Jon Rise, Negosentro | There will always be a market for warehousing businesses, unless the robots take over, in which case, construction is going to be the least of your worries. Lucrative as it is, the warehousing business entails a ton of cooperation and working with many entrepreneurs with a wide variety of specializations, agendas and characters. Of course, scary as this is, running a warehousing business will turn you into a better businessperson, overall.
Let’s dig deeper into running a warehousing business properly.
Business promotion
There is nothing more valuable than a rock-solid client base. To start things off, sign up with particular associations in your area of business, and they will, in return, push their customers your way. This is a win-win situation, and the essential part of doing business properly.
Advertising, on the other hand, is significantly more complex. Having your name turn up on the radio, TV and in the paper is one thing – this is still very important; but having a presence on social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn is crucial.
Of course, social media presentations are in no way replacements for having a proper website. Furthermore, although you could learn the ropes around the basics of web development and come up with even a decent-looking website, nothing beats hiring a professional web developer that you can communicate with, who will come up with a perfect-looking website for you.
This step applies to warehousing business, as it does to any other business type.
Licensing and equipment
Legalities are a substantially important step in running a business. Forget applying a single document, and you might find yourself in a world of financial trouble. If you’re planning on using a fictitious name, obtain a DBA or a license to do business, which costs somewhere in between $25 and $50.
Equipment-wise, you’re looking at obtaining storage units such as freezers for perishables, shelving units, crates, computer and inventory software, forklifts, cherry-pickers, etc. The list is huge. Transport vehicles are also worth considering, although this part does largely depend on your business plan – if you’re planning on delivering products to your clients yourself, transport vehicles go without saying.
Constructing your warehouse
Where large warehouses are quite pricey, small-scale storage spaces are unpractical and inconvenient, so finding the perfect place is one of the essential aspects of starting a business of this type.
Having an actual warehouse is, well, essential in running a warehouse business. Renting a space is most likely out of the question; you’ll either have to buy one out, or build it on your own. Provided that you’ve opted for the latter, you’re probably going to go with hired help, so picking an expert who specializes in tilt up construction goes without saying here. Plan everything out yourself, design it even, but leave the concrete business to the pros.
Employees
Logistics experience is perhaps the most important trait to look for in your candidates. Even the employees who aren’t necessarily related to logistics task should have some basic logistics experience! Specializing in tracking products to their destinations, shipping arrangements and checking and overseeing items that go in and out of the facility are merely some of the tasks that your staff will have to cover. In addition to logistics, your employees should be physically fit enough to lift items and to handle risky situations. Promoting someone who has hands-on experience and giving them the role of a deputy manager could be a great idea here.
Some of these tips are applicable to every business type, while others are reserved solely for warehousing businesses. This just goes to show how specific running this kind of a company is and how dedicated you, as an entrepreneur, have to be in order to do so properly. Take care of business promotion, licensing, equipment, the actual warehouse space and choose your staff carefully.
