According to Business for Home, a new home-based business is started every 12 seconds in the United States. In total, about 16 million Americans work from home, and experts at Global Workplace Analytics expect that number to grow over the next few years.
Lower costs, fewer risks along with greater flexibility and convenience are all huge advantages to working from home. But for home-based franchisees who grow their business over time, there comes a time when the home office simply isn’t big enough to support the business as it expands.
Moving your workspace out of your home can be a big step for any business, so it’s important to know when it’s the right time to do so. Let’s explore three signs it’s time to expand.
1. More visibility in your community could help grow your business even faster
There’s no doubt the internet has helped home-based businesses receive the visibility they need to get their foot in the door and begin building a strong network customers, but especially for those who depend on local business exclusively, a public business location can attract even more business.
According to AdAge, as much as 67% of all potential customers find businesses through outdoor signs. Depending on your town or city’s zoning laws, making yourself visible may not even be possible from home.
If you’re confident a public presence could win you even more business by getting your name and brand in front of a larger part of the community, it may be time to consider a suitable office space where signage is permissible.
2. You need to hire employees and your home doesn’t offer the space you need for them
Scaling the franchise to keep up with growth can be a tricky balancing act. Whether you’ve been going solo or working with one or two team members, hiring franchise employees is a natural part of expansion.
Depending on your business, more people usually means more space––something your current home office might not offer. Aside from space, you simply may not want so much going on in your home each day. Whether it’s people coming in and out to grab equipment or getting together to plan new projects, your home may not be the place you feel most comfortable conducting daily operations with a larger team.
Want to learn more about hiring the right team to move your franchise forward? Read our post: 3 Franchise Hiring Tips to Keep in Mind When Building Your Team
3. Growing the business at home might violate a local zoning law
Depending on where you live in the United States, home-based business owners can sometimes be at odds with stricter laws about what kinds of businesses can operate in certain places.
Often, these laws cover homes and residential areas specifically. Whether it’s regulations on posting signage on your property, using a certain percentage of your home for business purposes, the equipment you keep there, or one of the many other factors limiting home businesses, you may be required to find a new place to run the business if expanding would violate these regulations.
Depending on your day-to-day operations, running a larger business from home could also become a potential problem for neighbors if constant traffic, noise and activity starts disrupting an otherwise quiet neighborhood.
These are just a few of the signs you may be ready to make the transition from a home-based franchise to some kind of dedicated business space.
Want to learn more about the benefits of starting your franchise from home rather than shifting to brick-and-mortar right away? Check out our other post: The Benefits of Home-Based Franchising in the Home Services Industry
Interested in a low-cost home-based franchise opportunity? Click here to learn more about The Groutsmith, and contact us today to start a conversation. We’d love to hear from you.
Looking to learn what it’s like to own a Groutsmith franchise? Get a first-hand look from eight franchisees in our free Q&A guide. Click below to download.
