There’s a lot that goes into running a successful business. But no matter what your niche, one thing is true of pretty much every business: you’re going to have a lot of stuff. From office equipment and raw materials to the inventory you sell to customers, it can be surprising just how quickly items related to your business can pile up.
Though it may not be the first thing you think of when running a business, using a storage unit can go a long way in helping improve your operations — whether you’re just starting out or business is booming.
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Todd Allen, managing principal at Midgard Self Storage, about how using a storage unit can help businesses in a wide variety of industries.
1. Store Excess Inventory
For many brick and mortar businesses, it can be hard to balance just how much inventory to keep on-hand in-store. Order too much, and your building can become intensely cluttered. Order too little inventory, and you run the risk of running out of stock quickly.
“Renting a storage unit makes inventory management easier because you’ll have a single functional inventory space,” Allen explains. “When you have a storage unit that is exclusively dedicated to inventory, you can easily assess when you need to restock, while also keeping extra items out of the way of your staff. With proper organization, you can even get a better idea of which items are the most popular so you can plan future restocks accordingly.”
2. Protect Essential Equipment and Supplies
Ninety-one percent of workers feel they would be more efficient with a better organized workspace. While many rely on a wide variety of equipment and supplies to get their job done, there is no denying that some items go for an extended period between use. If you don’t have a storage unit, such items will simply add to the clutter in the office.
As Allen explains, “Maybe you need space for extra packaging materials and office supplies. Maybe your catering business only needs extra-large pots and pans for a few events throughout the year. Whatever the situation, using a storage unit for essential equipment that you don’t need to use as often will help you stay organized and work more effectively on a day-to-day basis. Keep the everyday items at your workplace, and store the less-used items in a secure, climate-controlled storage unit to streamline your workflow and make it easier to find what you need for any given task.”
3. Safeguard Business Documents
Even in an era when businesses are increasingly going digital, many have a variety of paper-based documents that need to be protected and stored. Documents such as employee records, business contracts and financial statements must be kept safe and properly organized.
Keeping these items in a storage unit can help ensure they aren’t misplaced — which can be especially important considering 25% of poorly filed documents are never located. By using a climate-controlled storage unit as a secure central location for important business documents, your team will always know where to access essential information when it is needed.
4. Store Seasonal Items
“When most people think of storing seasonal items, they think of storing their Christmas decorations or boating equipment,” Allen says. “But many businesses also have seasonal items that they only need at select times of year. From office decorations to a landscaping company that offers snow blowing services in the winter, there’s a lot of stuff that will likely go most of the year without getting used. You don’t want it taking up space during the times you don’t need it.”
Depending on your business’s storage needs, using a storage unit will provide a space to switch items in or out based on the season. This way, you won’t have seasonal items taking up valuable on-site storage space for months at a time. You will have additional space at your place of business for the equipment and supplies you need during the current season.
5. A Flexible Storage Solution
With all of these potential uses in mind, one of the biggest advantages of a storage unit is the flexibility it offers. This can prove far more cost-effective than other storage solutions like a warehouse rental, which often have much stricter and lengthier contracts. Most storage units offer month-to-month contracts, giving you much-needed flexibility in how you use them.
“Storage unit rentals are inherently designed to be flexible based on your needs,” Allen explains. “You’re not locked into a long-term contract. If you only need a storage unit for five months out of the year, that’s fine. If you need to switch to a larger or smaller unit, that can be done with minimal hassle. This allows you to adapt your storage solution to your specific situation, while also keeping your budget in check.”
Maximize Your Space
While the specifics of how you use a storage unit may vary, one thing is clear: a storage unit can offer a versatile, secure storage solution to help reduce workspace clutter and keep your office organized. With a flexible solution that can easily be adapted to your specific needs, you’ll be able to improve your productivity and efficiency with a reliable storage solution.