Restarting Your Business in a New CityGetting Close to Moving Day
As the moving date got closer, I created a move announcement with an online version for sending in e-mail messages. I also made a printed version (nothing fancy, but it had a few graphics) that I sent to all current and past clients.
I gave current clients plenty of notice, about three months, so we could plan how I would finish their work after the move. Bringing clients and active projects with you helps you make the transition. You can work for your current clients while you are making new contacts in your new location. This is the ideal situation for maintaining cash flow. You might even retain current clients by working remotely.
A graphic artist I met in Colorado agreed to help me get my business cards printed as soon as I moved. If you have someone you have worked with successfully in your old location, I recommend printing the cards before your move. Since I needed to find a new graphic artist anyway, I decided to find the new person in my new location.
The printer that did my cards also modified my existing supply of stationery. My address appeared at the bottom of the page, because we were talking about moving even when I started my original business. The printer trimmed off the half–inch of address. Yes, the pages were a little shorter than the standard 8½ x 11, but few people noticed. I then set up all my letters to print the new address at the bottom. I found I didn’t need to reprint my letterhead.
My brochures and envelopes were reusable, too. Again, planning ahead paid off. I had half of my brochures printed with no address on them. All I had to do was print clear labels on my laser printer and carefully put them on the blank area. This worked well for more than a year, until I redesigned the whole brochure. I also printed my new address on labels that matched the envelopes and was able to keep using them.