How to Effectively Use Self-Storage for Your Business

We tend to think of self-storage as being the domain of the homeowner, exclusively designed for folks who are moving across the country or who have more holiday decorations than will fit in their garage. However, self-storage units can be a powerful tool for owners of both small and large businesses, too.

Imagine this: you’re the owner of a small, local restaurant in Paterson, NJ. You have an outdoor patio that draws a lot of traffic in the warmer months, but the storage room at the back of the building is barely large enough to hold your produce and in-house cooking supplies. It doesn’t make any sense to get rid of the patio furniture when cold weather rolls around, and it’ll be ruined if left outside all winter long. So what do you do?

You’ve guessed it: self-storage neatly solves this problem. With flexible contract lengths and year-round access, businessowners all over the country routinely use self-storage as an integral part of their business operations. Their documents and inventory are safe, and the business is free to flourish without the restraints presented by lack of floorspace.

Could Your Business Benefit from Self-Storage?

If you’re a brand-new small business, or if your business has excess stock or inventory that won’t comfortably fit in your existing space, then self-storage might very well be the solution you’ve been looking for. 

Here’s what a secure self-storage unit can unlock for you:

• Easily keep track of your inventory – When each and every delivery is important, there’s no room for error. Instead of frantically searching through your make-do storage system, keep everything orderly and together in a secure self-storage unit.
• More space for the day-to-day – Clearing out the items you only use occasionally frees up space to make the most of your daily operations. Quit holding off on that piece of equipment that would streamline the way you work; with a storage unit, you’ll have plenty of space for it.
• Avoid long-term contracts – Your business is flexible. It’s set up to grow or shrink as necessary. Avoid getting locked into a long-term contract just because you require extra floorspace. A self-storage unit has a single, pre-set monthly price, so you only pay for what you need, when you need it.
• Take advantage of bulk ordering – It’s well-known that ordering in bulk is a great way to reduce your costs and put more money back in your pocket for the business. But how do you justify ordering a year’s worth of inventory, no matter how much it saves, when you have nowhere to put it? You can customize the size of your secure self-storage unit to be exactly as large or as small as you require. If you discover you need more space, making the change is as easy as making a phone call.

Why Self-Storage is a Smart Choice

When you don’t have the space you need, it’s hard for your business to grow. A self-storage unit doesn’t just give you extra storage space whenever you need it – it also protects your property and your future investments. Climate-controlled units provide the precise conditions you need to store documents or inventory, and electronic security makes sure that the only people who have access to your unit are those that you pre-approve.

How to Set Up Your Secure Storage Unit

There’s more to using a storage unit than just dumping your items inside. Remember, this is an extension of your business – you want it to be safe for any employees who access it, and you want your inventory to be stored properly and clearly labelled. 

• Store heavy items underneath lighter ones. This solves several problems at once: your boxes will be less likely to tip off or crush the boxes below them, and it’ll be easier to retrieve items when you need them.
• Leave clear walkways in your unit. You don’t want to have to crawl over boxes to get what you need, so as you put things into your self-storage space, do so with a plan in mind. Are there items you access frequently? Put those towards the entrance. Are there long-term storage items that you only need to get out once a year? Put those toward the back, but leave plenty of space to get them back out when you need them!
• Label each and every box. Will it seem like overkill at the time? Absolutely. Will you and your employees be grateful when you’re walking around the unit, faced with stacks of boxes that could contain anything? Again, absolutely. Your box should be labeled on all sides, so that no matter where it is, it’ll be easy to tell what’s inside. For extra ease-of-access points, keep an updated “floor map” of where everything is in your unit.

For more information on All-Stor’s custom-size, secure self-storage units in Paterson, NJ, give us a call at (973) 345-0080. You can also send us a message online.