How to Move a Startup Office in San Francisco

San Francisco is the start-up capital of the world. In a city with such a diverse mix of ventures and innovative entrepreneurs, startup office moves are a common occurrence. The City by The Bay is full of laid-back professionals and liberal hippies, but that’s not to say that an office move in San Francisco isn’t the least bit stressful–even for the most zen folk out there. There are many ways to make it an enjoyable experience though. It simply requires planning, communication, and an awesome attitude. Here are our four steps to moving a startup office in San Francisco.

Step 1: Plan The Moving Logistics

The first step is to sit down and plan every, little, detail. You should be doing this about three months in advance–as soon as you have your next space locked in, and the lease agreement has been signed. Plan a meeting with managers and supervisors to set a moving date. This should be a day where there isn’t much going on with work–such as a big meeting or product launch. Typically, Fridays are a good day to move. Ask supervisors if they’d rather have the staff present for the move, or you can make it an official work-from-home day. During this planning period, you should also have a thorough understanding of your budget. This will guide you to hiring movers, professional packers, finding a self-storage or on-demand storage service. You can also use this time to put together a floor plan for your next office. The floor plan will give you a better understanding of what you need to take with you, and what’s OK to leave behind.

Step 2: Create a Timeline

Once you’ve had a meeting, know your budget– and set a moving date– you can easily create a more thorough timeline. Mark the calendar for every event that’s related to the move. Once these dates have been noted, send out calendar invites to the entire company for events they should know about. For example, if a conference room is being packed up on one day, staff should know about that. It’s better to over-communicate, than under-communicate, to keep everyone happy. Next, create a contact list of the movers, packers and the new-office contact. Make sure managers and supervisors have access to this list as well.

Step 3: Have a Company Meeting

At this point, staff and supervisors may have a lot of questions. Instead of fielding these via email (you won’t have time for that), host a company-wide meeting. Block an hour or two out of everyone’s day (perhaps a Friday) to go through the timeline you created in Step 2. This is a great time to ask staff for their feedback on what they’d like to improve in the next office. Use this as an opportunity to discuss office culture. Make sure to take notes from the meeting and follow-up with a recap and plan moving forward.

Step 4: Have a Proper Farewell (Optional)

Saying goodbye to an office where a company experienced a lot of growth can be emotional. While everyone is excited for the new office and more space, moving your startup office can be very bittersweet. For this reason alone, it’s fun to do something a little ceremonious to say goodbye to the old office. Perhaps it’s a little gathering after work, or an all-company lunch, to have a proper farewell.

Ready to Move a Startup Office in San Francisco?

There you have it. Here are our four steps to move a startup office in San Francisco. As you can see, most of the heavy-lifting will be left to the professionals. All you have to worry about is organizing, communicating, and running the show.