When launching a remote office, it’s critical to pick the right location, land new business and hire the right people on board at the right time. Betts Recruiting has five offices across two continents. But opening a second office, or a fifth, isn’t an easy task.
Generating revenue, building a brand and hiring staff are a different set of challenges when trying to follow your organization’s framework instead of starting from scratch.
THINK ABOUT LOCATION
Pinpointing the best market to expand your product or services reach is one of the initial challenges companies face when launching a new office. Determine whether you want to break into established markets, such as New York, or developing hubs, such as Austin. Once you’ve identified the right city, choosing the perfect office location can be just as daunting. Your office space should be conducive to people working on the phone and an easy commute. At Betts, we meet with every candidate and client in person, so being located in an accessible location is key. Don’t save money by picking an office space that will decrease productivity.
CEMENT NEW BUSINESS
Before putting actual feet on the ground, make sure your new office has a book of business up and running ahead of time. Heading into a cold market can discourage your sales people and could even hurt your overall brand. The launch team will already feel separate from HQ, so setting them up for success is fundamental in the first few months.
Additionally, embedding yourself in the community is a great way to gain client traction. Co-host an event with a new client or sponsor a well-known local event. Examples include the SF TechCrawl, Built in Austin, London Startup Grind, or the New York TechDay. These are a great way to grow word-of-mouth marketing in your new city before even opening the doors.
PRESERVE YOUR CULTURE
As your brand and people home base, your company’s headquarters is even more important when you launch a remote office. A culture guide allows your regional offices to embrace the individuality of the area around them while feeling connected to headquarters at the same time. Create a nucleus of core employees who already understand your company brand and build your new office around these people.
Developing handbooks for your employees covering everything from processes to examples is also a great way to preserve new hire training and best practices for success. Although this office will be a subset of your company with its own unique values, the overall culture of every new office should roll up to align with the company’s overall big picture. Taking the time to invest in your employees is the best foundation for a successful company.
MAKE IT WORK
Opening your second office is a completely different challenge than opening your business. Even if your headquarters is overly successful, that is no guarantee your business will be as successful somewhere else. Before investing in satellite offices, make sure you are committed to your new area. There will be many setbacks, but throwing in the towel too early keeps many good businesses from expanding to great companies.