Top 5 Things Every Smart Business Owner Needs to Know Before Signing a Lease

You might be wondering…. Why did we put together this list?

For selfish reasons: It makes us sad when our clients cry.

The following information will save you from repeating the mistakes of countless well-meaning business owners who’ve come before you. And it will save us the pain of cleaning up a mess.

 

Mistakes are expensive.

Do you want to be just another customer who comes to us in crisis?

Or are you willing to do your due diligence? That means you read this list, explore the internet service providers Los Angeles has to offer, ask the experts for help and THEN choose your businesses’ new home!!!
For your wallet’s sake, we hope it’s the latter.

And now, …Your Essential Leasing Office Space Checklist!

 

#1 Internal Wiring

[Wired: It’s not just a magazine.]

We’re starting this list off with a doozy.

Seriously, if you only stay on this page long enough to absorb the knowledge bombs we’re dropping in #1 —you’ll have bad luck for seven years!

Just kidding (Though you probably want to read the whole thing.)

Jokes aside, #1 and will make you a smarter leaser & possibly save your business $20,000.

The big question:

 

Q: Is the office that you’re moving into already wired with ethernet cables?

A: YES! Lucky Me!

In a perfect world, the answer would be yes. The best case scenario is as follows:

• You have 2 ethernet drops for every desk
• The property owners are not responsible for that cabling; the tenant is.

If this is the situation, put a big check mark on your list and move on to #2.

A: No Such Luck.

• There’s no cabling at all.
• There was cabling, but someone cut it
• There’s really old cabling, and it’s just not going to work for you.

Luckily you’ve got your friendly neighborhood IT Ninjas here to help!

Call us. We’re nice AND smart.

If you discover that there’s bad wiring or no wiring after you sign the lease, know that you might have to shell out $20,000 or more to build out the cabling.

If, however, you ask the tenant to build out cabling before you sign the lease, you might get it thrown in!

Aren’t you glad you asked?

Now that you’re Cable-Able, it’s time for question number two…

 

#2 What’s Your Internet Connection Selection?

What internet connections are already in place at the locations you’re considering? Make sure to ask!

(Call us, and we’ll give you a direct quote for services that are available at the addresses you’re looking at, along with lifelong support. With us, you don’t have to deal with automated phone systems and corporate lingo. Bingo. )

We’ve seen many customers wait until the last second to think about their internet connections.

What happens to them?

First, they spend a lot of money to get a temporary internet service set up.

Then, they spend even more money to have the production service set up later, when the wiring is ready.

That means paying double, and double the stress.

 

An Overview of The Options

(From the cheapest, lowest quality and longest install to the fastest and best)

• Bonded DSL Business Internet Connection:
  • The minimum quality connection a business should open up with
• Business Cable Internet Connection:
  
  • The most “bang for your buck”
• Ethernet Over Copper:
  • Guaranteed symmetrical business connection:
• Business Fiber Internet Connection:
  • The Porsche of internet connections

The internet service providers in Los Angeles offer a range of high speed internet services, and it’s important you choose the one that’s right for you.

Ask yourself… Which kind of company are we? Data based or phone based?

If it’s part of your business to transfer large files and large amounts of data up and down, then you need large circuits to support that.
If you’re a company that does mostly web browsing and email, it’s more important to have a dependable internet connection than something super fast.

 

A bit about Megabits…

A good rule of thumb:

You should have 1 megabit of “up and down” internet access per person. (Ex. if you have 5 people in your office, you should have a minimum of “5 by 5”, five megabits down and 5 megabits up.)

Don’t be fooled by a high download bandwidth– its important what your UPLOAD bandwidth is. Especially with today’s cloud files services!

Choose wisely the first time, and think about your budget for internet and phone connections before you sign the lease!

If you’re overwhelmed by options, just ask the pros. Wink-wink!

 

#3 Parking: When The Bark is Worse Than The Bite

When working out your budget, parking is more important than you might think!

Don’t get backed into a tight space… by signing a lease only to realize that each employee’s parking spot is $100 a month.

Shift gears while you can: work the parking price into your plan.

• Some locations include parking spaces!
• Others charge you up to one hundred bucks a spot.

Factor that into the cost per square foot of your new office, and you’ll be in for a smooth ride.

 

#4 What is a Server Room?

A server room, to be exact! Absolutely necessary for any professional office space.

A server room keeps your servers and towers safe and clean!

It must have 2 things:

• Physical Security (known to humans as locks)
• Clean, Climate-controlled Air (with air conditioning and humidity control)

If it’s not there already, throw that baby in your budget!

Last but not least…

 

#5 Lunchtime!

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” – Virginia Woolf

Before signing the lease for your office, find out what sort of restaurants are nearby.

It’s more pleasant to work out of an office that has a bunch of restaurants than a warehouse where you eat out of the same food truck all the time,

wouldn’t you say?

It’s not selfish to plan for a happy lifestyle! As Virginia Woolf so aptly put it, we human beings function better on all levels when our experience of eating is wholesome, pleasant and satisfying.

It’ll give you a place to take prospective clients, too!

Well, that’s the list! Thank you for reading.

We hope we’ve provided you with amazing value and that you feel better equipped to make a great choice!

At Jobst IT Consulting, we guide you through every step of this process and are happy to answer your questions. Give us a call and let us know your business’ needs and budget.

Who are we, anyway?!

Jobst IT Consulting is an IT and DevOps Company. We are resellers of every different internet provider. Based in Los Angeles, we work with companies all over the world.

Since we aren’t limited to one specific provider, we let the location determine the best option for you!

Most importantly, we are your loyal team.

We are awesome people and honest experts, not automated phone lines or minimally trained customer support agents.

Once you’ve established service with us, we commit to helping you with all the tricky bits of your internet connection!

Thanks again, and we look forward to hearing from you.