Self Storage for Small Businesses: Who It Suits and When It Doesn't

Ask one question: do you need somewhere to keep things, or somewhere for people to work? A unit may work if you only need to store goods. Daily work usually needs business premises.

A retailer can keep boxed stock in a unit and collect it during short visits, but staff may not be allowed to pack orders there all day. A tradesperson can store tools between jobs without turning the unit into a repair workshop. An office can keep spare furniture and old records there, but its staff still need an office or another suitable place to work.

Before renting, list how often someone will visit and what they will do. Loading, collecting, counting and checking goods may be allowed. Production, repairs, customer service and long sessions may not be. If your plan depends on an activity being allowed, get a written answer in the agreement or description of the unit.

Your answer also affects the layout. Goods collected during short visits need clear labels and a route to the door. A workspace needs utilities and room for staff. Do not rent extra space and hope the rules will change. Choose the right premises before moving any work into the space.

Most business storage falls into four groups: stock and products, tools and equipment, records and office contents, and seasonal or event equipment.

Stock and products

Retailers and online sellers may store sealed stock, packaging, displays, returns and goods waiting for a busy season. Check that the unit suits the products, then arrange it so staff can label, count and rotate stock. Keep goods ready for sale apart from returns and damaged packaging, so staff know what can leave without another check. Our guide to managing inventory covers the full system.

Tools and equipment

Trades may store hand tools, power tools, cases, ladders, spare parts and job materials that the facility accepts. Because these items come and go often, check the access hours and make sure the route from the vehicle to the unit is practical. Give each tool a fixed place on a shelf and use a simple sign-out list, so no one loses time before a job. Our tools and equipment guide covers packing and layout.

Records and office contents

Businesses may store boxed records, spare desks, shelves, signs and equipment away from the office. Paper and electronics need suitable conditions during Bahrain's summer, with access limited to approved people. Label boxes by date or subject so staff can find one file without opening every carton.

Seasonal and event equipment

Displays, decorations, event furniture and seasonal stock can occupy working space for most of the year. A unit rented by the month can hold everything at the busiest point, then the business can downsize or leave when the season ends, depending on availability and the agreement. Keep each event kit together. A complete kit is easier to collect than signs, cables, covers and fittings kept in different corners. Our seasonal business guide explains the timing.

Many kinds of business use the same basic space in different ways:

• Online sellers keep stock and packaging outside the home, then collect them for orders. Our online seller guide covers the full process.
• Retail shops move bulk stock, spare displays and seasonal goods out of valuable shop space. Our retail stock guide covers keeping products ready for sale.
• Trades keep tools and equipment between jobs instead of leaving everything in a vehicle or at home.
• Event and hire businesses store displays, furniture, signs and equipment between bookings.
• Caterers may store equipment, serving items and event furniture that the facility accepts. Food and other restricted items need another kind of space.
• Professional services keep spare office furniture, supplies and suitable records.
• Businesses run from home move boxes and stock out of living rooms and bedrooms.
• Short-let hosts keep spare furniture, linen, guest supplies and personal belongings away from the property.
• Offices that are moving, refitting or shrinking use storage while they wait for firm dates, sort the furniture and finalise the new floor plan.

Every facility sets its own limits. Before renting, say what you will store, how often you will visit and what you will do there. Start with how the business works, not just its industry name. A clothing shop and an electronics shop may need different units.

An online seller collecting stock twice a week needs different access from an office retrieving records twice a year. Compare facilities using the actual goods, vehicles, staff and timing involved.

With a storage unit, a business pays for space used mainly for goods. Many agreements renew monthly, so the business may be able to move to a larger or smaller unit as stock changes. It can work well when growth is uncertain, during an office move, for a short project or through a busy sales period.

Larger premises offer more room and fewer limits on daily work, but may mean a longer commitment, a fit-out, utilities and unused space. Compare the full cost. For storage, include rent, tax, a lock, cover for the goods, transport and staff travel time. For larger premises, include rent, fit-out, utilities, maintenance and the full rental period.

Do not decide from the monthly price alone. Choose the space the business needs, and ask whether you can change units later. A smaller unit may cost less than paying now for future growth.

Storage moves business goods out of the home, making stock easier to count and giving the family its rooms back. A shop gets the same benefit when bulk cartons leave the sales floor and only the products needed that day stay near customers.

Changing units means moving every box, shelf and tool again. Leave room for some growth, but do not pay for a large empty space too early.

Need room for stock, tools or business equipment? See Wadaya's storage units and start with the things you need to move.

Do not assume that you can use a rented unit as ordinary business premises. Before you sign, ask whether you may:

• Let employees work inside for long periods each day.
• Pack or process customer orders inside the rented space.
• Use powered equipment during ordinary storage visits.
• Charge batteries for tools, vehicles or products inside the unit.
• Repair tools, machinery, equipment or vehicles on site.
• Receive customers or complete sales at the facility.
• Have couriers or suppliers deliver goods when nobody from the business is there.
• Use the unit address on registration documents or customer paperwork.

Short visits to load, sort or collect goods may be allowed even when daily work is not. Ask about each activity. A general answer about “business storage” does not explain what staff may do.

Ask about the address separately. A unit may receive goods without being suitable as a registered address or an address you give customers. Check what your business needs and what the agreement allows.

Deliveries need a clear answer too. A site may let a supplier's vehicle enter but refuse to accept, sign for or hold goods when you are absent. A visible socket does not mean you may charge batteries, run tools or work regularly.

A storage unit stops being a good fit when people, machinery or daily operations become the main use. Look for proper business premises if you need:

• A fitted workshop for regular production or repair work.
• A suitable kitchen or food-handling area for the business.
• A shop where customers regularly visit and buy.
• Desks and facilities for staff who work there throughout the day.
• A loading dock for frequent or unusually large deliveries.
• Reliable utilities for the business's normal daily work.
• More room than the available storage units can practically provide.

A warehouse or industrial unit can offer more working room and easier access for large loads. In return, the business may face a longer agreement, fit-out and utility costs, and rent for empty space in quiet months.

Do not force a storage unit to do a job it was not meant to do. The wrong space can waste staff time even when the rent looks attractive. Delivery problems, crowded paths, long packing sessions and waits for access show when a unit is too limited.

Get clear answers to five questions before you rent:

1. Do the access hours suit deliveries, collections and jobs?
2. Can the facility receive any goods for the business?
3. Will the facility accept every product or material you plan to store?
4. How do employees or movers get access, and how is that access removed?
5. Can the business move to a different unit size later?

Walk the route to the unit with your largest box, case or piece of equipment in mind. Our guide to choosing a business storage unit covers deliveries, vehicles, power, insurance for stock and access in more detail.