A business that’s steadily growing is every entrepreneur’s dream. It’s an exciting time, when all the hard work starts paying off and you can finally see tangible results.

But it can be a bit of a double-edged sword. Success brings with it a whole new set of problems as well as satisfaction and fulfilment. One of those problems can revolve around storage, not just for physical items but for the digital side of business too.

Inventory Organising

Having a great place to store business items or stock is only the beginning. How you arrange things can also have an impact on time management and profitability as the business grows.

• Allocate space  on the shelf or rail so you know exactly what should be in that space. Label it so you don’t inadvertently put something else there. Figure out a system that works for your stock type and stick with it.
• If you need to store small items in boxes, label the boxes. Using transparent boxes means you can see the contents as well as read the labels for a quick visual stock take.
• Talking about stocktaking, do a proper one regularly. Count every physical item and check it off your stock list. Few people enjoy stocktaking but it’s the best way to keep track of losses and monitor sales levels on individual items.
• Keep your fastest sellers closest to hand, and keep close tabs on stock levels. If you need to package and post these items, prepare the parcels ahead of sales. That way, all you need do is label them up for the customer and send them on their way.

Physical Space

A popular business model is online selling. You may reach customers online, but your product is a physical one and you need space to store it. As the business grows, home storage becomes untenable if you still want to have a comfortable living environment.

Options other than home storage include:

• Warehouses – not great unless you’re at the stage where you need a huge amount of space. You could partner up with another business owner to share space, but that brings its own logistical problems through shared liability and responsibility. Plus, you’ll have bigger overheads in the form of VAT, business rates and utilities.
• Self Storage Rooms – definitely worth a look. You can get a room to suit your stock storage needs, change your room size on short notice if you need more, and have people on hand who’ll help by receiving deliveries if you can’t be there yourself. Plus, you can install your own freestanding shelving, hanging rails or whatever else you need to hold items.
• Flexible Office Space – unlike a traditional office lease, a flexible office won’t tie you into a long contract. Availability around the country of these new-style professional premises is growing all the time. They offer comfortable, private, and secure office space with the added advantage of nearby self storage for business items or stock.

Non-physical Storage

Your digital materials need as much care as your physical working and storage spaces. Customer lists, email lists, financial records, spreadsheets and even logins and passwords all need safe storage.

Everyone knows how important it is to back up digital files and information, and most business owners are aware of the need for security. With so many cloud storage providers, it’s tempting to think that’s all you need, but it’s still a good idea to keep your own backups too.

An external hard drive will give enough space to back up all the files on your computer. Update this regularly. Daily is good but schedule a backup at least weekly. The best practice advice says to keep important backups away from your office. Self storage can help in this too, with large lockers available when you don’t need a whole room.

Having backups of all your important information makes computer crashes less of a disaster and more of an inconvenience.

Of course, you’re the only one who knows exactly what type of storage your business needs, but it’s good to know there are various options out there that won’t cut too deeply into your hard-won profits.