Think about your place of work
Every business needs somewhere to work, store supplies, keep equipment – and sometimes meet clients or suppliers. Each option has its pros and cons, and will suit different types of businesses.
Working from home
Working from home is convenient, but you won’t always be around people and it’s easy to do more work than you really want to. You’ll have to look after your own health and safety, and know what to do if something goes wrong. If you have employees, you’ll need to make sure they know what to do too.
Check with your insurance company if they’ll cover your workspace and assets when working from home.
Working in a shared workspace
Working in a shared space (co-working space) means you’re around other people, possibly people you can learn from. You’ll have less control over your space though.
Working in your own premises
Having your own space can feel like you have a “proper” business, and you’ll be able to control your space. You could:
- buy your own place if your business is established, and be responsible for the property
- lease your premises, which most small businesses do. You’ll have to be flexible in case things change unexpectedly.
Whether you buy or lease, getting advice from professionals, like commercial real estate agents and commercial property lawyers, is a good idea.
Think about your environment
Your business activities will affect your community – positively (like more jobs) or negatively (like more noise). These effects might influence where you work, such as being away from residential areas.
If your business affects the environment, you might need to apply for resource consent. If so, get in touch with your council early. Applications for resource consent are considered case by case and can take one to four months. You might be able to speed things up with a well-thought through application and by talking to people who could be affected by your business.
Keep track of your assets
Assets are part of what makes your business valuable. They include:
- current assets — money and things you expect to use within a year, like raw materials or inventory
- fixed assets — things valued at $500 or more that will last more than a year, like tools and IT equipment
- intangible assets — non-physical things that add value to your business, like patents and goodwill.
Keep accurate records of your assets so you can do things like:
- fill out your balance sheet accurately
- work out the value of your business
- see what you can depreciate
- comply with tax and accounting requirements
- get the right insurance.
An accurate list of your assets (an asset register) is also helpful if you ever want to sell your business.
What's next
Prepare for unexpected events
Health and safety
Intellectual property
IT risks and scams
Understanding customer complaints
Operations strategy
Running a sustainable business
Manufacturing
Importing
Exporting