5 Storage Tips Every Entrepreneur Should Know

Article Contributed by Drew Davies

One of the defining features of the modern entrepreneur is a nimble and questioning mind. Without an innovative sense of time and place it’s hard to imagine, let alone put into practise, all the separate strands that go into building a successful business.

Before you can fly, you need to get your feet grounded in the basics, and for most entrepreneurs that means finding office space and storage for stock or business necessities.

Setting Up the Home Office

Easy internet and email communications, inbound marketing via social media or blog networks, and the professional capabilities of home office equipment, all streamline daily operations. But to get the best from all that technology, an exclusive business area in the home is of prime importance.

If it means putting some domestic furniture into self storage, do so. You could put the dining table into storage to make way for a good-sized desk or, if that’s a step too far, consider the possibility of clearing space by storing individual items. Packing up favourite novels or coffee table books, for instance, frees up book shelves for document files or reference books.

Choose your spot in the house and adapt it to accommodate everything you need for business purposes. Nothing wastes time or scatters concentration more than wandering from room to room to complete basic tasks.

Organise Stock Storage

Without careful control, stock storage can quickly turn into a nightmare. If you have a range of items for sale, you soon realise the need to store logically and systematically.

For many small business owners, offsite self storage presents an ideal solution to an overcrowded house or garage. There is only so much spare space in any domestic household, and for the entrepreneur with one eye on expansion possibilities, the likelihood is that home storage space gets rapidly outgrown.

Self storage, being both secure and convenient, has further advantages, one of which answers the expansion conundrum: many storage companies offer flexible terms, allowing renters to move into larger or smaller spaces without fuss or long notice periods.

Multitask to Maximise Space

Wherever you choose to store items, either for sale or for daily business needs, make sure you’ve also got space to work. That area under the stairs might get everything out of sight, but if you’re forever fetching and carrying to pack items for postage, it’s not an efficient storage solution.

Ideally, retailers will store, pack and dispatch all from the same area, and service providers or information product creators will have printing, computing or telephony equipment and peripherals conveniently located where they work.

Keep Stock or Tools Visible

Small stock items or tools of the trade need to be visible for easy, on the fly stock takes or the quick location and retrieval of work-related equipment.

Choose transparent plastic boxes over standard cardboard ones, open shelving over closed-in cupboards, and favour flat, sturdy lids if you’re stacking boxes on top of each other.

Share a Space

If you can, team up with other entrepreneurs in your area to share storage or office space. If you’re worried about stock getting muddled, having a large enough space to clearly demarcate your respective areas could still work out cheaper than renting separate storage rooms.

Rented office space is often underused, and could be let out instead of wasted. Make use of cloud storage to electronically take care of paper records then sell or store space-hogging filing cabinets. Installing and renting out a desk in the freed-up space will do a freelancer a favour as well as cutting your rental charges – but do check the terms of your lease before going ahead.

Getting to grips with storage issues and office space from the outset, and choosing options that offer flexibility, clears the way for future business growth. You can then spend more time working creatively instead of putting out the helmet fires that are caused by confusion.

About The Author

Drew writes for Big Yellow Self Storage, which has 76 purpose-built self-storage sites across the UK. For more information see their business storage section or blog.