It is a big step to move your business from behind the screen to a brick-and-mortar store or grow from just you to a whole team.
It’s a healthy sign of growth that you are making enough cash to cover the lease on a business adequately. It is something that most start-ups dream about—getting to the point where you need more space for customers and staff alike.
Once you start thinking about that transition, there are many considerations for you as a business owner.
CCTV
Even if there is CCTV in the buildings surrounding you, you must get your own CCTV setup.
There are a couple of things that you should look to have installed. A motioned censored floodlight or lighting system will be one of the essential things that deter a would-be thief. Often the lights are enough to scare most criminals away.
A CCTV system should be as comprehensive as your budget allows. Having the notification of a CCTV system will give pause for thought for many criminals.
They will know immediately that there is a higher chance that the police will catch them.
It is an intelligent decision to have a range of cameras fitted and use modern surveillance technology. If a camera is triggered, you will get a notification and the video sent directly to your phone.
Ensure that if you have a CCTV system fitted, you are in line with all data protection required in your country or state.
Insurances
When damage occurs to your property or the people within your property, you will be thankful for a comprehensive insurance plan.
There are so many different types of insurance; you might be wondering where you should be looking – and which policies make the most sense to you.
Here are some insurances for your business that you should think about:
- Professional indemnity insurance
- Business interruption insurance
- Building, inventory, and good insurances
- Health insurance
- Disability insurance
- Cyber insurance
- Business liability insurance
We like to think that we understand our insurance policies, but we don’t most of the time. This means that we might not claim when we should, or the insurance company might deny the claim when you do claim. In this case, it is a good idea to have the number for insurance claim attorneys.
Access
Do all of your staff need access to every area within the building? If not, you can make sure that you only have trusted keyholders. This reduces the risk that keys will be lost or stolen.
An access control system will allow you to have complete control of who can and cannot access the building and when.
Stock check
If you have been manually handling the stock since the start of your business, it might be time to consider a computerised stocktaking system.
Each of the details that matter to your business, like location, quantity, condition and expiry date (when applicable), will be accessible from a single place.
A computerised stock-taking system makes it easier to handle your in-store stock, stock room and online sales.
You are more likely to have some missing numbers when you stocktake manually since it is a big undertaking. However, the job becomes less time-intensive and less prone to error when it is computerized and automated.
Errors in stocktaking can mean that products go missing without the business owners noticing.
Closing time procedure
When you enter the building, you will likely have a routine—turning off the alarms, opening the doors, lifting the shutters and so on.
As the time comes to close the building for the night, you need to have a procedure in place. It isn’t likely that you will be there every time either. Your closing procedure should have training for your staff.
Ensuring that before the last door is locked, there is a thorough check of the windows, internal doors, setting off the alarm, locking the register and more.
Each step should be easy to execute.
Background checks
You need to perform background checks before hiring any staff – even if they seem excellent straightforward during the interview process. These background checks will give you the information you need to decide if you want to hire them or not.
Often background checks will flag something that isn’t going to make an impact. But on some occasions, there are more problematic items flagged.
When handling payments and the keys to your business, you need to know everything is in good hands. Hire a background checking company to perform in-depth checks that give you the information you need.
Safe
Having a safe built into the wall of the premises or the floor is a smart move. It means that you can ensure you have somewhere to lock away business documents, cash, and other valuables.
This might be more important for those businesses that have many high-value products on-site.
A safe is usually heavy enough and secure enough to ensure that most criminals or opportunists wouldn’t attempt.
Back and Front
The back and the front of your business premises should be covered with CCTV and motion detection lighting. Not only is this wise for the protection of your business, but if you have a business that is open late, these can be vital to keep your staff safe too.
It is essential that, where possible, you remove any features that block the view of the cameras or that could provide cover for criminals. It’s not just coverage that matters, however, but also the condition and capability of the driving space. With asphalt repairs you can remove any potholes and damage that might cause property damage to vehicles.
Key system
A key system can be of incredible benefit to buildings with multiple areas – but not everyone needs to be everywhere. A master key system offers a high level of security. A single key can operate all of the locks in the building, while some keys can only access specific areas – even though the lock remains the same.
This type of system greatly benefits those with multiple buildings, businesses with a building manager, or a building with different levels.
Your business premises is a sacred space that should be protected with as many layers of security as you have available.
Are you looking for more ways to keep your business safe? Keeping Your Employees Safe On The Job Is Essential