A company needs to have an expansion plan from day one. That’s the only way to be and stay competitive in a crowded market. Many business owners start preparing for the expansion right away, but even so, things tend to get overlooked when a company grows quickly.
One of the features your business will need as it expands and that many forget to prepare for is storage space. It’s essential for retail businesses, but all other companies also need a lot of storage space and not having enough of it gets noticed right away.
1. Basements
Most commercial buildings have basements that can be used as storage facilities. The first thing to do is to make sure you can use it if you’re only renting an office and basement wasn’t something you planned to use. Next you want to check is the basement safe in terms of health risks, and moisture, depending on what you’re planning to store in it.
Before you start using your basement in this way, make sure you’ve adapted it for its new purpose. Sometimes all you need is to do a good paint job and add proper lighting.
2. Shelving
Every room could have additional storage space if you consider how much vertical space is being underused. Walls usually aren’t used for shelving as much as they could be because there are safety concerns. However if you use the right shelves and if you store your goods properly, it’s fine to stock the room up to the ceiling.
It’s imperative that your employees are trained for storing goods in a safe and organized way. This way you’ll be sure they are safe and they waste as little time as possible.
3. Creative furniture
Small office spaces may not have any storage space at all and that’s where you should consider turning to creative furniture options. This furniture is used as storage in itself without losing any of its functionality or style.
It’s best to prepare in advance and have more storage options than you need at the moment. A lot of different pieces of furniture could be used for this purpose, but chairs and tables are the most common since the seating and the table legs could be used to hide items.
4. Outside storage
Depending on your circumstances, it might be possible to store some of your goods outside your main property. That’s only possible if the weather conditions are suitable and you have the proper safety precautions. It’s also useful to hire professionals, like the people from Best Sheds to handle the construction process.
Using sheds such as these provides you with a lot of versatility since you can expand them when your business needs more storage. Installing one is rather simple and it won’t stop your day to day operations which can also be vital for a retail company.
5. Reduce paperwork
When you notice you’re lacking in storage space, you shouldn’t go rushing to adding more of it. It’s better to firstly, figure out how much of your storage space is wasted on paperwork and administrative work. It’s possible to reduce this waste by going paperless.
There are other benefits of this approach as well. For instance, it’s less damaging to the environment and it gives you more control over your archives and internal company paperwork. Have in mind, that even though this is a solution for the storage problem, it requires investment and preparation for the new system to be put in place.
Conclusion
Having enough storage space is imperative for all small businesses but especially for those who work in retail. It’s especially important for those who want to expand their company and need storage space to accommodate the change the business is going through.
It’s possible to use the storage you already have by expanding to a basement or by using vertical space more efficiently. Those who have outdoor space available could install a shed as their additional storage. It’s also useful to limit the amount of space you actually need, by reducing your paperwork and archive related task.