The 6-Month Plan For An Effective Business Renovation
Wanting to start a renovation in January? A plan comes first, laying the foundation for you and your project team before bringing any of them on board. In this blog we show you what you can achieve in the next six months in order to prepare yourself and your business for a meaningful upgrade.
August
The first question to ask yourself: Why do things need to change?
This could be a daunting question. We know how overwhelming it can be to pinpoint the exact reasons, and there’s usually more than one. This often comes with an abundance of anxiety and confusion, of course, but there are ways to break it down into much more manageable pieces to prevent future panic.
Here are some questions you can start with:
How is my business functioning for my employees?
Does my office feel organized or chaotic?
Do I feel comfortable hosting clients in our space?
Am I proud of my office?
There are no wrong answers — but understanding your motivation helps guide every decision that follows.
If this still feels hard, try this simple exercise:
Write down:
Three things that frustrate you most about your current space
Three things you wish worked better
Three words you want your business to feel like after a renovation
Lay them out in bullet points, put them into an excel spreadsheet, write on a white board–whatever the case may be, find what works best for your brain.There are likely more than three answers to these questions, so make sure to keep your list nearby in case you think of more.
If you need more guidance on how to assess your situation, we have an entire blog post dedicated to this: 5 Signs It Might Be Time to Renovate.
September
Take notice this month on how your business functions day to day. Pay special attention as you, your employees, and your customers move throughout the space.
Some questions you can ask yourself to help with the process:
Do customers know where to go when they walk in?
Do people congregate around the coffee machine or do they find the space too cramped and gather elsewhere?
Do people eat at their desks or in the breakroom?
Does each employee have a set workstation or locker?
The most important part of this process is making sure your layout supports the needs of the people within it. Is there enough public versus private space? Is there enough storage? Is there a clear path of circulation for employees and clients? If your customers and employees are unable to easily navigate, this slows down productivity and allows dysfunction to fester.
October
Once you’re aware of your business’s needs, you can then start to define how you want your business to feel. Each business is different, eliciting various emotional responses in both your employees and your customers.
Ask yourself:
Which spaces already feel “right,” and why?
What do I want to feel when I walk into this space? Calm? Energized? Welcomed? Proud?
What do I want my customers and clients to feel?
What environments inspire me outside my home — hotels, restaurants, nature, travel?
Emotional clarity is often the missing piece between a “nice” and truly meaningful design. You may have a vision in mind, but if it does not match what is necessary for the space, it can cause disruption and even give the opposite feeling.
We suggest consulting your employees and asking them the same questions you’ve asked yourself. Having a collection of answers can give you a sense of what is working and what’s missing. You’ll most likely find a lot of similar answers, along with ones you didn’t expect.
Anne’s tip: Sending out an anonymous quiz will yield more honest answers!
November
Once you’ve laid the groundwork for your project, you can start the fun part: defining your style.
This can include looking on social media apps such as Pinterest and Instagram, or even doing it the old fashioned way with magazines and stepping into buildings you love. If you’ve traveled recently and found inspiration in hotel rooms or architecture, those pictures can help move you towards your vision.
When you lay everything out, you can start to see the patterns as they start to weave and bloom into the renovation you have begun to dream about. It allows you to easily recognize what you want your business to look like and be firmer in your decision making.
Gathering imagery and data ahead of time will also help your designer. Interior designers spend large amounts of time up front collecting inspiration imagery and conducting research. By presenting a portion of this yourself, it will save you both time and money on the backend.
Anne’s tip: If you have trouble finding a style that you like best, your designer can always help with that. Don’t feel pressure to have everything figured out beforehand.
December
Renovations always involve priorities, but there’s no shame in wanting to treat yourself to a few luxuries! One of the most helpful exercises you can do early is creating a simple list of needs versus wants.
Needs are the most essential, allowing you the ability to prioritize what requires improvement now rather than later.
For example, that can look like:
More space for organized storage
An open layout with increased daylight
Durable finishes and beautiful lighting
Spaces that promote employee retention
Whether it’s all of them or none of them, assess the most critical upgrades needed in your office. Afterwards, when you start daydreaming about what would be nice to have, they can include:
Built-in features to make it feel more like home
Specialty appliances like an espresso machine
Decorative upgrades such as a custom reception desk
Luxury materials for furniture and decor
These are all great options, but can usually be set aside for the future if they’re goals you would like to work towards. It’s always best to prioritize function and layer beauty on top when the moment comes.
At the end of the day, this all depends on assessing your budget. Having a set budget from the beginning is essential to the success of your renovation. It can be tough to break down these numbers, but it’s important to first ask yourself:
What level of investment feels comfortable for us?
Are we buying this new space or will we be renting over a ten year lease?
Are there constraints or deadlines that will influence the timeline?
Do we need to phase the project over time or can we get it done all at once?
How your business will grow or change in the next 5–10 years
ROI value–Will this new space attract new clients for you?
It may be hard to think about your business long-term, especially when you’re juggling work, family, pets, and me-time. Every day can feel like an endless stream of chaos and movement with little time to dedicate to something as daunting as a renovation. However, this is more than just a perceived change–it is an investment in years of future success, client recruitment, employee retention, and a home away from home.
January
Gathering everything that you’ve learned and written down over the last five months, you can finally move forward to the next stage. It’s the new year and you’re ready to interview designers. And thanks to your extensive planning, you’re ready!
We have a blog post dedicated to advice on this subject that you can read here: Why Hiring a Trained Interior Designer Changes Everything.
There is a common misunderstanding that hiring a designer means hiring someone to pick finishes, furniture, and paint colors. That can be part of the work, but it is not the whole role.
Decorating is what you see. Designing is what makes everything work.
Decorating may include styling, furniture, accessories, art, and finishing touches. Those things are important because they bring warmth, personality, and completion to a room. But design goes deeper.
Design includes space planning, function, flow, lighting, material durability, construction coordination, budget strategy, and long-term usability. It considers how your team uses your office, where people naturally gather, which clearances are needed, what materials will hold up over time, and how the finished space will feel ten years from now.
A beautiful room is always the goal, but a beautiful room without function makes it worthless. A trained designer’s job is to help create a home that combines both.
It’s important to find someone that not only works well with you, but has the right training for the level of design you need. You’re not just hiring a designer–you’re choosing a partner.
If you’re interested in a more detailed breakdown of each of these steps and learn how Anne Mason Design handles the construction process, make sure to reach out to us today!
Ready to Experience the Difference?
If you are ready to approach your renovation with more clarity, structure, and confidence, we would love to guide you through the process.
Reach out to Anne Mason Design today to schedule your Discovery Call!
