There’s nothing more exciting than setting up your own small business; you get to explore your creativity, steer the business to success and above all, be your own boss. But equally there can be nothing more stressful. If your start-up deals with a physical product it can be a nightmare to find somewhere to store all of your required equipment, let alone stock and packing supplies. Dare we mention keeping the paperwork in order…
That’s where a start-up storage unit comes in.
Free up your home
As a start-up it’s likely your home has become your new workplace recently, and despite the distinct lack of commute, it isn’t always the best solution. Especially post COVID-19, it’s become clear to us all just how valuable space in our homes is. Sacrificing a large chunk to your start-up is a big cost to pay for being brave enough to go it alone, and the fact is that it just isn’t necessary these days. The beauty of using a storage unit for your start-up is that you can get all of your stock, equipment, packaging and general excess stuff out of the way when it’s not needed and reclaim your home for yourself, all at a fraction of the price of compared to a traditional office or production space. Giving your business essentials a permanent and sole purpose home also means it’s easier to keep everything organised, which cuts down wasted riffling time, making you and your business more time efficient.
Cost effective and Flexible
Costs are tight in the early stages of a start-up, and as we just mentioned, this puts a big tick against storage units. With a traditional rental space, you are bound by a long-term contract, paying hundreds for a space that could end up being too big or worse, too small, for your needs. Renting a business storage unit allows you to choose a short-term rental in a size and shape that fits your start-up in the now, and if your needs change then you are able to upgrade or downsize accordingly. Being flexible like this will save you money and give your new business a leg-up, with extra funds to invest in product design, marketing, or whatever you see fit!
Safe and dry
It is of course essential that your business items stay clean, dry and above all safe. Keeping it all at home could pose a great risk to your livelihood, with the risk of burglary, fire or flood meaning all your essentials would be lost in the blink of an eye. It is also crucial to keep your business paperwork safe, particularly any customer details, bank information or legal documents. That’s why we recommend keeping all non-essential bits and important paperwork elsewhere when they’re not in use, spreading the risk and ensuring all is not lost in case of disaster. This makes storage units a brilliant option as here at Go Store, our storage units are clean, dry and incredibly secure, housed in our fenced compound with 24-hour CCTV security surveillance, electric gate access and monitored burglar alarms.
How can we help?
So, in response to the question “Should my start-up use a storage unit?”, the answer is you’d be mad not to. Here at Go Store we offer storage units for both short and long-term periods and are completely flexible to your needs. Housed in our fenced compound, you can be sure your stock and livelihood will be safe with our 24-hour CCTV security surveillance keeping watch, and don’t forget our monitored burglar alarms and strict electric gate access. Visit our website to check out our business storage unit options, or give us a call on 01904 215 990 to discuss your small business storage unit needs with a member of our friendly team today.
Clutter: ‘a lot of things in an untidy state, especially things that are not necessary or are not being used; a lack of order’ – Oxford Learner Dictionary 2021
Even the most minimalist among us know that sometimes clutter can build up. Recent examples could include that thing you got for Christmas that wasn’t quite to your liking, or that ornament that looked good online but when it arrived it looked nothing like it did on the website. There comes a time when we begin to realise that we are surrounded by things that we don’t need, want, or indeed actually like. If you’re at that stage, you’re in the right place; here are our top 3 signs you need to declutter, and how to start organising.
Getting the drawers closed is a daily battle.
A classic. This is when the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ ethos goes too far and suddenly the magic drawer of miscellaneous things (we all have one!) just says no. You may try pulling it out, hoping there’s something stuck down the back that’s stopping it from closing, but alas, it’s just too full. Unfortunately, that means it’s time to pull everything out the drawer and sort it out.
When this is just happening with the miscellaneous drawer, it doesn’t necessarily mean you need to do a mega declutter, but when it starts to spread to other drawers that’s when you know there’s an issue. For example, shoving clothes down to make them fit, and then having to pull and pull at the drawer to get it open, only for it to give way all at once and send you flying; that’s a strong sign it’s time for the sorting to begin.
You can’t find things.
Imagine the scene: You’ve got an important meeting at work this morning and you are brushing your hair to try and at least look vaguely presentable (you couldn’t find the straighteners), when the phone rings. You put the brush down to answer the phone but where is that ringing coming from! You finally dig the phone out from its hiding spot only to realise you’ve missed the call because you didn’t find it in time. You try to go back to brushing your hair, but the brush is most definitely not where you left it. Actually, where did you leave it. The phone starts to ring again and it’s in your pocket… no it’s not. You must have put it down again. You start looking around frantically but it honestly could be anywhere. The ringing stops before you find it and now, you’re left with no phone, hair that looks like you were pulled out of a hedge backwards, and you are late for the meeting.
If this sounds remotely familiar, it may be a sign you need to declutter. Being able to find the things you need is key to keeping your life in order, and if excess clutter in your home is putting roadblocks on your life it’s definitely time to do something about it. In another world you had the phone nicely on the clear side, answered it the first time it rang, straightened your hair to perfection while you chatted, and waltzed into that meeting 10 minutes early. With a bit of work, that world can be a reality!
Your guest room is in hiding.
In non-Covid times it is always lovely to have friends and family round to stay, but if your guest room has disguised itself as a pile of junk, it’s time to make a change. You may be thinking, “it’s obvious that we pop our unwanted things into the guest room, I mean, it’s literally called the spare room, right?” Wrong. For any guests who come and stay it can be quite the nightmare, and we can’t imagine you feel particularly proud of it.
So how do you fix it? If you’ve put that thing into the spare room and it hasn’t been touched in months, you need to ask yourself “Do I still need it? Will I ever use that again?”. If the answer is verging on a no, maybe it could go to someone who would use it more, or maybe it’s just ready for the bin.
Now you’ve had a declutter, how do you keep it that way? The easiest way to stop it building up in the first place is simple. The next time you go to stash something in there, consider what you, in three months, would say to that question. It won’t always work, but it will stop a fair number of things ending up as part of the mess. Oh, and don’t leave the decluttering questions for the day before your guests arrive; we suggest you check that the clutter isn’t growing every 6 months or so.
Being in your home is stressful.
This is probably the most important one. When the mess begins to stress you out it can make you really uncomfortable in your own home, and in a time when the majority of us are doubling our houses up as offices, that’s not ideal. Cluttered environments make us feel like there’s too much going on which leads to distraction and a lack of focus, not to mention making us generally upset with ourselves for letting it get like that. The only real cure is to crack on, start the decluttering process and try your best not to let it build up again.
The secret of how to declutter is to think about which items bring you joy. It sounds cheesy but bear with us. You’ll likely find that a lot of the items causing the clutter and mess are actually just there out of habit and memory, and actually don’t make us particularly happy to have around. Lots of the little things we buy spontaneously these days bring us joy for perhaps the first week, but after that can leave us thinking ‘why on earth did we waste our money on that’. If you go through your room and find lots of items like this then it may be time to revaluate what you buy, stop the clutter building up in the first place, and save yourself money along the way.
How can we help?
It could also be that you have a lot of treasured items, and simply not enough space to store them. That’s where we come in. At Go Store York we provide safe, clean, dry storage units of all shapes, sizes and budgets which are perfect to stash your much-loved items and memories that just don’t fit right now. You can rest assured that we take security very seriously with our 24-hour CCTV surveillance, monitored burglar alarms and state of the are smartphone entry systems, all housed within a secure fenced compound.
So, once you’ve managed to get organised and have sorted your junk from your treasures, check out our Go Store York secure storage units, available in a range of shapes and sizes to suit your budget. Get in contact with the team to have a chat about your needs and get the ball rolling on a clutter-free life.
Don’t be among the 80% of people who break their new year resolutions within the first six weeks of the year!
Make that move to your dream home
If 2020 is the year that you’ve decided you’re going to make that move, a self storage room can help you along the way! Start by decluttering your existing home to make it appear more spacious, and therefore valuable, to buyers. Secondly, you can use self storage to store all your furniture whilst you redecorate and renovate your new home. With plenty of private storage rooms available at Go Store we’re sure to be able to keep your precious things safe and sound whilst you get your new dream home ready to move-in to.
Get fit & healthy
Health and wellbeing resolutions will often appear near the top of peoples resolutions, especially following a little over-indulgence over the festive period. Going to cheap (or expensive) gyms and fitness classes often don’t make it beyond the end of January, as it’s a hassle to get there after a long day at work. Why not exercise from the comfort of your own home at a time of day that suits you? Clear out the spare room or make extra space in the garage. Some of our most popular cost effective small storage units can be a great option for storing excess furniture and boxes out of the way, so you can create space for that exercise bike, rowing machine or weights rack.
Take up a new hobby
Start paddleboarding on the River Ouse, Ripon Canal, or on lake Semerwater. Play golf at one of the plethora of courses around York, or take up cycling in the Yorkshire Dales – get out and about in 2020. Don’t let your lack of cupboards or garage space limit your ability to take up a new hobby, self storage can be an ideal solution for storing your leisure equipment or for keeping other items cluttering space around your home safe and secure.
Go travelling abroad
If you’ve spent years wanting to travel to the East coast of Australia, interrail around Europe or trek through the Andes, 2020 could be the year for you. Rest assured your personal effects and precious items can be kept safe and secure in a small private storage room or locker at Go Store in Monks Cross, York.
Start a home business
More and more people are starting their own home businesses. Often the biggest obstacle to getting stated or growing to the next level is a fear of having to take a long lease in a workspace, office or warehouse. This is where self storage can help, renting a flexible storage space at Go Store, together with utilising their receipt & dispatch service and preparing orders in the business lounge may mean you can start to grow your business at a more comfortable pace, whilst starting the move away from home. If your business needs room to grow, or if you need a safe and secure location to store your stock or product self storage could be the answer like it has been for many start-up businesses over the years, we hope it’s yours in 2020!
If you would like to find out more about how self storage can help you implement your 2020 resolutions contact us in Monks Cross, York. Tel: 01904 215 990.