Archive

Posts Tagged ‘self storage’

Local Businesses Save Money Thanks to Self Storage Facilities

October 31st, 2009 No comments

Small businesses can definitely benefit because of self storage facilities. But saving money is not the only benefit. It is also rather convenient as well. It saves space because you can store all or most of your inventory, etc, at the storage facility which means more available space at your home or office. Overall self storage facilities provide a generally cost effective way to store your belongings.

Why you should choose storage

Naturally, the main reason why any small business should choose storage is because of the savings involved. It simply makes good financial sense. Although you could rent an office space it is certainly a much more expensive option. A square meter of office space will cost you double that what it would at a storage facility.

It is not only the small business owner who can benefit from storage facilities. Even if you are a business that needs to be on different sites, such as a builder, a storage facility can safely and cost effectively store your supplies and/or equipment away from the site.

What Kinds of Businesses Benefit from Self Storage?

There are many types of businesses that benefit from self storage. Home based businesses that carry inventory or store records are one example. Those who are in direct sales with products that take up too much room to store at home, or who regularly make presentations at a nearby site, may benefit from a self storage unit. Home based businesses that must archive documents, like freelance paralegals and bookkeepers, can also save space and safely and securely store these documents offsite.

Contractors and landscapers can also benefit from self storage. A self storage until is a great place to store equipment if you don’t have room at home or the main office site. If you work out of a truck, a storage unit is a great place to store your equipment and meet potential clients in a secure location with parking available.

How to locate self storage facilities

The choice of which facility to use is not difficult at all, as there are many available from which to choose. A good place to begin is on the Internet. You will be able to determine if there are any units near to you and you will more than likely find a few. Also, check the websites of big businesses as they often provide information on storage facilities. And do not neglect to check if the storage facilities near you are running any specials or holding any promotions, as this can result in further savings for you.

Making sure that you secure the best deal

Because self storage businesses are highly competitive, they’re always looking for ways to attract new customers. To get the best deal, make sure you ask the representative about any deals or specials; don’t wait for them to offer this information. Many times the terms are negotiable, so be prepared with a counteroffer and make sure to let the sales representative know if you’ve found a better deal elsewhere. This will give you leverage to negotiate to get cheaper storage at your ideal site.

Another thing to remember is that some companies pay you for referrals. So, if you have associates with a similar type of business who could also benefit from self storage, it may pay to recommend the storage company you use. Looking online is another simple way to find deals, since many companies try to attract Internet shoppers with special online-only deals and discounts.

If you own a small or home-based business then self storage units are not only a cost effective solution for your storage needs, but a smart one as well. All you need to do is a bit of research to find the best and least expensive storage unit to suit your requirements.

About the author: Kurt Novak is a full time real estate investor, business man and owner of Westbelt Storage. Learn more at the Columbus Storage Blog.

Improving The Efficiency And Productivity Of Your Warehouse

October 10th, 2009 No comments

The warehouse is the most important part of the distribution system. The warehouse is the most important storage facility because this is where the products are brought, stored, packaged and then shipped out from to the various clients you distribute too. Keep your business running at its best, by carefully tracking your constantly changing inventory. You do not want to create a nightmare for yourself financially or in customer services, so it is important to cut down on the number of mistakes made in the management of your warehouse.

Using certain operating techniques, you can make your shipping and inventory operations and productivity increase in efficiency.

Make sure you do not let your routine become outdated and inefficient as the time goes by and your business grows larger. Do not let your business become stagnant; instead, be sure to look over your procedures and change them as needed. You do not want your warehouse to become delayed or behind schedule, thus the key focus is maintaining productivity. Verify that any possible problems that might result in a longer processing time are eliminated. By doing this you can decrease your costs, and increase your quality of service and capacity of your warehouse.

Employees must be trained to provide a specific level of productivity that delivers consistent, positive results and improves the quality of service.

Allowing some flexibility in your warehouse standards is a good idea because they can change as the demands of the business and the functions of the employees change. Allowing your standards to change as your demands change makes your business run more effectively, rather just adhering to standards that are written down on a piece of paper. You can get a lot of ideas for how to better your operation procedures in the future if you can encourage feedback from and between your workers.

Always assess the effectiveness of your warehouse by looking over productivity reports. The reports that are created can give you a general assessment of the productivity of your warehouse business operations.

About the Author: