Selling online is a popular and successful business model in today’s world. Every business owner dreams of growth but many find that this growth results in a lack of space. Where to store the growing amount of stock associated with your business?
Has your spare room become a parcel depot, are you falling over boxes in your hallway or can’t find the sofa anymore through all the bubble wrap? Then you’ve reached maximum capacity. Now is a good time to reassess and think about the benefits of space outside your home environment.
Here are some of the best reasons to consider upgrading your storage to Self Storage Dudley:
1. Keep your home as it should be
In the beginning, it’s common for the kitchen table to be the first boxing up area but as orders increase, existing amongst your inventory becomes a chore. A unit dedicated to your stock immediately returns your home to just being your home. It helps to draw that all-important line between your business and your personal life, enabling you to go home and relax at the end of the working day. Your living space is returned to you and you don’t have to try to unwind whilst being surrounded by boxes and packaging.
1. Scalability Without Commitment
It is common for e-commerce sales and stock to fluctuate a lot depending on the time of year. Whilst you might need tons of space in the lead up to Christmas, the New Year might be very quiet. Hiring a warehouse space often requires a long-term contract, meaning paying for space you don’t need or use during those quieter months. The great thing about self-storage units is the sheer flexibility. You can scale up when you need to and then scale down again. This means only paying for the space you require and the time you require it.
1. Avoid Unecessary Overheads
Renting a commercial space, such as an office or warehouse, comes with all kinds of additional charges such as utility bills, business rates, service charges and even maintenance fees. This can mess up your accounting, making it more complex and time-consuming. Streamlining your accounting is possible with self-storage as there is often just one monthly payment that includes those additional things like maintenance, for example. For Self Storage Dudley, consider Anchor Self Storage.
1. Improved Security
If you had your inventory stolen, this can be devastating for a small business. By storing goods in a private garage or residential outbuilding, you leave yourself highly vulnerable to theft, pest damage and damp, for example. A proper self-storage unit offers advanced security, the likes of which would be too expensive to install at home. You could benefit from 24/7 CCTV, restricted gate access, pin code entry, perimeter fencing and alarm systems. This level of security simply cannot be replicated at your home address.
1. Climate Control
The climate surrounding your stock is important, whether it’s clothing, electricals or books. Materials can be damaged by dampness and fluctuating temperatures, warping cardboard packaging and spoiling many different types of products. A unit with climate control is able to keep a steady temperature, remove excess humidity and ensure that stock remains in a pristine, ready-to-sell condition.
1. Smoother Deliveries
The need to be at home waiting for stock deliveries can be frustrating and time-consuming. However, many storage unit companies will take deliveries for you. Couriers can simply drop off straight to your storage unit, where the goods can be secured until you arrive. The big name courier companies often include storage facilities in their daily drop off and collection routes. This makes organising logistics a great deal smoother for your business, saving you precious time to be productive.
1. Improved Picking And Packing
You don’t have to simply store goods in a storage unit, it can also be used as an entire fulfillment hub. Add some shelving, a table, and your label printing equipment and you can create an optimised workflow. When you organise your stock and pick and pack all in the same place, you can send out deliveries far quicker than you could from your living room floor.
1. Flexible Working
The online world never sleeps so if you want to operate 24/7 then you can. Perhaps you want to sort stock early on a Sunday or work late into the night packing orders in the pre-Christmas rush. When using other types of commercial spaces, you’ll often find that they have set opening hours, whereas self-storage units can often be accessed 24/7. This means you can have total control over when you choose to work.
1. Amenities And Equipment
Lugging heavy boxes around is not ideal physically or logistically. Many storage facilities offer use of trolleys, pallet jacks and heavy goods lifts to make tasks a lot easier and safer. You can also find drive up units, making it easier to unload straight from a vehicle directly into the unit.
1. Taking It Seriously
Having a separate space for your business provides a psychological boost. What was once maybe thought of as a side hustle run from your kitchen is now a proper enterprise. You can better track stock, streamline your goods and tighten up your practices to better enable the next stage of growth for your business.
