How to Grow Your Small Business - From the Garage to the Warehouse to Retail
As sales grew, the neighborhood was not thrilled with the noisy power tools used to make baskets. The planer’s rhythmic hum as it danced on old fence boards was not a welcome noise to neighbors. Seattle’s variable temperature added another layer of challenge. Designing flowers in the garage was a labor of love, but success brought its own set of challenges.
By ALAN DENKE
Do you have a home business? Do you have a great idea and want to get started? One of the first major challenges you may face is having enough space. Stepping up to the space you need, while maintaining a budget can be a huge challenge for small businesses. Let’s look at how some small businesses dealt with space and growth. Melissa Mercado-Denke started Campanula Design Studio in a two-car garage. Growing from a garage to a thriving online and retail business has been a floral adventure. Melissa delivers something unique to the gifting community in Seattle. Campanula sells wooden baskets that hold both florals and gift offerings. The baskets are custom and made at home. This required a separate space to isolate the sawdust from the flowers. The local government required that Melissa store alcohol in a secure location. This meant having a special place in the garage for these items.
The Quest for Space
As demand soared Melissa moved into a dedicated workspace. Enter SaltBox, a solution tailor-made for small businesses like Melissa’s. Saltbox is a co-warehousing and 3rd party logistics company. Co-warehousing companies exist around the country. They offer amenities like: • Shared kitchen spaces • Sound-proof phone rooms • Shared meeting rooms • Photo studios • Shipping stations • Package pickup by major carriers • Shared restrooms • Shared office equipment • Wi-Fi networks
Image: Adobe
29 The Acumen
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