Two focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. If you’re running an at-home business which relies on some sort of inventory, you may eventually need to think about incorporating a warehouse into your operations. There some considerations for expanding in this manner. The following contributed post is entitled, Upgrading to a Warehouse for the First Time.
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If you’re a solo entrepreneur or at-home business owner then the idea of having a warehouse for your inventory and operations can sound daunting. However, it’s usually the next step up from working out of your home or garage and can offer you countless opportunities to scale up your operations. Whether you’re printing shirts, designing software or 3D printing the next big tech device, we’ve put together some tips on how you can cope with upgrading to a warehouse for the first time.
Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/V6xihVKUvqA (CC0)
Discuss your needs
When upgrading to a warehouse, it’s a good idea to discuss what your needs are with the rest of your team. If you’re still a solo entrepreneur, then think about what you’re going to need the space for. Perhaps you’ll have an area dedicated to the production of your items and maybe you’ll need to build an office area for all your computers and support staff. Once you’ve decided on your needs, you can then start to think about how much space you’ll need and how much you’re willing to pay.
Plan out your space
Make sure that you’ve got a plan for all the space you have. If you think that you have a bit too much space for what you currently need, keep those areas clear for the future. The last thing you want is to stunt your business growth because you’ve amassed a pile of junk and clutter in an area where you need to put a new machine or build an office. Without a plan, you’re going to have a tough time deciding where things should go, and this will only complicate things later in the future.
Get serious with organization
Whether it’s using a proper inventory management system or having labels on everything, it’s going to be vital to start using serious organization methods in order to keep tabs on everything. If you don’t, then you’re not going to know if an employee steals something and you won’t even realize if someone’s broken into your warehouse and stolen a whole crate of inventory.
Ensure your warehouse is protected
While most warehouses are going to have some kind of basic protection such as a steel door or even a password-protected entrance, it’s vital to examine the warehouse yourself to see where the vulnerable entry points are. Since you’re no longer running your business out of your home, you’re not going to be able to wake up and react to a thief. In addition, the fact you’re in a warehouse means you’re a prime target for thieves because there’s likely something valuable in your location. As such, make sure you contact security professionals to help you secure your location and ensure that it’s safe from intruders.
A warehouse is essentially just a huge open space that you could basically do anything with. You could set up a studio for shooting photos, you could create a little area for your office, and you can even turn it into a full production facility if you have space and machines for it. What you do with your warehouse is up to you and there’s no denying that having a warehouse with so much space opens up countless opportunities.
