Starting your own e-commerce business from scratch can be a rewarding experience. Many successful companies started trading from home, keeping their stock in their garage, loft space, or spare bedroom to save on costs in the early days. As you gain a modicum of success as a trader, that approach is no longer feasible. You get more customers, bigger orders, and greater demand for new products, yet your house remains the same size.
What are you to do? Buying your own dedicated office and storage facility is a major investment and too big a gamble for many growing businesses. Fortunately, there is a way you can grow your e-commerce business in a safe and sustainable manner.
In this article, we explain the benefits of renting a commercial storage unit and the reasons it could be the best thing to happen to your business.
Space to grow your business
The biggest advantage of transferring your home business to a commercial storage unit is that you have plenty of space to work in. While a domestic property is a great way to start your enterprise, you soon find yourself running out of room, which can lead to your growth stagnating. With storage units of up to 1500 sq ft available, you can take a chance on larger products that take up more space but offer a bigger profit.
Room to live your life
Another key benefit of moving into a commercial storage unit is that you create a clear separation between work and home life. With all that stock out of your spare room or garage, you’re giving you and your family some much-needed space. Work-life balance is essential to your mental well-being and, when you run a company from your home, it can be too easy to let your job overtake your family life.
A professional look
If you want to be taken seriously as an e-commerce business, it helps to have a commercial address that is independent of your home address. Most storage facilities include a reception area for accepting mail, allowing you to have bills, invoices, remittances, and other correspondence sent there. More importantly, if you’re trading goods, deliveries can be shipped direct to the storage facility and accepted on your behalf if you’re not present.
Safe and secure
If you keep your stock at home, the odds are good that someone will have noticed. Regular deliveries, unloaded into your garage, can raise eyebrows among your neighbours, passers-by, and any local criminals. This makes your home a prime target for burglary, as would-be thieves take an interest in your property in the hope of an easy score. With a commercial storage unit, you benefit from round-the-clock security measures, including alarmed and secure premises & 24/7 CCTV surveillance.
If you think you’re ready to take your Crewe-based e-commerce business to the next level, speak to the Weston Centre Business Hub. We have several commercial storage units available for immediate rent, including a 1500 sq ft space that will satisfy all your requirements and leave ample room for further growth. Call today on 01270 250 022, or send an email to hello@westoncentre.co.uk for our latest availability or to arrange a viewing.