Let’s talk about some business building logistics. Before you get an office space, here are a few things to consider.
Are you going to be full time or part time, depending on how you answer that question it will help you decide what type of space you will need? How many and the hours you plan to be there? Don’t automatically assume you need an entire office for all seven days of the week. Maybe you will only need it only a few days a week. In your community there are other established clinicians who may have a spare or unused room in their office, they might be willing to rent to you. I have also known therapists that have rented from a doctor’s offices, churches or preschools because there was extra room.
Other therapists have rented a single room and share the outer reception area to keep costs down. When we started, we had the intent of working full time and we decided to lease an office with a reception and two treatments rooms. At first, we rented one room so our office would be in use most days and times. Later when we moved into a bigger office, we rent two rooms until we expanded past our physical space. The two therapists we rented to eventually left and went out on their own with our blessing. We now have great colleagues whom we still refer to each other because of the relationship we built when we shared our office.
If you are looking for your own office here are a few other considerations to look for, is the office on a bus line, we have a few clients that do not drive and that becomes important to them. Is the office ADA accessible? Another consideration if you are taking insurance that is an absolute must for many insurance companies. Who controls the heating and air conditioning? Some buildings have individual controls in each office suite others have shared controls. These types of buildings tend not to work due for therapists as most of us do not work completely traditional 8-5 hours. Take a look at the parking lot. Is there enough parking for clients and staff for the building? If you expand the business will your staff have enough spaces especially if all the rooms are also filled with clients?
How sound proof is sound proof? We say a few buildings that were supposed to have great sound proofing only to find out that they did not. Now unless you are building from starch there will be some noise that you will need to address. Can you paint the offices, do you have a particular color that goes with your branding? Do you pay for this or does the landlord?
How long of a least do you want? A year, three, five or ten years or some combination? How much will the rent go up each year? How else is in the surrounding offices? In my building we have 3 other therapists’ groups. I know some therapist wouldn’t want to move into a building with other therapists. I look at it as built in referral resources. Plus, often we have different specialties. Others feel that is too much competition. But because you will most likely be in the building a few years and we typically do not have control of who moves in or out. View them as helpful and extend a professional courtesy.
Other factors to consider include does your suite have an enteral restroom? External one? How safe is the parking at night? Is the parking lot lit well, we also checked the crime reports for the area? Were the police called more to this area than others in the city. We also called our general liability insurance company to ensure they too classified the area as safe. Do you have enough rooms or can you reconfigure the space and who pays for that? Is internet part of the building? How well does the internet work in the area. We were considering once a building that was in an internet slow or spotty zone. Because we use electronic medical records being in a slow or spotty area just would not work for us.
Your practice might have other considerations as well. Make a list to keep yourself on tract. Looking at offices can be exciting and sometimes we cane get attached to a place even before we move in. Try to keep your emotions in check and keep that business sensibility about you. Things that you can and can’t live with. There will be an office that fits your needs. Do not compromise too much you will be in this office quite a few years.
Check out also my video on Logistics: Office Space
For more information, please go to my website for other helpful tips and videos. Therapistbox.com.