oh yeah we officially recently got our keys to our own space and if right now you've run your
numbers and you're looking at your options and maybe you've already decided that moving into an
office space is the right move for your brand and business well in this video we're going to walk
you through what you can expect as you look at locations and you sign the agreement for the space
more importantly we're going to share some major keys that can save you thousands of dollars before
you decide to get the keys to your dream space so if you're a new visitor to this channel hit
that subscribe button look at it right down below and turn on those post notification bells to be
alerted of future video alerts on this channel we bring clarity to business and help entrepreneurs
build brands that impact the world from the ground up in a previous video we showed you
guys how you can work from home now look it can work great but in our case it was time to move
into a physical office and warehouse space to help grow our mission and cause which leads us into the
first point which is finding the right space for your business there are literally hundreds if not
thousands of locations available that you can move into right now so finding the right space
is going to require some time and energy for us it actually took a few months and a few different
driving around to look at different locations and if you're especially if you're looking for
a retail business this means that looking into things like the competitors in the area potential
for residual foot traffic design layout and more are things that you need to consider but for
online businesses the things that matter most may be the price of square footage the loading doors
the ceiling heights the possibility for expansion if you miscalculated your growth expectations
you know all of this is really to say that you need to be clear about your business
in order to find the right space at the right price because if you're planning to primarily
sell online then getting a space in an area that is charging a retail rate is a waste of money
unless you plan to host gatherings and want to be in a certain location for the lifestyle
so you have to begin with writing out what you intend to use the space for and know what is a
real deal killer if it's not available now during the searching process i do recommend you work with
a commercial real estate broker if this is your first time looking at properties you see they're
often times available to you free of charge that means you don't have to pay a dime out of your
pocket as they do get paid by the owner if you move into the space now they have the ability to
narrow down your searches based on what you're looking for that's why it's key to have clarity
about what you need and they could also provide guidance in the closing process now as you tour
the space this is key this is important you got to make sure you take photos of the properties
and take some notes about it leaving a note in your notebook with things that you liked and
things that you did not like will help you as you review your options and you start the application
process for your top choices on the list so at this point you're probably wondering okay john
what do you need for an application process now some of the documents you'll need to have
ready include two years business or personal tax returns two to three months of bank statements
company documents like your llc and ein number and probably the most important thing that they
look at is your personal credit score now these are some of the things you'll need to start
preparing as they will ask for some or possibly all of them when it comes to signing the contract
especially if you're planning on negotiating improvements but more on that in a minute but
before you sign anything or put down a deposit you need to verify the zoning for your business
now i can't stress this enough guys how important it is to check your local zoning laws to make sure
you can operate your business out of there whether you're opening up a photo a music or video studio
a barber shop or e-commerce warehouse you need to check that zoning laws will allow you to operate
out of there you see a lot of times the landlords will be happy to take your non-refundable deposit
without checking if a business can legally operate out of there at the end of the day it's
your responsibility so this right here is a major key that will save you thousands of dollars right
out of the gate in order to check zoning just do a simple google search go on google and look up your
city business zoning and click on the official government website in our example we did las
vegas business zoning and it led us to the city of las vegas website and right there what you want to
do is you want to give someone there a call with the address that you're thinking about leasing
they will tell you what you can and cannot do out of there based on the zoning laws in the area
you see during our search there were a couple of places that we really liked
and the places were within our budget plus they recently remodeled them and they look so clean
but then i checked the zoning for the place and it was not approved for a business model so i had a
choice i could either sign and say my business did something else that was somewhat related and could
be approved if i didn't tell the whole truth or i could find another location that would allow me to
operate the way we wanted without the worries of a city official cracking down on us later
so i made a decision since i'm at an age now this is 30 that i'd rather not worry about the
small bs so i walked away from that property but if you're at a place where that isn't a big deal
then just do you my friend just keep it on the down low and no one will know not even google
or will they who knows they know that you watch me watch you tell you this right now keep it on
the download my friend delete your cookies and now if everything checks out and you have signed
and submitted your application to the landlord they will run your background check take your
money and once that is completed you will receive a contract with the terms and conditions of your
lease but remember the notes i told you about to take down why you toured the property now is
when you share those notes with the landlord and you enter the contract negotiation stage
now this can be a little daunting but rest assured that the property owners are used to negotiating
with people that they want to lock into a contract so it comes with the territory so there isn't
anything that you could say that to make them mad so don't feel like you're stepping on anyone's
toes or overreaching here the reality is that the stronger your business financials and your credit
is the more leverage you'll have to negotiate now if it's not that established then still ask
for things you want to be improved like they say closed mouths don't get fed but unfortunately i
am under contract that said i couldn't share the details of our negotiations publicly but some of
the things you can negotiate include build out improvements to the property new paint floors
wall interior or exterior design you can honestly negotiate for almost anything during this stage
the key is to push for things that really matter to you in order to make your space more functional
and help you grow your business so if you're running an ecommerce apparel brand things like
having extra outlets on the walls to power your equipment to extra office spaces or new loading
doors are example of things that you can ask for this is a give and take process though the more
that you ask for the more that they ask from you in return so it's all about making this a win-win
but it's key that whatever you agree on verbally or through email is included in the contract since
contracts can be about 30 pages it is important to have an attorney or a commercial real estate
broker by your side to explain what this all means once the contract is signed that will require a
down payment in the form of a cashier's check money order to secure your space and now you're
off to the races to move in now the very first thing you'll need to look at is business insurance
this includes general liability insurance and property insurance now i was personally
surprised to find out that policies cost around the price that you pay for gas every month
and they can insure you from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars i'll link resources down
below that can help you get started with this now as you're shopping to secure your business
insurance you should also submit your applications for the business license in the city or county
and where the business is physically located this is a separate license from the state business
license and it could take up to 30 days or more to get approved so this step is super important if
you're planning to have walk-in customers like a retail store as they won't let you open up
publicly to the public without having these city licenses in place now once the space is completed
the final step is a walk-through inspection where you approve of those changes and you officially
get the keys to your spot and i got to tell you guys we recently got our keys to our spot
and uh it's been an amazing feeling being able to work out of there to be honest with you guys even
though we're not fully set in there and we're still in the process of moving our business
in it's an exciting time that we really want you guys to check out and be a part of and we actually
created a series around it to help you guys you know share some of the process with you guys but
also bring you inside the space as we build it out together in the next video we dive into business
security and expand on the options available to give you a peace of mind exactly yep so you
definitely don't want to miss out on that one we're going to be going over a lot of different
systems like a traditional adt system ring simply safe and some new stuff that's out on the market
the game changer of the industry and cesar's a tech guy and he's going to break down some
really cool things you guys need to know about all of these systems in order to make the best
decision for security of your place definitely stay tuned it is straight fire guys what we're
going to share in this next video so if you're a new visitor to this channel hit that subscribe
button turn on post notification bell and check out the video series of related which is located
either right here right here right here or on your mobile device i'll see you guys on the next one
you