Location is an essential factor to consider when you are starting your own boutique. In this video from Shopify, you will learn about the importance of finding the perfect location for your retail shop. When you are planning a move in New York City , you will want to find a retail space that is located in a shopping district. By moving to an area that has lots of foot traffic, you can help your retail space to thrive.

When you are ready to move into your new boutique space, be sure to get in touch with a corporate relocation specialist. A team of professional movers will be able to safely transport all of your inventory to your new location. After you have moved into your ideal retail spot, you can look forward to having a thriving boutique business.

Off-site storage and retention of files is very important to the health and function of your business. By creating and utilizing an off-site retention policy near New York City, your current location will have more room for expansion and storage. Your business’ important documents will also be better protected and organized for future use. These are necessary features to keep your business running smoothly and more profitably. Continue reading to learn more about the many benefits your business will experience with off-site record storage.

You will have more space.

If you have a storage room or closet at your office location, then it is likely filled with several boxes of records. These records are rarely accessed, but according to certain rules and regulations, you need to keep them. Instead of continuing to use this area to store important documents, look for off-site record retention. Trusting your various files and documents with a professional record retention facility can free up a significant amount of space at your office location. This new space can be used for store expansion or for management purposes.

Your records are well-protected.

The longer that your important documents and files are kept at your store location, then the likelier that they will be damaged. Often, files are not protected correctly, which means they may become nesting material for mice or become destroyed from a roof leak. Instead of trusting that your current storage location is safe, trust your records to a document-specific storage facility. These areas have the necessary machinery, storage practices, and other techniques to keep your records well-protected while in retention.

Your records are organized and accessible.

Instead of keeping complicated records in boxes or filing cabinets, store them with a dedicated off-site record retention facility. These facilities can organize your store’s paperwork and important documents so they are easily accessed and well organized. This is a necessary feature in case your business must present any of your documents for tax purposes or audits.

Whether you have a record retention policy in place or not, it is always good to have a reminder of why you need business record retention near New York City . By establishing a retention policy, your business will have organized access to all of your files in a secure location. Let’s take a closer look at why your business should have a record retention policy.

To Abide by Official Regulations

There are many state and federal regulations that state a business must have clear records. These records might be customer and business transactions, tax records, and employee records. Within regulations, some records need to be retained for a certain amount of time, such as tax records and employee files. Instead of keeping your business’ files cluttered and unorganized in an office room, instate a retention policy that keeps your files professionally organized and out of the way. This will help your business to meet any regulations that it is subject to.

To Conduct Smooth Audits

No matter how often your company has an audit, whether internally or from an outside company, you want the process to go smoothly. Auditors must examine your office records to ensure that your business and employees are maintaining sound company policies. To help this process go as quickly and smoothly as possible, make sure all important documents and files are part of a strong retention policy. Your auditors should be able to access all files if and when they need them, making your audit process a smooth endeavor for everyone involved.

To Sort All Documents

Over time, your business has likely accumulated a wealth of documents, whether they are important, up-to-date, or simple pieces of scrap. By enforcing an official retention policy, you and your employees can sort through your files to separate recyclable files from the ones that must be kept. You can also use your retention policy when it comes time to purge old documents that you no longer need to keep. A sound retention policy will keep your business better organized so you can focus on your customers and vendors.

Important documents should be organized, filed, and cataloged before you place them into storage . Use this organizing opportunity to determine documents that you can discard and documents that you should retain in New York City.

Back up Documents Digitally

Before putting any important documents into storage, you must ensure that they are backed up onto a digital file. Your digital files should be well-labeled and organized within your computer system too. This backup filing system will protect your important documents in the event they become damaged or lost in storage. Ensure that your digital system is well-protected with password codes and other digital protection systems. This, in addition to a secure storage facility, will make sure that all copies of your documents are protected from potential thieves, as well.

Organize Documents by Need

As you prepare your documents for storage, take the time to organize your files by your frequency of need and their importance. This will help you find important files as you need them. For example, many tax files or employment paystubs do not need to be seen frequently. They are important and necessary, especially around tax season, but they do not need to be located toward the front of your filing cabinet or filing system. You can also use this organization time to determine files that do not need to be kept at all. Some important documents, such as credit card statements, are already kept online with their respective companies. You may choose to shred and recycle these files to create more storage room.

Catalog Your Filing System

In addition to organizing your files by need and importance, you should keep a simple catalog to help you find these documents. This catalog will be similar to a table of contents found in a book. Professional retention storage companies often have a barcode system to help catalog files and items. You may prefer to have a keyword system for your digitally-backed files.

If you have considered renting a new store space, there are a few ways to determine if this is the right time for a store relocation near New York City. Store relocations can make or break a company, and it all depends on where the company is moving.

As you can see in the short video, determining if this is the right time to rent may be based on where your customer base is and how much your company can afford to pay in rent. Many commercial rental properties charge based on square footage and the location. Determine how much space you need—this square footage may also aid in hiring your moving company—and where the right location is to reach your customers. Once you have located the right store space, and finalized your rental agreement, you can start making plans for relocation services.

Before you start your relocation in New York City, you should figure out an estimate of your moving costs . By determining the general cost of your corporate relocation, you can better plan out your company’s move.

Watch the short video for some tips on how to estimate relocation costs. The most important suggestion is to call multiple moving companies. Make sure the companies you call are experienced in corporate relocation and offer the services you require. Get all of the estimates in writing and start comparing. Do not choose the least expensive or most expensive option. Look for the services your corporate relocation will require and choose the moving company that is most qualified to offer that.

When looking for record retention in NYC , there are a few key elements you should look for to keep your documents well-protected. When storing your physical documents for record retention, corporate moving companies should offer full storage services. These services, such as climate control, will make sure your documents are protected against environmental issues as well as theft.

• Corporate moving and storage companies should employ software that labels and tracks all boxes and documents submitted for file retention.
• The software should maintain a full history of each item in storage. You can check the inventory online to be sure only approved personnel has opened a box or accessed an item within the box.
• Climate-controlled storage should be offered for all sensitive materials that require environmental control.
• A personal manager should be assigned to your account. You would receive quick and helpful information as you request it.
• Look for an experienced, insured, and licensed storage company, skilled in record retention and storage.

If you are planning a home or commercial move and need to keep important documents safe, you may wish to employ the services of a company offering record retention in NYC. First, however, you will need to organize your papers carefully. Sort your invoices, receipts, and other miscellaneous documents into different categories. You may need to keep some documents for longer than others.

Keeping Important Documents Safe

Place any documents which are difficult to replace in a secure, fireproof box. Such documents might include passports; Social Security cards; birth, marriage, and divorce certificates; medical prescriptions; stocks and bonds; and wills. You should also make an inventory of all household or office goods and furnishings. Create a list of all your bank accounts, credit cards, and financial information. You should also ensure that you create a document listing all-important contacts, such as doctors and next of kin. Make sure you make a backup of all the crucial information on a memory key, portable thumb drive, or online. Provide a trusted friend or lawyer with a copy of all the data.

Keeping and Discarding Documents

Find out which documents you will need to keep and which can be safely discarded. Create a folder for invoices and receipts. When you do discard documents, do so safely, by using a crosscut shredder. This will help prevent identity theft.

Filing Carefully

Invest in good quality hanging and drawer files, or sturdy, expandable folders. Make sure you only use leak-proof boxes, to safeguard your files from possible water damage. File tax returns by year. You will need to keep all tax documents for six years, in case of an IRS audit. Use a lockable filing cabinet to keep important documents safe. Hanging file folders can help you to organize your documents. Divide them into categories, such as home, school, healthcare, car insurance, home insurance, and taxes.

Developing a standardized procedure for records retention in NYC is crucial for every business. There are certain records that you may be required to retain by law, and others that you might just want to keep to make it easier to do business. Regardless of the purpose of your records retention, your records retention policy must be understood and followed by everyone in your company.

To create a standardized records retention policy, you must determine which records you need to retain, for how long, and how they will be stored and accessed. Some records must be permanently retained, while tax records and business records can be destroyed after a certain period of time. You should consult with an attorney to determine how long you need to retain all of the important documents that pertain to your specific line of business.

Once you have established your records retention policy, you need to coordinate records storage and archive destruction procedures. If you use a secure storage facility that specialized in records retention, you’ll need to create a complete inventory of your records storage. Records retention storage facilities also typically offer secure archive destruction services.

One of the keys to running a successful business is record retention. You will want to be sure that you keep the records that you might need on hand at all times. Knowing what to keep and what to discard can be confusing, though, so you may need some assistance with record retention in NYC. Utilizing a professional record retention and storage service will let you maintain more complete records without compromising valuable office space, should an audit ever arise. Here are some helpful tips as far as what you should keep:

Keep business income tax return records for at least seven years.

If you have the room to do it, you should try to keep income tax returns for as long as possible. Not only will they help you should the IRS ever audit your business, but they will also make it easier to complete future returns. If you are trying to save space, retain files for the past seven years, as this is as far back as the IRS may file an audit.

Keep employment tax records for at least four years.

When you have employees, you will need to provide them with tax records at the end of each year. These records will include names, social security numbers, wages, pension payments, and more. The IRS recommends file retention for four years after the date on which the taxes were due to be paid.

Keep all business ledgers, journal entries, and other documents for at least seven years.

This category is trickier than the other categories listed here because there are many different documents that could fall into “other.” For example, annual reports, Board of Director information, and even supportive tax records are included. In general, seven years is the guideline for record retention, but your accountant may advise you to hang on to these items for as long as possible in certain situations.

Keep human resource files for former employees for at least seven years.

Regardless of an employee’s reason for leaving your company, you should keep their information on file. You should also keep the information of any job applicants who were not hired at your company for three years for more complete record keeping.