Moving My Screen Printing Shop – When Its Time to Move

What comes first, the horse or the carriage. Do you move into a new space and pray that you have enough work? Or do you wait until you can’t find another inch to stack a shirt in your current location? While physical space is most aways the underlying issue for growing your business there are several other factors that must be closely addressed before you make the move.

Do you want a new space or need a new space?

Do you imagine working in a state of the art facility with brand new equipment? Do you catch yourself daydreaming about presses running nonstop, and boxes flying in and out of your loading bay?  It’s a pretty picture, and we all want that, but you need to be certain that you truly need a new space. Moving into a new facility should not be an impulse decision. It should be timed, calculated, and warranted. You might need to move because your current lease is ending, or because you want to finally own property, or because you are simply out of space. Regardless of your move, it should not be “just because.” Make sure there is an inherent need that the business is starving for before you move to a new space.

Is the business side?

In order to warrant a drastic change for your location, the first thing to look at is the health and stability of your business. When you make the decision to move you should have detailed data that shows a consistency in business. Markets change and key customers will swing in and out of your day-to-day flow so be certain not to get too excited about a few spikes in your sales. You should have at least 2 Years of consistent data points such as sales and revenue, profit and loss, and most importantly consistency in customers.  If you have not developed returning customers yet, be wary, because those customers could be a one time shopper. Your business needs to be able to run 12 months in the year. If you are going through spikes, and you still have very slow months, consider outsourcing your work to contract printers in the meantime. Stability is arguably the most important box to check off before deciding to move.

Can you afford it?

Plain and simple — what are the financial implications of moving to a new space, and what are the risk factors associated to them financially. Long leases or a mortgage? Power bills and property taxes? Have you thought through what the next recession will look like?  Mitigate the risk by assuming safe projections just in case. You might see restaurants and other businesses opening and closing in neighboring towns– make sure there is not a single doubt in mind that you won’t be closing your doors early.

Is there space in your market?

Unless you have deep pockets and majestic plans to compete with Custom Ink, you’re probably going to be competing with other local and non-local printing companies. You should make sure you understand your market, its potential, and it’s constraints. If you are moving to a space in a highly saturated area, expect margins to go down and competition to be high. Make sure your move is filling a marketing void.

Do you have a plan + support?

You should not move your business until you have a plan. A detailed, organized, calculated and meticulous plan. This is the most important part to it all because, without a plan, you will be aimlessly buying equipment, putting up walls, hiring employees, and driving yourself in circles trying to run a business. Start with the basics. Once you have your initial business plan finished, begin soliciting help from others. Get in touch with equipment reps, ink salesmen, bankers, and other shop owners first. Visit other shops so you have a firm understanding of what you will need to be successful. Don’t try and do this alone.