Starting any new venture is exciting, and it’s easy to get carried away with the romance of it, neglecting the nitty gritty.
Storage falls into that category, since it’s much more exciting to take the long view and see the end of the journey than plan the small details of how you’ll get there.
These tips provide a starting point on considering storage needs for both home sellers or business startups.
Estimate Your Needs
For business startups, think twice before renting office space if you can make use of your home for desk-bound tasks.
Try to earmark an area of the house that’s primarily for business, such as cordoning off part of the living room for a desk. One way to do it is by turning bookcases or tall shelving units so they’re perpendicular to the wall for both privacy and storage of docs or reference books.
Consider your IT needs and don’t make the mistake of buying new equipment if your existing computer, printer, phone and Internet connection is up to the job. Maybe all you need is an external hard drive for the storage and back up of business documents and records.
For home sellers – those lucky ones moving to some great new place like house & land packages in Geelong provide, consider how you’ll show the house to it’s best advantage, and whether packing away a few personal items will help create a sense of space.
Think about staging in each room. If an upstairs room, for instance, is currently set up as an office, it may be worth putting the office furniture into self storage and turning it back into a bedroom you can show off to buyers.
Business Startups – Consider Access
If you’re operating a business from home, then stock storage at home often sounds like a good plan. When your business is very young with only modest storage needs this can work in your favour as it helps keep overheads down.
Even so, consider the type of stock you’re storing and make sure you take the following into consideration:
- Access for lorries and delivery vans – can they pull up at the kerb without blocking the road, or do you have neighbours’ parked vehicles or narrow roads to navigate?
- Steps and Stairs – large boxes or heavy items become difficult to manoeuvre up steps and stairs, so for some items loft storage may not be feasible. Even with small items, if loft access is tricky it can prove hazardous.
- Doorways – are your doors wide enough to allow easy access?
If your home makes you deal with any of the above, you’d be better off looking into alternative remote storage from the start. As an added bonus, some storage facilities offer extras, such as photocopying or courier services. Mail order businesses could find those very useful.
Home Sellers – Manage Your Time
Selling a house is a lengthy business, and half the stress involved is caused by uncertainty over a long period coupled with logistical difficulties in organising the actual move.
Consider how storage can help save time if you start packing early in the process. The benefits are three-fold:
- You clear space and your home is easier to keep clean for viewings.
- Buyers like to see large, airy rooms with a feeling of space and plenty of storage. When your cupboards hold only what you need and your surfaces are clear of clutter, it creates a good impression.
- A large proportion of your packing is already done when moving day comes, making it quicker and easier to deal with the rest.
Selling a home and starting a business might not have much in common at first glance. But when you take into consideration the organisation that goes into each activity, it’s soon clear that organisation that works for one also works for the other. Get storage right and make it work for you, and your exciting journey will have fewer roadblocks along the way.
Cover photo credit: andrew j. cosgriff / Flickr
