At some point, all businesses will need to make a decision about where they are based, whether they buy a shop or let an office.
Choosing this is not something that should be taken lightly, however, as getting the right place can be the difference between success and failure.
Your building says a lot about you as a business, and your customers can often make snap decisions about you, even if subconsciously, based on where you choose to be.
Office design, its placement on the high street and in the country, and the way it speaks to consumers are all things that need to be considered before signing on the dotted line.
Attracting custom
For certain sorts of company, attracting customers to come into a store can be the biggest part of the battle, as well as the biggest reason to make sure you are choosing the right building.
This is vital in the likes of retail, where your shop says a lot about you. For example, if you are a trendy coffee shop, you want to let a nice looking shop on a high street, whereas if you are a fashion store, you will want to be in the centre of it all - letting an outlet in a shopping mall will give you the best access to customers' eyelines.
Other things to consider include the design of the store itself. For example, fashion chains will want glass fronted shops in which they can show off their latest designs - after all, there's no point in hiding what you have to offer.
Geography
For certain types of company, geography will mean a lot. Obviously, shops and hospitality outlets are placed throughout the country, but for big businesses, being in the right place can really matter.
Financial institutions can really benefit from being in an office in Canary Wharf and the surrounding areas for example, while a budding newspaper or magazine will want to be as close to Fleet Street as possible.
No matter what your business is, when it comes to choosing the right building for you, you need to decide if the geographical decision is one that is going to impact your operation.
On the high street there can also be certain places that are better to be situated as well. For example, food shops will do well near to bus stops and other transport hubs, while clothes shops can often be better near areas of heavy footfall where they will be perennially in the consumer eyeline.
Industry
Reputation can also come from the sort of design of your building, and again this will be more important for certain companies and industries than others.
Examples of this include the likes of Innocent, a modern and open smoothie company - this is reflected in its modern, open-plan office that reflects the business almost as much as its operation and its marketing material.
If you are looking for the right type of building, then, take a few moments to step back and look at what you have on offer. If you are an IT firm, being somewhere sleek, modern and brand new will be fantastic, whereas if you are a fashion boutique specialising in vintage, then an older building on the high street might reflect what you do far better.