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Choosing a Bed for Your Dog
Does your dog enjoy sleeping with you at night? Although cuddling with a pet can keep owner and dog warm and snuggly, keep in mind that most animals are not as clean as people, nor do they always follow the same sleep patterns. A dog can track...
Home Office Feng Shui
Whether you believe in the Oriental powers of Feng Shui or not, there are an increasingly large number of people who do. Feng Shui is said to make you more aware of how your environment affects your state of mind. Business people in Asia have...
Real Estate Management Firms: Make Your Investment Easier
For those who want to invest in real estate, the biggest factor working against it is the substantial investment in time. Running a property can run you ragged - you have to fix it up, manage the tenants, look for new tenants, and generally do all...
So You Want To Be A House Sitter? Here's How To Find A House Sitting Assignment (And You Won'T Be Paid A Cent For Your Efforts)
The kinds of house sitting opportunities I'm about to tell you about are available to anyone, anywhere with an email address who can get online to check for offers of house sitting jobs (and then transport themselves to the owner's property of...
The Final Walk Through
So you've bought a house. The paperwork is signed and in order, and all that remains is your final walk through. Wait! Your job isn't over.
The final walk through can be a crucial step in the home-buying process. While it's true that home...
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Store Seasonal Items in your own Self Storage Unit
For the small business owner, particularly for businesses which
require access to tools and heavy equipment, self storage can be
a real boon.
If you're a landscaper, carpenter, plumber, or electrician, you
need easy access to the tools of your trade. You've probably
sacrificed to scrape together the money to buy all the equipment
you need to start your own business. But once you buy it, where
are you going to put it? Maybe you live in a tiny apartment with
no storage space. Or you may rent a house with inadequate space,
or with a landlord who doesn't really want you storing all your
equipment on the premises.
Self storage, close to your home or your primary work area, is a
great solution. It will allow you to keep your home for your
personal life (a fact your spouse or significant other will
certainly appreciate) while providing an organized space for
your professional tools and equipment.
First, you need to estimate how much rental space you'll need.
Figure out how much space each piece of equipment takes up and
then sketch out a possible organizational arrangement, using it
to estimate floor space. If you have the room, actually lay out
your tools and equipment in the front yard, and measure how much
area it covers. (Be sure to leave room to move around in between
the various pieces of equipment.)
Call around to the various self storage facilities in the area,
and find out what the square footage is of their storage units
and, particularly if you've got equipment that takes up a lot of
vertical space, its height. Check the cost per month, and ask if
there's a required minimum rental period. Do you have to pay a
security deposit of some kind? first and last months' rent? Does
the storage facility insure the contents of your unit, or do you
need to buy insurance yourself? Maybe the facility offers
insurance for a fee; ask.
If you have equipment or supplies that need
a certain
environment, ask the storage facility staff what the conditions
are. Is it dry? Is it heated? Is there lighting provided in the
unit, or do you need to bring a flashlight when you visit it?
Is there an electrical outlet available? Is there room, either
in the unit or in front of the unit, for you to perform basic
maintenance or preparation tasks on your equipment as needed,
and is that sort of thing allowed? (Obviously you do not want to
operate a piece of equipment with an internal combustion engine
inside the storage unit.)
Once you've rented your self storage unit, put a lot of thought
into how you want to organize it. Make a floor plan which allows
you ease of movement; set up storage shelves if appropriate; see
if you can attach pegboard to the walls if you need to store
small tools where they're visible. If you plan to store old
business records, don't just shove them into a cardboard box and
bury them in a corner; store them in filing cabinets or sturdy
file boxes, clearly labeled and organized. If you use boxes,
store them on shelving that allows easy access. Do your
research, plan well, and ask plenty of questions as you decide
on a self storage unit. With the proper preparation, for a
relatively small outlay of cash, you can provide a well
organized, functional storage and work space which will give
your fledgling company a real boost.
About the author:
Aldene Fredenburg is a freelance writer living in southwestern
New Hampshire and frequently contributes to Tips and
Topics. She has published numerous articles in local and
regional publications on a wide range of topics, including
business, education, the arts, and local events. Her feature
articles include an interview with independent documentary
filmmaker Ken Burns and a featur
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