Our world is getting bigger. But the world is shrinking. Technological development (such as the internet) is erasing borders. That also makes it easier for businesses to expand to different countries. But relocating your company to a different country is still an extremely complicated task. Try to make it easier for yourself by following these 5 steps!
1. Why are you relocating your company?
There are several reasons relocating your company can be a smart move (literally). However, it’s a big investment that requires careful consideration. Usually businesses relocate to a different country to reduce operating costs or to enter a new market with new customers. Just ask yourself: Can I achieve my goal with small investments, instead of relocating?
2. Determine to which country you’ll relocate
Now that you’ve established why you are moving office, you can start searching for a country to relocate to. This requires a lot of research, as you’ll want to be sure there is enough potential for your business to grow. Ask for experts’ opinions and check immigration boards. Be careful that you don’t go with your gut. Instead, make a rational decision based on the facts and the informed opinions of your colleagues.
3. Paperwork
No matter where you’ll decide to relocate to, there is a whole bunch of paperwork waiting for you. Of course, some countries are more welcoming and easy-going than others. Luckily, most countries are open to foreign businesses trying to expand. And why wouldn’t they? You’re probably offering employment to locals and you’ll pay the taxes. Nevertheless, many local government agencies handling foreign business relocations will require you to fill in lots of forms. And they probably won’t move as quickly as you want them to.
4. Start planning
You’ve put in many hours of hard work, now it’s time to start preparing for the actual relocation. Firstly, you have to determine who will be in charge of the relocation. This can very well be you, since you’re already reading up on the subject of relocating your business (good job!) and have been involved from the start. You (and your team, if you’ve got one) are going to plan every single aspect of the move. Don’t leave anything out and be as clear as you possibly can. What is relocating exactly? And how? And when? The date, for example, can strongly influence the cost of the move. During holiday season prices of moving companies are significantly higher. Lastly, don’t forget to inform all your employees about what they’ll need to consider before relocating. Give presentations or make videos to ensure they pay attention. Nobody is going to read your entire plan if they don’t have to know everything in detail.
5. And start moving
The final step: the actual moving. You’ll want to hire a moving company to transport all the items and archives you’ve described in your detailed plan. It’s vital that you instruct the movers, with regard to the coding scheme you’re using and any other things you think they should pay extra attention to. A good, experienced moving company will also tell you what you’ve missed and how to go about certain situations. Usually, it’s wise to follow their advice if you can’t see a clear reason why not to.
Relocating your company in 3 steps instead
You can choose to outsource steps 3 to 5 to a professional moving company. That way, you’re left with only 3 steps, with step 3 being “Hire an expert moving company”. Figuring out all the details may be new to you; it’s not new to an experienced professional. It will save you a lot of time and effort. Not to mention the fact that a moving company is less likely to make errors or forget something. And if the professional movers make the plan themselves, they’ll know exactly what to do.
Are you moving your company to the Netherlands? UTS Van Hoek can help arrange everything for you: disassembling, packing, loading, (sea) transport and even taking care of documents and customs. Or we can set you up with a partner of ours, if we think they’re more apt in your particular situation. Contact us below!
