Many individuals, families, and businesses have been hit hard by COVID-19, social distancing, and lockdown. Although it may feel like the wrong time to consider storage for your business, there are many ways that renting a storage room could give your business the boost it needs as we edge out of lockdown.
What is Business Storage?
When renting a storage unit, you start with a blank canvas. At Stop and Store in Fareham, our units range in size from 12 to 200 square feet, so you can choose the right sized unit for your business. All units are clean, dry, and secure, and are waiting for you to use them to their full potential. Whether you simply want to store some unused office furniture, or plan to run your entire business out of the unit, the right storage unit could be the boost you need to either get your business off the ground or back on track.
New Businesses
During lockdown, many people have been furloughed, and may have found themselves with more time on their hands than usual. Although you may have had a business pipedream for years, lockdown may have finally given you the time and enthusiasm to turn your dreams into a reality. You may have opened an online craft store, started taking art commissions or made a decision to go freelance.
But after several months working from home, you may already find yourself craving somewhere different to work. Working from home may have lost its appeal and going ‘out to work’ can be good for your mental health. Luckily, it is possible to work or run a business from within a storage unit. If working from home has left you feeling like you are always at work, then going out to work in your unit could be the solution. When you’ve finished working, you’ll be able to relax at home away from your work environment.
Although you could use your unit purely for storage of stock, or surplus materials, many people make storage units into delightful offices. If you choose to equip your unit with a desk, printer, sewing machine or easel, you could spend an entire day working away from home. The addition of pictures, an armchair or a coffee machine can give you the private office of your dreams. Even better, you won’t have to sacrifice your spare room to achieve it.
If you tend to work irregular hours, be sure to search for storage facilities that offer secure access 24/7, or at least extended opening hours. Budget storage makes working away from home an affordable choice, even for fledgling businesses.
Established Businesses
On returning to the workplace after lockdown, you may still have some staff on furlough or have multiple co-workers working from home each day. To adhere to social distancing regulations, you may also need to space desks further apart to prevent staff from working too close to each other.
Storing excess furniture, and IT equipment to adhere to government guidelines may pose a problem for businesses with limited storage space. Excess furniture in one corner of the office can make it feel cluttered. A messy workplace is not conducive to productivity. By moving equipment that is no longer required, the office will feel more spacious and inviting for staff who may already feel apprehensive about returning to the workplace.
Many businesses have seen that working from home can be an effective and productive way of working. In the coming months, it is likely that some businesses will be looking to downsize their premises to accommodate fewer staff on site each day. As business rates can be high, moving to a smaller office can lead to huge savings on rent. Money can also be saved on heating, electric, and water bills by renting a smaller office or having fewer employees on site.
If you choose to downsize, you may be forced to deal with any clutter that has accumulated. Having a good clear-out can be therapeutic and can also clear valuable space. Whilst some items can be thrown away, some documentation must be kept by law. An archive of important documentation can be placed in storage away from the office. This keeps the documents safe and still allows you to access them as required.
And it’s not just office workers who can benefit financially from storage. Tradesmen can downsize their van for a smaller, cheaper model, by storing less frequently used tools and machinery in a self storage unit. Renting a storage unit near to your area of work means that you can still collect any items you require for a particular job when necessary. Your fuel costs may also be reduced by not carrying excess weight within the van.
Stop and Store
At Stop and Store, we take health and safety seriously. Although it’s natural to be cautious after lockdown, our storage facility lends itself perfectly to personal and business storage as we emerge from lockdown.
All of the information about our self storage units are available online. Units can be reserved on our website, or by calling us. Our staff are also available to give help and advice over the phone to ensure you select the right sized storage unit for you.
We welcome visits from prospective customers as our security system works perfectly with social distancing. If you wish to view a storage unit, you can book an appointment and will be given a temporary access code to enter the facility. A member of staff will be available to guide you around the facility remotely, meaning that you do not need to meet anyone face to face.
The two metre social distancing guidelines apply within Stop and Store, and clients will need to be respectful of allowing each other sufficient space. In our quiet facility, however, instances of high numbers of people on-site are unlikely.
Our Location
From our location at the Fareham Shopping Centre, we offer both business and personal storage at affordable prices. Serving Whiteley, Lee-on-the-Solent, and the surrounding towns, find out more about how budget storage could help your business following COVID-19.