Entrepreneurs of all types – and in a variety of industries – use self storage to help manage inventory, drive efficiencies, and stay organized. At CubeSmart, our small business storage customers always bring smiles to our faces. It’s truly heartwarming to see (and hear!) firsthand how our self storage and small business offerings benefit entrepreneurs and, ultimately, the communities in which they work.
We decided to round up our favorite self-storage ideas and advice from our business owner/operator customers to inspire you for a successful start to 2021 – and beyond! Whether you’re a small business owner, employee, or just curious how storage for business can make a difference in your bottom line, keep reading for our top tips.
How much storage does a small business need?
Our CubeSmart locations around the country offer a number of business storage solutions, including office space, warehouse space, retail space, and national business storage accounts. While you might not need all or any of those options yet, it’s always beneficial to drive towards a larger goal. If you’re operating a small, mail-order/online shop today for instance, but dream of a retail space in the future, start gathering the information you need now to actualize that dream. That includes costs, location, design, staff, etc. By budgeting to hit both current and future goals, you’ll have a much more realistic idea of when and how your dreams will be realized. Self storage helps you with deciding what you need for today while keeping your options open for tomorrow.
How important is safety when considering a self-storage facility?
When entrepreneurs or investors think about storage for small businesses, safety may not be the first thing that comes to mind. But when it comes to moving inventory in and out of a storage unit, accessing it at different times of day (and night), or simply knowing that everything you have poured your blood, sweat, and tears into is protected – safety and security should be at the top of the list.
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve moved inventory into and out of my self-storage unit late at night by myself,” says Castle Searcy, owner of Denver-based Tootsies the Nail Shoppe. “It is incredibly important that small business owners scope out any potential self-storage facility to make sure it is access-controlled and well-lit. There is just no substitute for safety – or for peace of mind.”
What should I consider for business efficiency?
Entrepreneurs typically don’t have a lot of time, energy, or money to waste. Success is often a direct result of how efficiently they can operate. Every minute saved from doing something low-value or mundane is a minute that can be spent making money, talking with customers, or improving quality.
When it comes to finding and utilizing the best storage solution for your small business, consider the following:
Location – Is it close to your home, office, or retail space? It may be worth paying extra to save time driving back and forth.
Accessibility – Is the self-storage unit accessible at night and on weekends? As we all know, entrepreneurs don’t often have the luxury of working traditional hours. Make sure you can get in without hassle or delay.
Flexibility – Will you be locked into a long-term self-storage contract or will your provider be able to work with you as your business needs change? Small business needs can change on a dime, and the flexibility of month-to-month storage unit leases can be incredibly useful.
If you’re on the hunt for ways to make your small business operate more efficiently, take a hard look at how time is being spent today – and then do what you can to eliminate wasteful or noncritical work, streamline processes and engage employees. The rewards will be worth the work!
Can self storage help me scale my business?
Scalability is a word that entrepreneurs love to use. What does it mean exactly? It means how much capacity a solution (or business) has to expand or upgrade. If you own a small clothing resale business with one location, for instance, but want to someday expand to have multiple locations across multiple states, then you need to ensure that the solutions you look for today can grow with you.
When it comes to scalability and self storage, small business owners want to look for an easy process to either upgrade or downgrade their spaces as needs change. And not just locally! Entrepreneurs who have a vision of expanding nationally (or already have) should make sure their self-storage company also has a national presence. That way, you can access special savings by reserving storage units wherever it is you need them. You can also be more efficient by centralizing billing rather than renting from a number of different storage unit facilities.
Find double-duty vendors
One of my favorite pieces of advice for entrepreneurs and small business owners is to find double-duty vendors. The more any one vendor can do for you, the better – and especially so when it comes to self-storage. Many CubeSmart locations, for instance, act as shipping centers for customers. Managers will not only accept packages sent directly to the facility but can also hold packages scheduled for pick-up by the major carriers. That will save you the time and hassle of dragging boxes all over the place, or of having them delivered somewhere without the proper space or climate to store them in.
Another way to benefit from a ‘double-duty’ self-storage facility is to make sure it has all the boxes, packing supplies, shelving, and so forth you might need to outfit your storage unit and best store your items. Buying on-site can save a lot of time and annoyance – especially when you realize you need something quickly and can just run down to the main office to grab it. Convenience is the name of the game.
Stay on top of your numbers
Small businesses that are inventory-based know the importance – and the hassle – of staying on top of their numbers. There are few things more irritating than losing a sale or (worse!) forgetting to sell what you have. It’s absolutely critical to know what you have and where it is at all times.
As it relates to your self-storage unit, this means updating your inventory counts every time you move something in or out of the unit. To make the job easier, look for storage facilities that also offer work stations or lounge areas with free WiFi so you can quickly sit down with your laptop or phone to make sure your records are accurate. It’s always tempting to put off reconciling for another time, but if you do it while you’re actually at the facility, it will likely be easier, quicker, and more accurate than if you put it off.
Protect your stuff
When it comes to self-storage advice for entrepreneurs or small business owners, we can’t overlook one of the most important tips of them all: protect your stuff. Whether it’s inventory, office supplies, electronics, and machinery: it’s yours and you worked hard to get it. Don’t settle for anything less than a reliable and reputable self-storage company.
You should also consider renting a clean and dry climate-controlled storage unit for anything that is delicate, electronic, or prone to breakage or damage. Keeping your items at a steady temperature that stays between 55 degrees and 80 degrees will go far in having them for future use.
Also be sure to keep your storage unit locked at all times, preferably with a disc lock or cylinder lock (available for purchase at most CubeSmart locations). Keep careful control of who has access to the key or lock code.
How to organize your business storage unit
This one might seem a little counterintuitive, but I am a firm believer that investing in quality products will save you more money in the long run. When it comes to self-storage, this means not only “investing” in only storing your items with a reputable, national brand, but also investing in the proper storage containers to keep your items clean and safeguarded.
In general, I recommend clear, stackable, latching containers so that you can easily view – and access – what’s stored. For clothes, bedding, and other items that need airflow, you should buy ‘breathable boxes’ rather than plastic bins. Try to find items that have slots for a label and keep pens, blank labels, or electronic label-makers in your storage unit so that you can change labels on the fly. You can also write on most plastic bins with a dry-erase marker (that can then be erased with a wet wipe or magic eraser). Self storage and entrepreneurship have always gone hand in hand. Just take a quick peek through our Humans of Self Storage customer stories and you’ll find an amazing array of small business owners and employees protecting what they’ve already got – and hustling hard to get to the next stage. If you’ve got any tips or advice on how entrepreneurs can use self storage to become more efficient, more productive, or just more at ease, let us know in the comments below or drop us a line on social media (@cubesmart). We can’t wait to hear your thoughts.
