Storage Tips For Your Home Party Business
Posted on: 6 April 2015
A direct sales business that depends on sales parties is an excellent small business choice if you're looking for something that requires minimal start-up. These businesses generally depend upon home parties, where you show off your products and foster new customer relationships. While you don't need a dedicated sales space, you will need an area to store product and paperwork. A storage unit is a good choice if you don't want your business to take over your home.
Step 1: Pick Your Unit Size
You probably only need a small unit, unless you do a lot of sales at local fairs or trade shows and must keep more product on hand. For standard party sales, product should pass through your hands fairly quickly. The items stored will only be those awaiting pick-up or delivery, along with those you keep on hand for demonstration purposes.
A 5-by-5 storage unit is about the size of a walk-in closet. It's best suited for businesses with lower sales or where most of your storage needs are for your demo products. A 5-by-10 unit is about the size of a small bedroom, so it works well for most party-based businesses and those with smaller trade show inventories.
Step 2: Manage the Temperature
Not all storage units are created equally. Depending on your specific products, you may need to consider a few perks for your storage unit.
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Food, make-up, and supplements are best stored in a climate- and humidity-controlled environment. Look for an interior storage unit facility that maintains a steady climate in the units at all times. Exposure to heat or cold can damage edible and cosmetic products.
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Candle and chocolate candy businesses may need individual climate controlled units. These units allow you to maintain an even cooler temperature in your individual unit, which can prevent unwanted melting of your products.
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Jewelery businesses can sometimes be a target of theft. Make sure the unit you choose has a secured main entrance, closed-circuit security systems, and the ability to use personal locks on the individual units.
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Tool businesses and those selling other heavy items are easier to manage with a drive-up storage unit. This means you can park right next to the unit, so you don't have to carry heavy items very far.
Step 3: Organize Well
A well-organized unit is much easier to manage. Use shelves inside your unit to keep items off the ground and easy to find. If you store any food or edible items, place them in heavy duty plastic tubs with lids before placing them on the shelves. This helps to prevent pest problems.
Come up with an easy-to-maintain organizational system. For example, one shelf can hold demo items, while the other shelves are arranged alphabetically – either by product name or customer name. If customers sometimes come to your unit to pick up orders, keep a clear table or shelf available so they have room to spread their items out for inspection.
Moving some of your direct sales business into a storage unit helps you separate your work and home life, which can make it easier to relax when you're off duty. Keeping your sales items in one central location also keeps your business better organized, which makes it easier to turn a profit. For more advice, speak directly with experts like Allsafe & Storaway Self Storage.
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