Things are looking up for startups. Bloomberg’s US Startups Barometer– which tracks the health of the business environment – is more than 100 percent up on the early part of 2017. Yet, while the picture might be rosy, there’s also plenty for new businesses to weigh up as they take their first steps out into the market.
Focusing on perfecting your product or smoothing out your service is only natural but there are some really important back-office measures that you must consider if you’re to make those all-important first weeks and months count.
Storage is one of those. Neglect this and you could be left with a logistical nightmare that holds your business back. It might not seem exciting, but it is necessary. Here’s why:
Stock control helps you meet demand
It’s difficult to know how much stock you’re going to need in those early days. However, having nowhere to store your items puts a glass ceiling on your ambitions. It’d be a shame to make a success of your business and then be forced to turn orders down because you didn’t have the stock required to service the demand in the market. Having a place to store this stock – be that a facility at your premises or home or a space in a storage unit – allows you to buy in bulk (which is more cost effective) and stay ahead of customer demand. It also allows you to plan ahead for seasonal peaks in sales.
Future proofing
Speaking of which, having storage space allows you to plan ahead for the future. You might have plans to expand to a larger office in the future or want to wait to launch a new product line. You can use your storage space to keep office equipment to one side so that you’re ready to expand when the time comes and don’t have to wait for the delivery of tables, chairs etc as well as keeping your stock to one side for when it’s needed.
Keep your stock safe
Whether it’s stock to be sold to customers or office equipment, new businesses can ill afford to lose any items. Paying to replace stolen goods will eat into your profits and could put a huge dent in your finances. If your budget doesn’t stretch to guards, CCTV, and pin code-controlled access, then renting a storage unit will give you the chance to tap into this in a cost-effective way. Regardless, it pays to have your stock stored away from sight so that you don’t become an easy target for criminals.
Keeping the clutter away from the clients and customers
Finally, there’s an image factor here too. If you’re entertaining visitors to your business, do you really want them to see a cluttered, messy office? It’s probably not the look you want to go for and might cramp your style when it comes to agreeing to new deals. Keep all of that off-site and you’ll be able to look neat, tidy and professional to visitors.