Which businesses can benefit from self-storage?

Self-storage facilities can be used by anyone, because there are many different options for different situations. Whether you’re packing important files, office furniture, or tools, your chosen storage unit will have the correct storage for you.

Here are some business types that will benefit from using self-storage:

Creative industries: Afterall, a lot of these industries won’t have specific office spaces. Self-storage means you can keep your working life separate from your home.

In creative industries such as events, music, and entertainment, professionals often need to store a wide variety of inventory, including musical instruments, stage equipment, costumes, and props. Given the bulky and sometimes delicate nature of these items, finding somewhere to store these belongings can be crucial, especially since many of these industries operate without specific offices or spaces.

Contractors and Tradespeople: Contractors and tradespeople, such as electricians, plumbers, carpenters, and builders, often gather a wide variety of tools, supplies, and materials essential for their work. These items can include power tools, ladders, construction materials and more. However, storing these at their place of work or home can be impractical due to space constraints, security concerns, and the risk of damage.

Offices (Lawyers, Accountants): Office roles include things like lawyers and accountants, whose reasoning for storage may differ. For example, they may be looking to store important documents, or on the other hand, they might be looking to free up some space in their office. The takeaway is self-storage is a great solution to both of these.

Startups / Small businesses: The reason most small businesses will benefit from self-storage is because it’s flexible, convenient and generally cost effective. If you are starting up a business, or if you’re simply a small business rather than paying larger costs for warehousing your stock or for additional space, self-storage can be a cheaper alternative. Additionally self-storage units can always expand with your business. You could start small and as your business gets bigger you could get a larger storage space. 

Self-storage is always beneficial for businesses that are growing. But to help you understand exactly how storage can be beneficial for your business, we compiled a list.

How storage can benefit a business

There are a range of ways that self-storage can be beneficial for a business regardless of industry.

More space:

Self-storage units provide businesses with much needed additional space, which can significantly benefit their business operations in several ways. 

Did you know that in the UK we are slowly but surely running out of warehouse space. In fact, ‘warehousing use has almost doubled in the last decade’. This is likely due to the number of businesses now, as well as big powerhouses like Amazon needing a range of space. As a result, warehouse prices are rising, and for small businesses this is certainly a complication. 

However, this is where self-storage is so beneficial. Not only is it affordable, but it’s also helpful if there are any other things they wish to store away from their business, such as spare office chairs – they can do that without hassle, which will help them to free up more space in their office or business location that might otherwise be cluttered with excess inventory, supplies etc. 

Not to mention that having more space will help businesses to improve their organisation. They might use the space that was once cluttered as a more functional space, maybe you now have space to create some workstations, or meeting areas, or you simply have more space for customers. 

For companies that might function at home, it’s a great way to keep important work files away from your home for an added measure of security and professionalism. 

Scalability: 

Businesses are always changing and growing. As such, their inventory or overall size might increase or decrease – The beauty of self-storage units is that they are very scalable with your business. 

Self-storage facilities often provide a range of unit sizes and types, from small lockers to large warehouse-style units, accommodating different storage needs. This variety allows businesses to choose the most suitable option based on their current needs, whether it’s storing documents, bulky equipment, or sensitive inventory.

As such, they can easily adjust the amount of storage they need by renting larger or additional units as their business grows, or they might instead scale down during slower periods of the year. 

Peace of mind:

One of the benefits of businesses using storage is the added security. 

Self-storage facilities will often offer robust security measures to ensure peace of mind. These typically include 24/7 surveillance cameras, gated access which will all contribute to a safe environment. 

This secure storage infrastructure not only protects against theft and vandalism but also preserves the integrity and condition of stored materials, ensuring they remain in optimal condition. As a result, businesses can confidently use self-storage to store their company belongings.

Convenience:

Convenience is a key advantage of using self-storage. These facilities offer a range of features that make storing and accessing items straightforward. Firstly, the accessibility of self-storage units is a major convenience factor, with many facilities providing extended hours of access. This allows businesses to retrieve or store items according to their schedule, without being constrained by traditional office, or warehouse hours.

Cost efficiency: 

As mentioned previously, a storage unit can be a much more affordable solution as compared to renting the space of a warehouse. Naturally the size of your business might play a part in how impactful this is, but for small businesses specifically, being able to rent a safe space for storage at an affordable price can be a huge game changer. 

For small businesses, cost efficiency is crucial. And, it’s not like businesses luck out by choosing self-storage over a warehouse space, after all, storage comes with its own range of benefits from size flexibility to secure locations. 

Ultimately, using self-storage for your business comes with a large range of benefits, and as such you might be eager to do some more research.

Here are some things you will want to know before renting a storage unit.

What businesses need to know about renting self-storage. 

Now that you’ve thought about whether self-storage is right for your business, you’ll next need to consider whether it’s right for your business needs. 

Length of time

One of the first things businesses need to know before they rent storage, is how long they will need their storage space for. This might vary from business to business, but generally for self-storage there are short term and long term storage options. 

For example, short term storage is often used for moving houses, for businesses you might use this option if you have seasonal stock, they may need the extra space temporarily for times like Christmas where stock generally increases. 

Long term storage on the other hand, is usually anything more than 3 months long. 

Type of container 

Something to keep in mind when choosing your container is the different types of storage options that you might choose

Consider the following:

• How much stock / items do you need to store?
• What is your monthly budget?
• What sort of things am I storing?

You should speak with your chosen storage provider to understand what they do and don’t allow in their storage, as well as the different options available. 

Ultimately, the main thing to consider is how much room you will need in your storage, this is important for choosing the right size storage solution for your needs. For example, if you’re a construction company that only needs to store some tools you probably won’t need to hire a massive container, unless you know you intend to expand or grow, this is where planning a head can be beneficial in your decision.

Security & Accessibility

One of the main things you need to check for from your storage provider is their security. Regardless of whether you’re a business, or looking for storage for personal reasons, you want your belongings to be safe. 

• What security does your self-storage have in place?
• Are there gated entrances?
• Do they have 24 hour monitoring?

With this in mind, you should also ask how often you will need access to your belongings. This could be crucial for businesses as if you need to access stock at specific times, but your storage facility doesn’t allow access at these times, you may need to look for a more accessible solution. 

Final Thoughts

There are a range of things to consider when it comes to self-storage, regardless of whether you’re a small business looking to store stock, or a larger business looking to free up some room in the office – The main thing to consider is that while there are caveats to consider before making your decision, the number of benefits that come with self-storage makes it an absolute plus for anyone looking for more storage solutions!