Why is expanding storage needed for a start up?

 

 

Ahhh, running a business.  Do you remember the days where the concept of a paperless office was discussed?

I sure do.

What a joke, eh?  Computers got cheaper, printing got cheaper and better, and sitting at my day job desk, there are all sorts of papers sitting on my desk.  It just ain’t happening anytime soon.

That said, there are quite a few businesses that you can start for a small amount of capital these days, at least using the assumption that you already have access to a computer.  In fact, Chris Guillebeau wrote an entire book full of ideas, called The $100 Startup.

Blogging is one of my side hustles, and despite the vast majority of things being online, I still have some paper trails associated with the project.  For example, cheque stubs from Amazon.  Carrie, from Careful Cents, is a full-time freelancer and blogger; she recently redid her workspace in order to store her things more succinctly and to make the space more inviting and productive.  As my online business grows and morphs into more things, I find myself needing to organize my records, space and storage more and more.  I am even tempted to pick up some more storage materials, like filing systems and a dedicated notebook (a cute notebook, of course.)

However, not all businesses are solely run from a computer.  Sure, online marketing and online storefronts are a great (I truly mean great!) way to go, but you still need to carry inventory for a lot of start up businesses.  Even the Penny Blossoms that they made on The Big Bang Theory television show took up a bunch of space!  Many people start businesses in their apartments or houses and as they grow and become more successful, they outgrow their space.  Success is a great problem to have, but sometimes it leads to storage problems, too!  Thankfully, there are some cost effective solutions for places to put things, like warehouse short span shelving, even if you are not storing gigantic things.  Especially if your business works in batches, or you have infrequently used inventory components or equipment.

I dream of a day where I have a side hustle that incorporates some physical objects.  In part, because a tangible business is a lot easier for the general population to understand, versus “how on earth do you make money blogging?”  So far, though, none of my ideas have panned out!  Plus, I live in a condo, so storage and working space are at a premium for some of my ideas, making them a lot more difficult to bootstrap.

Do you ever think about starting a home based business or a small business as a side hustle?