At first glance, storage units may not seem to have very much to do with home businesses. Dig a little deeper however, and when you start to brainstorm what businesses need and how they’re run on a daily basis, you quickly realise that storage could make a big difference. Even looking into storage units of all different shapes and sizes, whether that be a 10×10 or a 10×25 storage unit – they come in handy. From storing boxes full of stock to keeping equipment that isn’t always used, once you have a unit for your business needs, it won’t be left empty.
Cutting Costs for Greater Profits
Profit and loss is arguably one of the clearest indicators of business success or likely failure. And renting premises, whether it’s for storage or for office-based activities can be a huge leech on business working capital. That is why some will use resources like https://www.boomboxstorage.com/ to help store their essentials instead. Home businesses often need to run a tight ship where finances are concerned and need to preserve their owners’ sense of work/life balance. Self-storage is the key to many business conundrums:
- A self storage unit is cheaper than renting warehouse space. With an adequately sized, conveniently located storage unit, home business owners don’t pay business rates or extra for services or utilities.
- It’s difficult to estimate exactly how much storage space you need, so with alternative storage options you may either end up with too little space or paying for space you’re not actually using. Self storage facilities allow you to upgrade or downgrade your storage space size with very little notice needed.
- Short-term contracts don’t lock you in. If your business needs change so can your storage space. You can either give up the space completely or hire a little extra storage room to take advantage of seasonal opportunities.
- Individual storage rooms are secure and private.
- Storage facilities often offer practical help, for instance receiving deliveries on your behalf when you can’t be there, saving you the cost of hiring permanent employees.
More Secure Plus Easier Access than Home Storage
Home businesses, especially those that operate on the online retail model, often struggle to find adequate storage within the home. Business owners may end up cramming their lofts, sheds, garages, or even friends’ houses with boxes of stock. There are several disadvantages to this, which self storage can overcome:
- Domestic properties are often on streets which present restricted access for large vehicles.
- Kerbs and gateways get in the way when you’re manoeuvring heavy boxes.
- Stacking boxes in the house can create trip or tumble hazards to anyone, but most especially to small children.
- It can be tempting for family members to borrow stock items, confusing and creating errors in inventory lists.
- It’s hard to create a sense of work/life balance when you live full-time in your workplace.
When compared to other storage options, such as warehousing, individual storage units can offer more security and privacy. Each storage room is locked with its own unique pin code, and each facility has round-the-clock monitoring to guard against unauthorised access.
Better Use of Time
When one item on your sales inventory runs low, you can reorder and restock. But when your time runs low, that commodity is gone forever. Not only is time precious in terms of life experience, wasting it causes unnecessary expense from a business point of view.
Self storage spaces offer alternative ways to look at and deal with daily operations. Some storage facilities are open and welcoming to small business owners. They don’t mind at all if you use your storage space to perform some business operations. Typically, owners of home-based businesses perform admin and office duties from home, but organise their stock and do the packing and despatching from within their storage room.
To create a pack and dispatch station, all you need to do is hire a slightly larger room than you need strictly for stock storage then install a desk in a corner. This can save hours of frustration when you have a well-organised and clearly labelled stock storage system.
Organisation of your stockroom is part of the efficiency key. You can install freestanding shelves in your storage unit, and with clearly labelled spaces for each stock item or type (and fastest sellers closest to the door) picking sold items becomes a quick operation.
Self storage facilities are scattered throughout the UK, and are normally situated on main roads so they’re easy to find and access. Home business owners looking to streamline their operations and maximise their profits often find a storage unit is the answer to many logistical problems.
