“To fail to prepare is to prepare to fail”

That might sound like a piece of modern business-speak, but if you stop to think about it for a minute, it’s clearly a maxim which applies when it comes to deciding on the layout and configuration of your business premises.

When you first set up your business, this might be an issue which doesn’t really apply – you have just enough space in which to fit all the equipment, furniture and stock (if necessary) you need and well, as long as everyone can get to where they need to do their work properly and in reasonable comfort, that’s it.

But if that enterprise is to become successful and grow as quickly and smoothly as its potential allows, you’ll certainly find it wise to give some thought not just to how your premises are configured now, but how they can be adapted to cater for future growth and diversification.

Premises planning fit-out and refurbishment specialists believe that there is hardly any working or business environment which can’t be made to look and function better. And by deploying their design know-how of offering and implementing practical ideas and solutions, they can helps firms devise

layout schemes for their premises which in many cases come to pay for themselves in terms of the enhancements in productivity and worker satisfaction they can achieve.

But creating an optimal working environment isn’t just about getting your premises’ layout right; this has to be done giving careful consideration to your business’s working culture, and the needs and day-to-day duties of you and the rest of your staff.

For example, you might think that it’s desirable for everyone to be able to move around freely, to hear what colleagues are saying, and to be encouraged to get involved in discussions taking place elsewhere.

But if, in creating such a space, you then make it difficult for anyone to work, hold private conversations or talk to clients uninterrupted by the general background ‘hum’ of business, you’ll soon find this translates itself into poorer productivity and, eventually, worker dissatisfaction.

Such planning, then, has to begin in the very earliest days of a business, and entails ensuring that your premises are suited to the type of enterprise you will be running in the first place.

According to Bgateway.com, a fledgling business can easily be stymied in its earliest stages if such factors as appropriate access for all necessary machinery and plant, adequate power and water supplies, the requisite facilities for staff comfort, and that all-important scope for future expansion aren’t adequately considered.

It suggests compiling a checklist of the most essential requirements for your business’s premises, including all major considerations which will ensure that it can operate smoothly.

These must also include a careful, ongoing analysis of the running costs of each part of your business, because from this you could find that savings can be made by simply rearranging some of your working spaces.

With a plethora of public bodies and private companies all keen to help you find your perfect premises, you should be in a position of strength in being able to choose without having to make compromises.

Then, once you’ve found your base, you and your workforce can expect to be able to get down to the day-to-day running and building up of the business, with no lingering worries about what might lie ahead – because you’ve had the foresight to make the right move for the sake of the present and future of your business.