Running a business from home isn’t tough, but it’s not easy either. Thanks to a wave of new technology, you can reach out to clients from across the world. It doesn’t matter where they’re from, you have the ability to do business with someone on the other side of the globe if you also possess the willpower. But most small business owners like to start off local and those that wish to start a micro-business don’t have any other choice.
If you are in either boat, self-storage is something you will become familiar with very quickly. An ecommerce business or perhaps a rising retail brand must be ready for an increase in sales at any moment. But if you’re working from home and you’re by yourself, keeping your products on the property makes more sense than hiring a storage warehouse.
Choose a Space
Storing your products is easy, but finding the right kind of spot isn’t. You need a space that doesn’t get used a lot, so it won’t interfere or inhibit your family’s lifestyle. You also need a place that isn’t prone to damage such as from natural disasters like floods. Yet, you also need space that is relatively large. The garage is a go-to area that many micro-business owners decide to use to store their products. However, this shouldn’t be the only place you use, your loft, pantry, and basement are also spots where you can safely store a lot of inventory. In fact, you can utilize these spaces for different products, such as the garage for larger products, the pantry, and loft for smaller less heavy things and the basement for long-term storage.
The Required Protection
You never know how long your inventory will last you, you may need to be able to clear the products for many months. This means they will be at the brunt of seasonal shifts and weather deviations. Hence why you need to wrap them in blocks, using shrink wrap. Wrapping them in batches will keep your items organized. However, using one large industrial tarp to shroud the inventory is the most cost-effective solution. To prevent wind and flood damage to your home, support your fence and make it stronger. You’re not hoarding precious cargo so if there’s ever any damage to your property you need to contact an emergency fence repair service. They have a 24-hour emergency service so if you’re hit by a strong wind or flash flood in the night, you can quickly have your defenses repaired.
Tracking and Marking
As your products are sold, your inventory will become a little disorganized at times. You may need to replace a product that has been damaged and you might have to rip open another batch. It’s important you track the number of sales and keep a sheet of paper, marking the batches in terms of how many of each product is present. This information needs to be logged in your sales and inventory management software to show you when you need to replenish stock.
Self-storage is a very cost-effective solution for anyone that runs their business from home. However, you’re ultimately responsible for potentially thousands of dollar’s worth of inventory so these solutions are vital.
