Maximising space for home business

Today’s guest post by Big Yellow Self Storage explains how home workers can make use of storage facilities for more efficient working and to help expand their business:

Anyone who’s worked from home knows that space comes at a premium. If you’re turning over stock or merchandise (if you’re an eBay seller or a small online retailer for example), it can seem like a good idea to use up any household storage space first – an attic, a garage or a hall cupboard, say.

The problems come when you need to scale up, or if you need an environment that’s not potentially damp, hard to access, or vying for space with a vacuum cleaner. For those of us that aren’t burdened with stock, there are the acres of paperwork, perhaps tools and other equipment to look after, and the challenge of how to carve out an office space when there’s just so much stuff around.

Many businesses that start in the home are now making the transition to using storage space as a flexible solution. Take Martin Shaw, who owns a specialist book storage company: “I started working from home and using my garage, but when we got bigger I needed to use storage space.”

Martin was surprised at the flexibility self storage afforded him: “I don’t have to just come here to pick books or store things; I can actually spend the day at the storage facility. You can really run it as a proper business.”

Using a self storage room as a distribution hub is only one way you can harness storage as a home worker. In July 2011, the Self Storage Association, reported a 5 per cent annual shift away from domestic customers towards business customers. Business self storage is becoming a solution for a new generation of smaller entrepreneurs, attracted by flexibility, affordable rents and the convenience of a no-ties agreement. 

One of the biggest benefits is there are no business rates to pay (this can be a hurdle for small businesses that don’t have as much cash up front), and electricity is included in the overall room rental cost. Security, too, is folded in – and housing your expensive equipment at a storage facility may also help lower your insurance premiums because the facilities are seen as so secure.

Read more by Big Yellow on expanding into self storage