I received an email from a new DC whom I had been helping:
She had looked at a space that was much bigger and for which the landlord wanted way too much money. She decided to go small, and says, "I have never once regretted my decision to rent this space-it is
already home to me and will only get better once I'm actually seeing
patients."
I talked with another DC who was looking at 1400 square feet vs. 1800 square feet. At $20 a square fot he would be spending over $800 more a month. The question you need to ask in this situation: "How will I make this extra space profitable?" or, "How many more patients will I have to see to pay this additional rent?"
In most cases, you are better off taking the smaller space and moving in a few years. In the case above, he was going into a condo and buying. He decided to "bite the bullet" and get the larger space so he wouldn't have to sell later.
Stay small as long as you can.
For more leasing information, get my book "Leasing Your Office" or read the office leasing chapter in Planning for Practice Success. Both at www.dcpracticesuccess.com
