One of the biggest costs of having your own business is the cost of office space and warehousing. Although it is possible to work from home, in a spare room, or even at the kitchen table, storing your tools, equipment, and stock is another matter – there isn’t always room for it, and that can become problematic for some small business owners. It might even mean that you can’t grow your business how you want to because you’re restricted to how much space you have.
What if there was another way? For example, can you run a business from a storage unit? Although you can’t run an office from a storage unit, this might be a restriction of your contract, it could contravene health and safety laws if you have staff, and there are unlikely to be any power sockets or phone lines installed anyway, you can run a warehouse from one. In other words, storage facilities can take the place of much more expensive storage options, and because they come in so many different sizes and types, there is sure to be something that works for you and your small business. Read on to find out more.
What Businesses Can You Run From A Storage Unit?
When you are considering how to run a business from a storage unit, you’ll need to think about the kind of business you have to begin with. For example, an ideal business to run from a self storage unit is an eCommerce store. When you want to buy more stock because you need to be able to purchase a certain amount to get a good price, or you know you’re going to sell it quickly, trying to keep it all at home might be impossible. When you have a storage unit, you’ll have all the extra space you need – you can even upgrade to a larger unit if and when the need arises. The only thing you’ll need to check is exactly what you can and cannot store in your unit; this will be in the terms and conditions of your contract. Make sure you’re sticking to the rules. If you do that, a storage unit can be the ideal place to store inventory and marketing materials to keep it all safe, secure, and out of your way.
Ecommerce sellers aren’t the only businesspeople who can make use of a storage unit. Tradespeople and contractors can also use storage facilities to run their businesses. This could include plumbers, electricians, builders, roofers, decorators, and many more trades besides these. If you have equipment that needs to be kept safe, and that, if it were to be damaged or stolen, it would mean you could no longer work, a secure storage unit with a lock in a protected facility has to be the right choice. It’s far safer to keep things in a locked unit than it is to keep things in a garage, shed, or even a van that can so easily be broken into. All you need to do is make time at the start and end of each day to load up with what you need for the day’s work, and then take it back to the unit when you’re done. This is why searching for self storage near me is a good idea; the closer the unit is to your home, the easier it will be to ensure you do this every day.
What Are The Benefits Of Running A Business From A Storage Unit?
So, just because you can run your small online businesses from a storage unit, does that mean you should? The truth is that there are a number of excellent benefits to hiring a secure unit from Storage Area to run your business from; it could actually be exactly what you need to boost your business and take it to the next level, and all for a fraction of the cost of what a warehouse or similar premises would cost.
This is, in fact, the first point. Renting storage space is cost-effective. You won’t have to worry about taxes, additional security, or utility bills when you rent a storage unit. You’ll simply pay for the unit, and that’s it – just one monthly cost.
Storage units are also extremely flexible. You can change units as and when you need to (although this might depend somewhat on your contract, so make sure you read all the fine print so you know what you can and can’t do), meaning you can scale your business up and down as the need arises. This is much better than renting a warehouse or garage and realizing you need a lot more space or that you have hired something that’s too big for your needs. Plus, you can change your rental space depending on your budget. When running a small business, income can go up and down, especially at the start, so being able to find a unit that matches your budget when you need it is crucial.
A storage unit for your business is also convenient. Business owners are busy people, and there is a lot to think about and keep track of. When you know where everything is and can access it easily, this is one job you no longer have to worry about. You’ll only need to visit the unit once a day or once a week – whatever suits you and your business – and you’ll be able to find everything right away and do whatever it is you need to do easily and without additional stress.
Another great thing about a storage unit is that it will free up space. In fact, this could be the reason you decided to invest in a storage facility in the first place. It’s a scientific fact that trying to work in a crowded, cluttered environment is bad for you. It makes you less productive and causes stress, and you might not even realize it’s happening because it’s often a subconscious issue. You will notice when you rent a storage unit and keep your workspace tidier and less full of ‘things,’ your positivity will increase, as will your productivity. Hiring a storage unit is worth it just for this reason, let alone the many other good points that it has.