The following is a guest post by Art Gould.
There is nothing more powerful than what you get when you mix a little creativity together with a healthy dose of entrepreneurial spirit. The results can be truly mind- boggling! I am constantly reminded of this whenever I look around and see how people are sometimes able to start a business from scratch and devise ways to make something profitable out of what others might consider “nothing at all.”
As a division manager for a busy self-storage facility, I have the opportunity to interact with storage unit tenants on a daily basis. I am continually amazed at how some of these tenants are able to utilize their storage units in remarkably non-traditional ways! In fact, many of them have figured out how to put their storage units to work for them and have made their units the centerpieces of some very creative business ventures. Here are five of my favorite examples:
- Tutoring: Who says storage units can only be used for storage? Sometimes people need a place to (temporarily) store themselves instead of storing their stuff. No matter what community you live in and no matter how good the schools are, there are always kids who need extra academic assistance. Some enterprising tutors have taken to renting a quiet space in which to conduct teaching and study sessions during the school year. Children are able to get the extra help they need and concentrate on their homework in a quiet location.
- Instant retailing: Creative seamstresses and tailors can turn themselves into instant fashion designers! They do this by purchasing discount clothing in bulk, and then customizing it in one or more unique ways to make it current, innovative, and fashionable. Many of these folks take advantage of self storage units as a relatively inexpensive and convenient way to store their items before converting them into big profit-makers.
- Arts and crafts: I’ve seen in other parts of the country how artisans and craftsmen can adapt their trade to the local culture and make use of low-cost storage facilities. Some of them have taken to restoring antique furniture while others have crafted unique glass or ceramic tiles for upscale bathrooms and kitchens. Whatever the trade, these entrepreneurs will store and even create most of their pieces right out of their storage unit.
- “Food deserts”: Many locales, particularly inner cities, lack the local presence of a traditional grocery store. I have seen enterprising folks come to the rescue by driving to discount stores to buy food in bulk. Then they rent climate-controlled self storage units which they convert to instant mini-grocery stores in neighborhoods that need them. From these storage units, they are able to sell the canned vegetables and frozen foods that local residents are unable to get anywhere else nearby. Some of these “store owners” are also amateur chefs who can cook, freeze, and sell meals that they make themselves.
- Stroller and bike rental: Just as water can become like gold in the middle of the desert, there are places where convenient forms of cheap transportation can be especially valuable. One tenant I know took to buying (and sometimes repairing) cheap strollers and bicycles at garage sales, and then rented a ground-floor storage space in the middle of a busy downtown locale where parking fees were through the roof. He has since turned this enterprise into quite a profitable bike and stroller rental business.
As long as there are needs to be met and voids to be filled, there can be no shortage of opportunities for entrepreneurs with the right combination of skills, drive, and creativity. By finding the right opportunities and putting their talents to work for them, these individuals can create instant businesses from scratch. I know this to be a fact because I am lucky enough to see it around me every day.
Art Gould is a division manager with Self Storage Company, which operates a group of websites, including a New York self-storage locator. Though busy, Art enjoys meeting new people and clients when traveling to sites from Texas to the New Jersey self-storage center. Photo by Samat Jain.