will guarantee you are in the right target market but too much competition in a particular area can backfire and your business might face loss.
