3 Ways Any Home Business Benefits From Having A Self-Storage Unit
Posted on: 14 October 2016
Owning and operating a small business means encountering challenges and obstacles at nearly every turn. Your primary responsibility is meeting those challenges in a timely manner, or you could possibly risk detrimental consequences to your business operations. For nearly any small business, having extra storage space can solve many problems, leaving the owners to focus on other issues.
Here's how a home business benefits from using a self-storage facility:
1. Records Storage
Every business needs to keep meticulous records of accounts payable, accounts receivable, hours worked, etc., but storing these records at home either means being surrounded by a mountain of boxes or heavily investing in metal filing cabinets. Stash those boxes in a personal storage unit instead, making sure they're sealed tightly to prevent damage to the valuable contents, or you could investigate the possibilities climate control can offer you. The IRS recommends keeping employment tax records for four years, while other extenuating circumstances may require you to hold onto the paperwork for longer. Either way, if you have the secure storage space you need, you're covered indefinitely.
2. Inventory Management And Supplies
If you're working out of your home and don't have extra space to store inventory, a self-storage unit is perfect for you. You'll have a set amount of square-footage, in which you can keep merchandise for ongoing orders or inventory for future promotions. Having that space will help you to stay organized and efficient, as opposed to having scattered inventory all around your house or in closets. Since inventory is such a vital aspect of a business, improving your inventory system could actually boost your bottom line.
If your business involves seasonal merchandise at all, it's imperative that you have additional space in which to store items for the upcoming seasons; doing so is incredibly difficult when you operate out of a home, but having a unit elsewhere keeps you organized and prepared. Some self-storage facilities may even allow you to ship directly to their site, where they'll accept orders on your behalf, provided you make special arrangements and schedule the delivery during regular business hours.
Supplies for your business, such as printing paper or other materials, are often much cheaper if you can purchase them in bulk quantities; however, if you don't have the extra space around your home, it's challenging to take advantage of such bargains. With additional storage, you can plan for space, filling it with whatever you plan on needing or whatever happens to be on sale this week. Particularly if you buy any goods wholesale, you know that the more you buy, the more you save. If wholesale purchases contribute in any way to your product, you can significantly increase your profit margins by buying in greater quantities, provided you have the storage space needed.
Also, if you make subscription purchases for items you need on an ongoing basis, the additional storage space will help you manage with ease.
3. Protecting Assets
Managing a family, along with your business, means having little hands delve into big boxes, and that can result in damage. For a number of reasons, you don't want the people in your household mingling too closely with your products and other materials. This problem is simply solved, if you can operate with the more sensitive or valuable items off-site, safely stored in your secure unit. For example, breakable items, containers you don't want opened, or fabric you can't have stained could all be kept away from the everyday hustle and bustle of your home.
As a small business owner, you have enough to worry about each day; if something comes along and offers you the opportunity to solve multiple problems all at once, you take advantage of it. Consider the many ways in which your business could get a boost from having extended storage space and think about how good it will feel to resolve so many obstacles in one swift and easy maneuver.
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