It’s a time-honored tradition for savvy entrepreneurs to start their businesses in the garage or in an extra bedroom. However, if your inventory supply is starting to get out of hand, especially as the fall and holiday seasons roll around, it might be time to think about expansion.

If you’re not ready to rent a warehouse or contract with a fulfillment center just yet, self storage for business is an excellent middle step. A storage unit expands your business’s storage capacity and is the perfect place to securely store your inventory before the fall and holiday rush. 

The Small Business Squeeze: Navigating Fall and Holiday Inventory Surges

Not every business sees a consistent sales rhythm throughout the year. Depending on your product lineup, you may experience dramatic swings in interest depending on the season. Certain businesses can predictably expect a much higher sales volume starting in the fall and lasting through the holidays, including:

• Toy makers
• Jewelry sellers
• Costume makers
• Party supply businesses
• Online craft shops
• Anyone selling holiday-related merchandise

If you regularly see a sales spike in the later part of the year, now is the time to bulk up on inventory and any related supplies you need. If all that extra material doesn’t fit in your business space, it’s time to learn how to use self storage for business. 

Self-Storage: The Agile Solution for Your Business’s Seasonal Needs

It might be tempting to try and grit your way through this year’s peak sales season with your existing business space, but too much inventory can leave you feeling disorganized and overwhelmed. Self storage for business use is gaining popularity among small business owners, especially those with short-term or seasonal storage needs. 

Cost Effective

First and most importantly for any business owner on a budget, self storage is often significantly less expensive than renting a warehouse, expanding your current business location, or using a fulfillment center. 

If you want to keep your ROI as high as possible this year, self storage for business is a great cost-saving option. 

Scalability on Demand

Nearly any self storage facility worth its salt will offer storage units in a range of sizes. Choose from small, 5×5’ units all the way up to 10×20’ units or even larger, depending on the specific location. This flexibility allows you to purchase as much inventory storage space as you need, whether you want to store a few boxes of your personalized Christmas tree ornaments or hundreds of your one-of-a-kind giant Jack-o-lantern lawn sculptures. 

Best of all, if needed, you can scale down to a smaller unit at the end of your busy season if you have less inventory on hand. (Just make sure your chosen self storage facility allows you to easily switch unit sizes.)

 Flexible Leases

If you’re only looking for seasonal inventory management, make sure to check what type of lease your local self storage facilities offer. If possible, find a facility that provides month-to-month leases, so you can use your storage unit during the busy season and then wrap up shop (literally!) during the slow season. 

How to Use Self Storage for Business Success This Peak Season

If you need to move your best-selling inventory fast during peak season, it may make sense to keep those products in your home business setup or business location. But that space still needs to be well-organized and usable so you can ship out your products lightning-fast to the customers who want them.

In this scenario, consider moving unneeded business items to self storage as part of your seasonal inventory management. 

Excess Seasonal Inventory

Maybe your business includes spring and summer seasonal items that typically don’t sell well during this time of year. To keep them out of the way until their time rolls around again, consider putting them in a storage unit. You might want to keep a few pieces from each product line at your main business location for the off-hand order, but you can always swing by your storage unit if you need to restock.

Promotional Materials and Marketing Displays

You don’t need your big Fourth of July or Veterans Day decorations in the fall and winter seasons, especially if space in your main business area is at a premium. Tuck all your unneeded decorations, promotional items, and marketing displays into your storage unit. 

This includes things like:

• Branded merchandise, like t-shirts, hats, and tote bags
• Event giveaway
• Trade show swag
• Valentine’s Day decorations
• Back-to-school decorations
• Seasonal window displays
• Special event signage
• Tradeshow booth supplies
• Brochures
• Product samples

Tools, Equipment, and Supplies

If you need every square inch of your main business area for your peak season inventory, it’s time to get creative about clearing out that space. Now might be the right time to put the extra tools and equipment you don’t need on a regular basis into storage. 

Consider paring down the following items if you don’t immediately need them:

• Extra desks and chairs
• Filing cabinets
• Presentation equipment
• Meeting room furniture
• Cleaning equipment
• Maintenance tools
• Industry-specific equipment 
• Extra computers and electronics
• Bulk office supplies
• Extra packaging materials

Heck, if you’re working out of the garage, you might want to stash extra bikes, sports equipment, and even that big ladder in your storage unit so you can free up shelving for your seasonal inventory.

The beauty about renting a storage unit is that if you find you actually need something you stored, you can always visit your unit, pick it up, and bring it back to your business location anytime. 

Why Choose Price Self StorageⓇ for Your Business This Season

Good seasonal inventory management means keeping your most active inventory in stock and well organized, especially for peak season. For many small business owners, space is at a premium, which can make fast fulfillment difficult if your business space is crowded and cluttered.

Free up space with self storage for business. At Price Self Storage, we have locations throughout California and love helping lean, mean, entrepreneurial machines like yourself succeed. Choose from small, medium, and large storage units at any of our locations. We’re also happy to help you downsize or upsize your storage unit as your storage needs change throughout the year.

Finally, if you’re only looking for seasonal inventory management, take advantage of our month-to-month leases. Store with us for as long as you like, even if that’s only through the holiday season rush.

Find your nearest Price Self Storage today.