Most businesses, even those that primarily operate through a digital presence, will require a certain amount of storage space. Whether that’s for office supplies or ongoing stock storage, working out what will be the right solution for you will require a certain amount of planning and research. Here, we take a look at where you should start, covering the three main options - storage services, warehouses, and onsite storage solutions.
What are your storage needs?
For pretty much all businesses, the starting point when trying to identify an appropriate storage solution will be to assess your storage needs. For example, a cafe that needs to store some garden chairs during the winter will have very different storage needs compared to a business that needs to store thousands of items of stock throughout the entire year.
Assessing your storage needs should include looking at your existing needs, but it also needs to include an attempt to predict your future requirements. If you’re expecting significant expansion in the months and years to come, you’ll need to factor that into the storage solution that you adopt.
Storage services
If your storage needs are temporary, or if you don’t need a lot of items stored, then it’s worth looking into storage solutions such as Kiwi Storage. These self-service services allow you to choose how much space you rent, and access the items whenever you need. If you’re looking to store items such as documents, or office supplies while you carry out renovations, then these kinds of solutions can be cost-effective and convenient.
Warehouses
For businesses with more extensive storage requirements, for example if you run an e-commerce business and need to store all your stock, then it could be worth investing in a warehouse. These kinds of storage solutions will often need to be integrated into your logistics process, and require a substantial amount of planning and investment.
Adding storage space to your premises
For businesses that have limited storage needs, but expect those needs to continue into the long term, then adding some storage space to your brick and mortar premises might be the best solution. This could be a shed that you build in a garden area, or partitioning off part of an existing room to create a more stable storage environment. Again, you’ll need to factor in the costs and convenience of these kinds of solutions to see if they are the best option for you.
Ongoing optimization
It’s important that you regularly check on whether the solution you’re currently using is still the best for you. Multiple factors will likely change as time goes by, from steadily increasing storage needs to changing costs of various different storage solutions.
Starting to get to the bottom of storage solutions can feel like a bit of a logistical nightmare, but it really doesn’t have to. It doesn’t take long to double-check whether there’s a better solution than the one you’re currently using, and it can end up saving you a lot of bother in the long run.
