Small Business Storage Solutions
Small Business Storage Solutions
Many people have found the time to start their own businesses due to the recent lockdowns and being able to work from home. A lot of these businesses sell tangible items and therefore many business owners are having to use space in their homes to store these items. However, there are many affordable ways to store items for your small business without taking up lots of space in your home.
Archive Storage
Storing documents and invoices can take up a huge amount of space as a business, but they are important to keep for records. Some businesses prefer to pay for online services to store their records, however, many people are now returning to using paper copies.
As a small business or a start-up business, there are lots of forms and bits of paperwork that need storing in a secure environment. Therefore, more and more people are turning to archive storage solutions to solve these issues. Many of these services offer not just data or document storage but record management and administration issues relating to these documents. Some even have twenty-four-hour availability to access your documents and records. The amount you can store depends on which type of package you choose. Overall this is a great investment for a storage solution for your small business.
Storage Unit
Another solution is to work from a storage unit. This is a great way to secure extra storage instead of using rooms in your house to house inventory. Some storage units have rules about running a business from their premises, however, others are open to the idea. It means that you don’t have to worry about the running costs of electricity or heat in your home while you work as they are available at the storage unit. Storage units are not expensive to hire and use, and usually, you can get a unit that allows you to grow as a business into space instead of having to keep upgrading.
Many storage units also have access to wifi, so there is everything you need to run your business from your unit. This means that you can have a separation between your home life and business life. When running a small business it can be difficult to identify the separation between your own time and work time. A lot of business owners find that having their business set up elsewhere means they are more in control of their schedule, which is vitally important for you to retain the energy to keep putting into your business.
Garden Shed
Now you may be thinking how on Earth will a garden shed help my small business? Well, lots of people with small businesses decide the best way to solve their storage solutions is to build a garden shed or workshop. If you don’t have a garden skip ahead, but if you do keep reading! Having a shed in the garden that is a dedicated workspace not only allows you the freedom of gaining space back in your home, it also allows you to leave your workspace behind. Having a dedicated workspace means that you can fully customise your shed to the wants and needs of the business. You should still be in reach of the wifi, so can create your own office in your garden.
This cuts down the need for the daily commute, but removing yourself from your house means fewer opportunities to sit and watch TV throughout the day! There are loads of small business creators on TikTok that have built their own workshop/ studio/ office in their gardens and they have some excellent setups. Being able to build a shed and then design it to fit your business needs is a fantastic way of not having to pay out for office fees, to then decorate and re-decorate when you move out as your business grows.
Sheds come in all different shapes and sizes and you can customise them to fit the space you want and need. You can also pay companies to build the shed for you to save time and stress, however, this is slightly more. It is a great storage and space saving investment that can also increase the value of your house in the long run!
Loft Office
Turn your loft into your storage space. Every house has a loft that is usually filled with old bits and bobs, childhood memories and the Christmas tree! However, you could organise your loft and give yourself storage solutions and possibly enough space for a desk. There are some safety implications you will need to look at first.
Floorboards – make sure your loft is boarded out before trying to walk around up there as it could lead to a costly, unwanted hole in your ceiling! You will also need this if you are planning to put units up there and especially if you want to install a desk.
Ladder – Make sure you’ve got a way of actually getting into the loft! You don’t need to have a staircase as a ladder will do, it’s just like having a garden office. If it means you can’t work on your computer and pack orders from in front of the TV, it’s got to make you more productive.
Even just using it as a storage space gives you a place to be more organised. You will need this to be able to access and pick your products quickly and efficiently. It will also increase your step count which is always a bonus.
These are just a few options you can do fairly cheaply to solve your small business storage needs. However, there are many more options available to you, you just need to find them. The best way to find other solutions is through youtube and TikTok, the platforms where most small businesses are promoting themselves free of charge. You may also be able to use them to your advantage and promote your small business! The list of possibilities is endless for what you can achieve when you put your mind to it!