What Small Business Owners Need to Consider About Office Space

by Art Gibb, freelance writer on behalf of Palestino Scrivo Properties, INc. ( 15-Jan-2013 )

Entrepreneurs who are starting a new business as well as small business owners with existing businesses who are looking for office space in New Jersey have lots of things to consider. One of the first things to be addressed is what kind of a business is being started and just how important location is. Some businesses simply need warehouse space to stock and ship product with a small modest office. Many service oriented businesses don't require extravagant looking office space that customers will personally be visiting. Other types of businesses have a heavy emphasis on meeting with people in a conference room.

Creating a List of Desired Amenities

Making a wish list of amenities can make it helpful when looking for office space. How important is location? How many employees need to be housed in the space? How many of them need cubicles and how many need desks? How many need private offices? Does the business already have business furniture or do they need the space to be furnished? How integral is the use of the Internet to the business? These are just a few of the questions that need to be considered.

Some Small Businesses Require a Professional Conference Room

Some types of small businesses require a nice meeting room to meet clients and prospective clients. If the entrepreneur is offering business services like consulting services or any one of a number of other professional services, it is important to project a professional image. When this kind of a business is being started on a shoestring budget, it sometimes makes sense to rent space in a building that offers shared conference room space or they allow those who are leasing offices to rent a nice conference room for a reasonable "per use" fee. Shared space office typically comes already furnished which is really nice for small start ups.

Commercial Office Space Makes Sense for Larger Businesses

Larger businesses that have pretty good cash flow are often looking for traditional commercial space and they have their own office furnishings including desks, chairs, copy machines and other amenities. Before committing to a lease, it is important to gain an understanding of the different types of office leases. Full service/gross leases usually charge the tenant a lump sum each month. A triple net lease is an arrangement where a base rent is charged in addition to the tenant's portion of additional expenses such as property tax and insurance. Another fee that is often charged on top of the base rent is a common area maintenance fee. Another type of fee is a percentage lease. These leases typically charge a base fee along with a percentage of the tenant's gross revenue. All of these things need to carefully be considered when looking for office space in New Jersey.

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