Moving your business is stressful
Moving house is said to be one of the most stressful things you can do. We like a challenge at Little Bit Different so in September we sold our house, moved into an Air Bnb because our house wasn’t ready, put our life into storage, moved the business to a different county and opened a shop! Did we move business premises the stress free way? Read on to find out.
A bit dramatic and exhausting but things are a bit calmer now. Would we do it again? NOOOO! We do love our new shop at 10 – 12 The Arcade Ammanford SA182LN.
Moving the business was possibly the most difficult part of the move. We ran our stock levels down as much as possible. Candles are bulky and heavy, wax is bulky and heavy. We got the keys to the shop and workspace two weeks before the move. We painted the following day so we didn’t have to worry about that while moving house. Over the next two weeks we moved anything that could move without hampering the day to day running of the business.
Before we got the paint out
Keep customers informed of possible delays
Our existing stockists were kept updated about the move. All new enquiries for wholesale and white label were given our moving dates and advised to order in plenty of time or to order ready for work to start once we had moved. This did really help but Vicky still ended up labelling and packing about 600 candles two days before the move.
We got the key, but not the secret! Not everyone will get that joke!
Accept help when offered
Luckily, we decided to move the business ourselves and leave the house to Twiggys removals. This seemed like a good idea as we would not be tied to one moving day and could stagger it to minimize work disruption. It took so long to move everything in our cars. Friends of ours from Little Welsh Deli helped with some of the big office storage in their van. They also provided a listening ear when the stress got too much. It did mean we didn’t have to deal with moving items to two different places on the main move day.
Chris was fairly happy here, he just didn’t tell his face
The main move day was hard but made so much worse by huge traffic disruptions in the area. The worst part by far though was the constant calls from the estate agent to see if we were finished! They knew about the traffic issues having been stuck in them that morning but still rang every ten minutes. It was absolutely awful and resulted in some things being left behind in our desperation to just have it all over. I won’t name them as they handled everything up until that day very well.
A little break for fun
We finally arrived at our Air Bnb physically and emotionally exhausted. So, obviously, the following morning we got up really early to drive the two hours to our son’s first official flying lesson! Thanks Mum and Dad for making that possible for him. It was actually the exciting break we all needed.
The coolest teen
Back to work
Two days after the move Vicky was back at work with a huge list of wholesale orders to start working on. September was our second best month ever which was amazing but it couldn’t have come at a worse time. The shop and workspace was in chaos but Vicky’s need to not keep customers waiting took priority. The orders headed out over that first week and the shop started to take shape slowly inbetween. Getting everything ready to open the shop two weeks after the move was a real family effort. Vicky, her husbans Chris and son Rowan fitted in furniture building, window displays, stock making and merchandising around work, school and everyday life.
We open the doors to our shop
The shop opened and was really well received by shoppers in Ammanford. There were stories of the businesses people remembered visiting in the arcade during their childhood. Everyone mentioned how pleased they were to see a new shop opening and how quirky and interesting the Arcade had become. In hindsight we probably didn’t move our business premises the stress free way but that is possibly because there isn’t one.
Help from Pop Up Wales
We have had a lovely welcome to our new county of Carmarthenshire. The other businesses in the Arcade have made us feel at home. We were very lucky to be given the chance to open the shop with help from Pop UP Wales. They were able to update the electrics and provide the branding for the shop windows. It was important that the shop could be spotted from the adjacent carpark and it certainly can be! We do not have to pay any rent through the scheme which is normally a huge barrier for small businesses who want to dip their toes in the retail world. We are not sure if the shop will be a pop up for a few months or whether we will enjoy shop life so much we decide to make it long term. Watch this space.
Top Tips for moving your business
- Plan important date well in advance
- Notify customers and keep doing so at intervals
- Reduce stock levels if possible
- Send new deliveries to new space if possible
- Don’t assume electricity companies will put you into a contract with them when you ask them to! Very expensive situation.
- If someone offers help say yes please and thank you
- Don’t move house at the same time
Top tips for opening a shop
- Put prices everywhere
- Make sure you can load and unload deliveries easily
- Change your address EVERYWHERE
- If someone offers help say yes please and thank you
- Be realistic about opening times if you have to make stock too.
- Think about different heights for displays
- Look at accessibility. Is there room for buggies and wheelchairs?
