Would you love to grow your business but you don’t have a lot of capital to make it happen? Business self storage can help.
Would you love to grow your business but you are short on capital to make it happen? Self storage can help. Self storage is the perfect way to grow a business without the need to pay out lots of money, or get tied down to a strict and suffocating contract. Let’s take a closer look;
What Is Self Storage?
Self storage can be indoors or outdoors depending on the facility that provides the storage. Indoor storage tends to be lots of units that look like indoor garages, and can be anything from the size of a football stadium, to something the size of a gym locker (and everything inbetween). Indoor storage usually has the benefit of electricity, climate control and better security. Outdoor storage is more likely to look like shipping containers in an outdoor area, with fenced surroundings and a gate with lock details customers can use. Both types may have additional security, too.
How Can Self Storage Help A Business To Expand Cheaply?
As a business you may find that you want to grow, but there are obstacles in your way. Common obstacles that cause you to stay at the same size, or even miss out on exciting opportunities. What self storage is able to do is to help you to be able to expand as you need to, without being at risk of being stuck in a hefty contract, or committing to anything that doesn’t allow you to deal with the natural growing pains of building a business. If you’re naturally unsure, because you (like every SME) can’t risk putting money into something that is non-essential, the following will help you to get a better idea (or 10) of why signing up for self storage for business growth is a smart idea:
1. Easier Trial & Error
As you grow you may want to try out new ideas, which can mean you need some temporary space to store new stock, design new stock or hold onto equipment for trade shows etc. When you have self storage you can use a unit to try out your new direction without having to pay for the space long-term. It’s your way to ease into expansion without the pressure of a warehouse or other expensive storage space.
2. Utilising Working Space You Have
Maybe you want to have more retail space in your shop, or you want to switch a storage space for a new desk – whatever your needs for expanding the working space you rent out, self storage can help. You can cheaply move any large furniture or other bulky items into your unit, giving you the room to expand the working space in your shop or office.
3. Quickly Able To Shrink Back
You might well need to downsize your operations as quickly as you expanded them – hence the hesitancy to upsize with anything committed or long-term. The good news is that with self storage you can shrink and expand as quickly as you need to without worry. Most self storage facilities have short contracts with a very short notice period that can be as little as a month. This gives you all the room you need to quickly reverse your expansion (at least in regards to the space it needs) without worry of the consequences.
4. WFH With Ease
Maybe expanding your business means working from home full time, and so you can use your self storage unit as somewhere to put your spare room contents, so you have a nice office to work from. Or, maybe your small craft business is doing well and you need more space for all your inventory or supplies. Self storage offers you the opportunity to have a dedicated business space that does not encroach on space at home, or require a lot of money upfront to use it.
5. Promotions Items Galore
Sometimes to expand a business you need to go to markets and trade shows, festivals and other events where you can pitch your wares to customers and clients, potential investors and industry leaders. The promotional items are expensive and you can’t risk having them stored in a garage or somewhere else they could be stolen or damaged by weather extremes, or flooding. What self storage does is enable you to store all your promotional items, including banners, posters, tables and stock, in a safe, dry place you can utilise every time you do an event. It’s such an easy way to support your expansion without having to spend loads of money upfront.
6. Before A Retail Space…
Before a retail space or restaurant space is on the cards, lots of businesses start off with vans or other temporary spaces that can be driven to events or licensed selling spots. Those vehicles need somewhere to be stored, along with the stock that they hold. As long as you aren’t storing items banned by your facility (many have rules on flammables and perishables) you can utilise your space for your business items as you grow and expand prior to getting a full setup and permanent space.
7. Grab A Bargain
Sometimes you need to expand by purchasing a bulk order of stock – but where does the stock go? Using affordable self storage you can buy those bargain bulk buys without having to worry about where the stock will go. Even better, if your business is seasonal it may be you are planning on expanding in the next selling season and need to buy more stock out of season, which self storage can help with too.
8. Have A Hand With Logistics
Logistics are easier with affordable self storage because they know businesses use the service, and so help is at hand to make using the space for business as easy as possible. This includes a 24/7 reception who are often able to take your deliveries for you, and 24/7 access so you can get to the unit at a time that suits you. Some also have pick up and drop off services for items. Every facility is different, but most have at least some business services that will help you to expand and run your business day to day.
Are You Ready To Utilise Self Storage For Your Business Expansion?
Nearly 20% of businesses had to pause trade during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Now that things are mostly back to normal, it’s your time to shine and grow. Why not utilise self storage to help your enterprise see more success this year. It is affordable, practical, accessible and flexible – the perfect helping hand as you grow your business in challenging economic times.