As your home business begins to expand, you may end up out-growing your home office. Since moving a home-based business out of the house requires a substantial investment that will be a big draw on your cash flow, you need to first be aware of the signs that your current space is no longer doing the job.

The Warning Signs

1. You feel cramped With growth usually comes more workers, more equipment, and more papers. If you find yourself competing for space with any of these things, then it means you need a bigger physical set up. The more cramped you are, the more it will drive down your productivity.

2. Inadequate or unavailable facilities. As your business grows, you may find yourself needing space that does not exist at home, such as a conference room, or a reception area for customers. Certain equipment may also require special renovations that you cannot do in your house.

3. Strict Zoning Laws. If you live in a city with strict zoning laws, then you may be limited in terms of how many people you can hire or how often customers can meet with you at home since the increase in noise and decrease in parking may bother your neighbors. If this is putting a strain on your business, then it is another sign that it’s time to move elsewhere.

4. Location, location! Your location may be inconvenient for customers, (after all it is located in a residential area and not commercial one) and thus it may be hurting your sales.

5. Boundaries. If you start to see that boundaries are getting crossed between your work life and your home life, then this is also an important consideration. If family members seem to always “get in the way”, if customers or workers are seeing a bit too much of your house, if you seem agitated because being at home is a constant reminder of work, then take note. All of these are possible signs that it is time to move your home business out of the house.