Big Box Self Storage Blog
What are the benefits of using storage units for work tools and machinery?
09/04/2020 by Shane Kennedy1. Ideal storage conditions
If you are struggling for space to store your work tools and machinery, you may be tempted to simply keep the items in an outdoor area. However, should the weather take an unexpected turn, you risk your materials becoming unusable or damaged. Plus metal machinery can rust if exposed to rain, making a secure storage unit a much more suitable option.
2. Secure from theft
Unfortunately, there are malicious individuals in the world who will take every opportunity they can get to steal and vandalise machinery and equipment. At Big Box Self Storage, we have 24/7 CCTV and strict pin code access systems to ensure no opportunistic criminals will be able to get their hands on whatever goods you store in one of our storage sheds. With an effective security system, you can leave your tools and machinery for as long as you like in the confidence that they are secure and protected.
3. Long-term solutions
Should you need to take a leave of absence from your work, renting a warehouse or similar can be a huge financial drain. A storage unit, on the other hand, is a cost-effective long-term storage solution that allows you to store your items for as long as you need with a flexible contract.
4. Room for maintenance and repairs
To keep your tools and machinery in the best condition possible, it is important they are regularly cleaned and maintained. Renting a storage unit will give you plenty of space to clean and repair your tools in a clean and calm environment.
5. Store extra stock
Often due to global factors out of your control, you can never predict when demand for a certain service will surge. For this reason, it is always wise to keep extra materials and tools on-hand to help you meet customer demand should the need for a particular service soar.
6. Create a professional appearance
As a new or small business, you may be operating predominately from your home address. Whilst this is a smart way to keep costs low, if you hand out your home address to clients and potential business partners, it can make you look unprofessional and untrustworthy. Using the address of a storage facility, on the other hand, can create a clear distinction between your home and work life, and make you appear more professional.
Contact Big Box Self Storage today
For more information about how Big Box Self Storage can help keep your tools, material and machinery safe and secure, contact us today!
How will I maintain a work/life balance?
When starting a new company, naturally you'll want to spend as much time as possible on growing your business. This can, however, have a negative effect on your health and wellbeing, especially if you work from home and do not give yourself a substantial break from work. Choosing to set up an office space in a storage unit is a great way to separate your work and personal life, so you can just focus on yourself and your family when you are at home and are not tempted to continue working all evening.
How can I best use my time?
When you start running a small business, time is precious currency. In the early days of your business, you will want to focus on connecting with clients and establishing your brand. For this reason, it is better to trust everyday minor tasks, such as signing for deliveries and accepting palletised freight, to a reliable storage company such as Big Box Storage. This way you can confidently order courier deliveries etc without having to use a large chunk of your day to wait and sign for them.
Can I keep the promises I make?
No doubt, as you try and grow your new business you will contact multiple different clients and explain the product and services you have to offer. If you are successful with multiple clients, the last thing you want is to be unable to fulfil your promises due to not having enough stock or resources. Filling a storage unit with your products or business essentials will ensure you will be able to fulfil any orders that are placed with you.
Am I ready for a large office space?
One of the biggest expenses a small business can pay is the rent for their office space. Many small businesses do not need an entire office but need a space outside of their home to store all of their belongings and create a professional impression. A storage unit can be a great option for businesses between offices, or for small businesses who want to test external office options before committing to a long-term lease.
Contact Big Box Storage
If you have read the above considerations and feel a storage unit could benefit your business, contact Big Box Storage today! We offer small businesses flexible space to use as storage or as their own office space. For more information about any of the services we can provide, do not hesitate to contact us today.
1. More time to focus on your business
If you choose a reputable storage company, such as Big Box Storage, to store your products whilst you are between offices, you can rely on the storage facility to sign and take deliveries for you. This ensures you do not have to waste your time waiting for a delivery company and can instead focus your time and energy on other tasks that will help your business, such as networking with clients.
2. Safe, dependable storage
If you are moving from one office space to another, but your next office space isn't currently available, a storage unit can be a safe and reliable place to store your office equipment and products. Rather than leaving your equipment unattended in your old office, or in a new office space that is not yet finished, a storage unit is a much more convenient option. Storage units have strict security and controlled access points, to ensure your goods and equipment are safe at all times.
3. Cost-effective
One of the biggest overhead costs for a small business is a building or office space. If you are unsure whether or not your business is ready to move into a large space, but working from your current location is no longer suitable, a storage unit can make a great location for transition periods, helping you to decide if you are financially ready for your next business step.
4. Help establish your business as a professional
When connecting with clients and organising freight, if you are between offices, giving your home address can make your business appear unprofessional and you may not be taken seriously. With a storage facility address, however, clients and other businesses will view you as an ambitious, professional business.
5. Flexible solutions
Real estate deals can be very time-consuming and offers often fall through at the last minute. Storage unit rentals are very flexible, meaning if you need to extend the length of time you are storing your business or office goods in a unit, you can do so with ease. This is ideal for businesses currently moving from one office to another.
For more information about how we can help small businesses, contact Big Box Storage today! Moving your business from one location to another can be stressful, but it doesn't have to be. Contact us today to see how we can help you.
With all the stress that an international move brings, finding somewhere to live can feel like an overwhelming task. If you already have a houseful of stuff, doesn't it make the most sense just to try and find a place that is of similar size to what you had? That way it'll fit all of your stuff! It's the way a lot of people approach this problem, but this can lead to a lot of issues down the road.
If you're moving overseas for a new job, at first there is likely to be a sense of anticipation and excitement about your new role, your new country and your new cultural experience. And then comes the planning. One of your main priorities will be your children's schooling and this should be part of your pre-planning. After all, it's not something you want be trying to organise once you've arrived.
It's a big move for the whole family. School-age children will be in unfamiliar surroundings, without their friends and removed from local sports and perhaps other hobbies. Taking the time and doing plenty of research to choose the right area and the right school will help make the relocation easier. And it can help your children settle in and adapt to their new environment much faster.
Choosing the right kind of school for your child
Every child is different and will respond to different sets of circumstances. Is the right environment for your child a public or a private institution? A religious or non-religious school? A school with a strong sports orientation or a school with an arts focus?
Do you require after-hours care from the school or other options such as the availability of meals? Is it important to you and your children if the school offers a local or international curriculum?
Creating a list of what you require and what is most important will enable you to zero in on the most appropriate schools for your needs.
If you are working in Brisbane or on the Gold Coast, there are over 100 public and private primary schools and a diverse range of high schools from which to choose. Many of these feature extracurricular learning programs that draw on the region's coastline, waterways, and hinterland.
If you're commuting to Brisbane, there is the freeway or bus and train services, and depending on the mode of transport and the exact location, the travel time can be approximately 60 to 90 minutes. For example, Surfers Paradise to Brisbane is approximately one hour by car along the M1.
Be aware of possible restrictions
Schools in some areas will have long waiting lists for new students. In addition, you will need to consider the tuition fees. These can differ from one school to another and this is something that has to be worked into your budget. Unfortunately, these factors may limit your options. This is all the more reason to have thoroughly investigated your new home prior to your move.
It's a balancing act as the school needs to be close enough to the area in which you're living, which in turn needs to be within reasonable travelling distance to your new job.
Aiding the transition
If your son or daughter is involved in a local sport, whether it is swimming, soccer, basketball or something else, then having them join clubs or classes at their new school will make the transition smoother - it's also a great way to make new friends.
The good news is that, in general, children tend to benefit from exposure to diverse and interesting environments.
Choosing and locking in the best school will be the first step in making the move a positive and uplifting one for your children and for the whole family.
Why you should consider one.
Moving overseas can be an exciting journey that opens up new opportunities for working and living. But shifting your life to a new country can also be a time of great stress.
After all, simply moving house is often listed as one of the top ten most stressful things you can do, along with public speaking. With moving overseas, not only are you packing up your entire life, but you're also shifting to a wholly different place where most things will be unfamiliar and new.
Instead of moving your things across a state border or to the other side of town, there's also the complications that can arise with shifting all of your possessions across the seas and then across national borders.
This is where a professional international removalist can make moving overseas a smooth process.
A local fixer at your fingertips
Whether you're shifting to a new home overseas or sending things for storage, a professional international removalist will help you pack up your life and move it to your new destination, taking care of every step of the way.
This means they'll help you pack up your house and other storage areas like a regular removalist, and then organise the best way to get your stuff overseas, arranging cargo transport while ensuring safe delivery point to point.
Professional international removalists have local knowledge and connections at the start and finish of the moving process, so you won't have to deal with customs officials or agencies – that's all done for you.
Best of all, they can also give you local advice on the best ways to integrate your life into your new destination, helping you understand local customs, schooling systems, medical systems and other vital services.
Easing your entry
Depending on where you are moving to, there are different rules governing what you must do to enter the country. This can range from securing the right visas for you and your family to paying certain duties and taxes for bringing in your possessions and assets.
This can be a complicated process, particularly if there's a language barrier or you are unfamiliar with the laws and customs of the country you are moving to.
A Professional International Removalist will help smooth this process by taking care of all these finer details, drawing on their local connections and knowledge to make sure you are well prepared and have everything in just the right order.
This can cover making sure any vehicles you want to bring in pass the correct safety standards and have any import duties taken care of, to ensuring your wine collection has the right taxes applied so you can enjoy it in your new home.
Take the stress out of moving overseas
Professional international removalists are experts in moving lives from one nation to another.
Whilst you can tackle moving overseas as a DIY job, it could quickly become extremely stressful, with complications lurking around every corner.
By hiring a professional international removalist, you can rest easy knowing that your possessions are in safe hands, allowing you to concentrate on the big journey you're taking – and enjoying it.
Our Tips
Moving to a new country can be an extremely stressful situation. Many of us will have to deal with Visas, changing jobs, figuring out where we want to live and what we can afford. However, we all have to deal with trying to move our entire lives across the sea.
When moving from another country to Australia most of us will have to leave most of our belongings at home initially. It is extremely difficult to initially transport anything but one suitcase to your new home. There are a few ways to fit as much as you can into this case. Moving your clothing is relatively easy, simply make a pile of clothing that will be most appropriate for the time of year, and any other bits of year-round clothing, and pack them carefully into a vacuum seal bag. This is a great way to transport as many of your belongings in one go as possible.
Alongside the suitcase that you take on the plane, it can be a good idea to pack up a few choice home items and have them shipped over. This way when you find your new home you won't have to purchase all new important items and can surround yourself with a few familiar home comforts. However, this leaves the rest of your life back home and your options are to sell before you leave or place everything in storage until you can afford to have it shipped over. This is certainly one option and if you have friends or family back home that are willing to take care of your items it may make the most sense. On the other hand, this does mean that once you decide which items you need you may have spent too much finding a new home or may not want to wait the time it takes for your items to be sent from your home.
With a little pre-planning, there is another option that could make your relocation easier. Sending over your belongings ahead of time and instead paying for them to be stored locally in Australia could save some time, money and stress. By storing locally you can rest easy in the knowledge that your whole life has moved at once, together, and that as soon as you find your new home you can fill it with all of your precious home comforts. Not only can this be less expensive as you don't have to worry about first class shipping on top of storage, but means you can set your new space up quickly and easily.
Big Box Self Storage provides secure storage units which are cost dependant on the size of the unit, so if you are bringing over the essentials you won't have to pay through the nose. You can also choose a monthly rate or book the storage for a specific amount of time. This kind of flexibility gives you more options while you're finding your new house.
Why people move home - saving for a home deposit
Property prices have seen strong increases in Australia since the late 1990s, with Melbourne and Sydney seeing rises of 93.5% and 105% respectively since 2009 alone. Due to these increases, young people are finding it harder than ever before to save for that all-important house deposit. This is especially true for people who also have rent to pay! As a result, more and more children are moving back home with their parents to save for their first home deposit. But what can you do to make this transition easier?Draw up a budget
While you don't have to pay any rent (or very little rent), it's a good idea to have a strict savings budget drawn up. It allows both you and your parents to get an idea of how your savings pot is progressing. Remember, there are likely to be more savings you can make than just your rent payments, especially if you can split bills or save money by buying items in bulk. Set ambitious but realistic savings goals, so that you reach your deposit amount as soon as possible. Try and eliminate or minimise other unnecessary expenses too, such as entertainment, clothing or holidays.
Research the best starter home
While you are saving up for a deposit, it's a good idea to start researching the real estate market where you are looking to buy. You can attend open houses and spend time reviewing real estate listings to see what a realistic budget for a home is, as well as learning how to identify bargains so that you can jump on them quickly once you have approval! It is also a good opportunity to review different styles of mortgages so that can choose the type of mortgage that best suits you and learn what you need to do to get pre-approval.
Be smart about what you move back home
While you have been renting, you've probably accumulated a home worth of furniture and mementos of your life to date. It can be hard to cram all of these back into a childhood bedroom, so hiring a storage unit is a worthwhile idea. Think about which items you are eager to hold onto to go into the new house and hire storage space that allows you to keep all of your important possessions safe until you can move. Don't forget to factor the cost of this into your budget.
Set some ground rules
Adjusting to living with your parents again can be hard, especially after living independently. It is a good idea to sit down together and work out some rules that suit everyone. Obviously, if your parents are paying all of the bills, there may be some non-negotiable rules, but generally, both parties will be eager to get along. Some ideas include time limits on watching television, visits from guests, cleaning and chore rosters or rules about how to use the kitchen. By having early conversations about these expectations, there is likely to be fewer sources of frustration later on.
This article list some of the factors to think about when changing life stages
1. Adding a new family member
Congratulations! With the sleepless nights and early baby milestones of sitting, crawling and walking, come a whole new range of furniture, toys and accessories - and as your baby becomes bigger and more mobile, you may find that some of your more expensive electronics or art pieces need to be protected from your beautiful bundle of joy. Avoid the use of your consoles as pretend toasters (now with real toast!) by storing them away for this season of life.
2. Blending families
Again, congratulations! Your beautiful family of two (or three, or four...) has suddenly jumped in size. As any blended family can attest, the combining of two households carries its own challenges, one of which is attempting to find a new home for each person's things. This leaves many families with more couches, televisions, desks or kitchen items than they need. Whilst you might not want to keep all of these duplicates, off-site storage can be an effective way of holding onto the nicer furniture until the youngest children are past the notorious stages of furniture-related artistic activities.
3. Moving out
You've made it past the teenage years, and your kids are moving out. You may decide now is the time to downsize your home - with fewer bedrooms, there's less cleaning, less upkeep, but also less space. Now's a great time to do a spring clean and aim for a clean, streamlined, minimalist lifestyle. You may, however, want to keep bigger items for your children to help them out as they go through their own life stages. Moving away to university may involve living in a fully furnished apartment on campus for the first year, but many of these students decide to move out into rentals after their first year and need furniture to set up their own space. Why not save money in the long term and store their beds, desks etc for that time?
4. Grandchildren
Grandchildren are sometimes called a parent's reward for having children - all of the fun, with none of the sleepless nights. While safety standards in Australia change over time, many of the big-ticket items are able to be stored and passed on to the next generation. Not only does this save money, but it also allows for adorable photos and a connection to your children's own pasts. Alternatively, holding onto these items allows you to be set up for sleepovers and family visits whenever needed - an experience that grandchildren treasure!
For information about how we can help smooth whatever transition you're going through, connect with us. We'll be happy to discuss your needs and possible storage solutions.
Your Costs
Doing it yourself when moving to a new home, office or into a storage unit sounds appealing as you may believe you'll be saving a huge cost. Moreover, you're in charge of the timing - be it before sunrise, after your morning coffee or spreading it over several days. But there are risks associated with doing it yourself.Let's look at the 5 reasons why DIY isn't such a great idea after all.
1. It's their profession
Unless you move home or office frequently, chances are packing and unpacking are not your forte. You'll take more time to do it and incur the risk of damage to your items as you pack them away. While you might be mindful of the latter, you do not possess the knowledge or training of a removalist to ensure your items are safe and secure. You may turn to friends or family members to ask for help, but they will most likely not be experts at moving either.
2. Cost of time
Removalists do it better and faster as it's their livelihood. Doing it yourself means having to take time off work, or whatever your everyday obligation maybe, to pack, move and unpack. Add to this the task of hiring a truck, borrowing one from a friend or family member. If neither is possible, you may have to make several trips in your own car, which isn't an effective use of your time. There are hidden costs to doing it yourself and they all add up.
3. Time-consuming assembling
Packing and unpacking is energy-sapping. You'll be flat out by it. Without the help of removalists, you'll need to add in assembling onto the list of things to do yourself. Friends may chip in but at the risk of things and friendship going wrong, you're probably better off not to burden your friends with the stress of moving.
4. Will you be covered
As a business, removalists will require insurance coverage. That will include the services offered to you as, the fact is, many things can happen that are beyond your control as well as the removalists and they can add to the cost of moving. There's only so much one can do to protect items from damage, theft or loss. Should unforeseen circumstances occur, you'll have the peace of mind knowing you're well covered.
5. You can do with less stress
People underestimate the stress of moving homes, offices or into a storage facility. From the physical exhaustion to dealing with uncertainties and anxieties, it's hard to imagine anyone not being drained out by the move. Feeling drained is probably not the best start to a new premise. However, when you DIY, be prepared for it. On the other hand, when you engage a removalist, you've moved a huge chunk of that stress to the professionals.
Call us on 07 5537-6633 to get a quote for your next move, you'll be surprised by the savings.