After a few successful years of operation and growing your customer base, it may be time to consider adding another location. It will make your products more widely available, so you can reach even more customers and increase the size of your team. If you’re ready to expand, here are three tips to establish a second location for your thriving business.
1. Develop Brand Guidelines
Brand guidelines create a powerful, recognizable message that makes your business stand out and strengthens your relationship with customers. By establishing continuity in internal and external communications across your locations, you’re creating a unified brand message. You may want to focus on consistency in graphic design, flyers, e-newsletters, social media, signage, and so on.
A brand message could express anything, from the quality of your product to how excellent your customer service is. The key is to ensure that customers recognize your brand when they visit your new location and receive the same message they know and expect. For help with this step, check out How to create brand guidelines for your small business.
2. Hire the Right People to Be in Charge
Opening a second location is often similar to starting a small business, so it’s important to be present, especially in the beginning. This allows you to identify challenges early on, and take appropriate action to correct them.
From there, it’s all about hiring the right people to be in charge. With the right managerial team, you’ll ensure standards are met and other staff are held accountable. When checking in with your new team, remember to act as a resource and source of support, rather than an outsider.
For your second location to be successful, it’s necessary to engage and communicate with your employees. Listen to their feedback and work with them to support your business goals.
3. Find the Right Location
When you’re thinking about expanding, you must have a clear idea of your needs and end goals in order to select the right location.
Before you start shopping for your next space, consider:
- Your needs
- Your wants
- What you don’t want
- Your budget
For example, if you want to open a walk-in storefront, monitor foot traffic outside the potential location at different times and on different days. This gives you a gauge of how busy it will be.
Remember, it’s essential to know who your customers are and their proximity to your potential location. Doing so helps ensure the successful expansion of your business.
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