10 Survival Tips For Small Seasonal Businesses

Find out some handy tips to help you survive the ups and downs of operating small seasonal businesses.

Running a seasonal business is hard work. Just like any other business there are challenges, but with this particular type of business, there are specific challenges related to the fact that profits are high for a certain part of the year, and pretty much non-existent the rest of the year.

Of course, there are lots of ways to ensure that the off-season isn’t the end-season for your business, especially with low-cost storage for storing your main season items to help you branch out into products for different seasons. Still not convinced? Here are 10 reasons your events

1. Complete Flexibility

Seasonal businesses can sometimes sign up for long-term lets because they have the finances to keep operations going out of season. Often, they will make profit during the main selling season and then work on next year’s collections/ plans in the off season. Smaller enterprises, though, rely on being able to use flexible storage and office space because they don’t necessarily have the funds to maintain a bigger place. Affordable self storage is incredibly flexible and ensures that small businesses can use a unit one month, and end their contract the next (check out these great storage prices to see how affordable it can be). They can also easily move between different sized units as and when they need to. Cheap self-storage can often be the difference between a small business going under or not, so it’s a real lifeline for a small seasonal business, which can be extra vulnerable.

2. Make Business Connections

You can often make great business connections when you have a self storage unit. The facility itself is likely to be connected to various local services which you could use for a discounted rate. They may also be willing to advertise your services to their connections too. Businesses use self storage just as much as domestic customers, so when you sign up for a unit you’re signing up to become part of a commonly overlooked business hub.

3. Tools For Hire

Lots of self storage facilities have handy hire services to help you when you utilise the unit. This can include trolleys and other handy tools for getting things to and from your vehicle. They can also have additional services at a cost like pick up and drop off services and the ability for reception to take deliveries for you. It’s very handy to have these extra services in your back pocket.

4. A Hub For All Parties

Some seasonal businesses have multiple different employees, or even franchise members who may be part of the same company umbrella. It can be helpful to have a single hub for them all to use to store equipment, or somewhere they know they can come and collect equipment.

5. Affordability

Self storage facilities are incredibly affordable. They are designed to be cheaper than other storage options, so you can always expect a good price. This is invaluable to businesses which have different incomes at different times of year. As a small seasonal business you’re also likely to have a smaller budget for storage compared to a big business. A top tip, though, is to ensure that you shop around and choose a company that is offering a really good value service, rather than just the cheapest prices. This will ensure that you don’t end up getting a shoddy service for your money. When you can budget some things and save money and get a good deal, with something as important as a service that will be protecting your things, it is important that you instead try and get the best value for money. It is worth paying a little bit more for a self storage service that offers you better overall quality.

6. Big Orders

Some small seasonal businesses are able to make more money by ordering large amounts of stock out of season. This can be done with auctions or making connections in the industry. Sometimes it is stock that is bought at a cheaper price and then repackaged or changed and then sold on. If you’re in this kind of business, it can be helpful to have an affordable self storage unit to store sudden large orders you have made. This is rather than holding a warehouse for so many months of the year waiting for the one month you actually need it.

7. Fulfillment

If you are based online you will likely have a need for a large fulfilment space when you hit the main selling season running. Offsite storage units can often be used for this purpose, with additional services for seasonal businesses to help you get those orders out, including postal runs. It can also be very helpful to do fulfilment in your one unit, rather than at home or in multiple places where orders can get lost.

8. Fantastic Security

The kind of security you will get from an affordable self storage unit is second to none. They are in the business of protecting your items, and so, you can expect a range of security in place, such as:

CCTV
24/7 reception
Security guards
High walls/ fences
Gates with locks
Digital and manual locks
Multiple access points with locks
Security lighting

9. Long-Term Storage

It may be that you need to store your things for most of the year until business starts again. You may even have had to shut down your seasonal business completely off-season. Whatever your reasons for needing long-term storage, it’s a great idea to use a self storage unit for these needs. It is secure, often climate controlled, has pest-control in place and it is affordable ensuring that for a great price everything will be as you left it when it is time to get back to business again.

10. A Sense Of Community

There is a lovely sense of community at self storage facilities when there are regular people visiting, and working there. It can be lonely when you don’t work in an office so it is nice to have some degree of social exchange when you visit your unit everyday. It isn’t a main reason to get a storage unit for your small seasonal business, but it is an added bonus.

Why not speak to your local self storage unit today to find out how they can help you benefit from their services? It could be exactly what your small seasonal business needs to be more organised, to grow and hopefully thrive in the coming months and years.

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