Be Careful where you Store!!!
You care for your property at home/in business.
What about where you store it?
The financial crisis in Ireland has reached the self-storage business. In recent days a very large storage facility in Dublin has gone into receivership.
A trawl through the accounts of other storage businesses can help you decide where to store as much as the cheapest price. One large firm has written off €29 million following expansion at the height of the Celtic Tiger. Another firms accounts show it has borrowings in excess of €10 million. Other storage firms accounts show serious losses. Some storage firms are highly exposed to their banks including Anglo Irish Bank. Most of our competitors show an excess of liabilities over assets. Be careful where you store your goods; the cheapest price could turn out to be the most expensive!
Why is this?
In recent years a number new firms entered the storage business. Property was purchased at the height of the property market. Some existing firms expanded, borrowed serious money and bought premises at ridiculous prices. They are now caught in the financial crisis with falling rents and unsustainable bank borrowings.
Unsustainable Pricing.
How have they reacted? The firm which has just gone into receivership was offering rents at as low as a €1 a month. Other firms are dropping their rents in a race to the bottom. It is only a matter of time till some of these firms follow the same path as the large firm in receivership here in Dublin.
A complex business.
The operation of a self-storage facility is a complex mix of many things. There is the substantial capital requirement for the purchase of premises. Then there is the fit out cost of the individual rooms and the provision of fire safety requirements. The cost of providing security is massive. In Elephant Self Storage our facility in Tallaght we have invested huge capital in electronic and physical security. We have seven levels of security including over 80 individual CCTV cameras with 24 hour live monitoring and remote security monitoring which will talk live to anyone attempting to enter our compound. Management systems are installed to control the hotel-like facility with numerous different size rooms for clients staying from a day to years with some moving between different size rooms as their businesses change from time to time. Then there is the investment in staff, training, marketing, offices, rates, insurance, maintenance, cleaning, special designed lifts, parking and loading areas and exclusive to Elephant storage, a Business Incubation Centre (www.ebic.ie) to allow business clients not only to store their goods but to run their entire business from the one location.
How can a self storage facility provide that level of professionalism demanded by discerning clients for silly rents? The answer is that it is not possible.
Cheap?
If you just decide to rent from the cheapest storage centre then perhaps you should ask a friend to loan you space in a garage or buy a garden shed. Perhaps you are not worried about damp or theft. Your friend will not mind giving you access when ever you want to visit your goods. Insurance is not important and cleanliness is unimportant. Then that is the way you can save money.
Silly.
On the other hand if you value your possessions you must decide if you want a cut price operator with a very real danger that they will go bust whilst storing your goods or alternatively you decide to store in a facility like Elephant Self Storage that has been run by a family in business for over 50 years and is financially strong. Check us out. Our annual accounts are looked after by KPMG and Smith & Co, Chartered Accountants. Our bank is AIB, Crumlin Road, Dublin 12 and our solicitors are Eversheds O’Donnell Sweeney. Unlike most other self storage facilities our accounts show we are well capitalised, and well financed.
We monitor our competitors to make sure we are highly completive. Our prices offer excellent value but they are not silly. Your goods mean a lot to you and the last thing you want is to find yourself caught up in a receivership. If a price is too good to be true, then most likely” it is too good to be true". Be careful,
( And, we want to be in business for another 50 years! )
NOTE: The sources for the data in this blog are available on request.
Client wanted for Offices
The Richmond Office Suite
Superior Offices recently renovated are location beside the Richmond Circuit Courts, North Brunswick Street, Smithfield, Dublin 7. Ready to move in immediately, furished or non - furnisihed with car parking.
Own Door, Self Contained suit of 5 Modern Offices, Board room, tea station, toliets, parking, Alarmed and Highly secure, 154Sq Meters or 1654 Sqft,Long or Short Term. Rent Very Very Attractive. PHONE Michael Lowe 087 2572938.
Retiring aboard where there is no recession!
We have all sorts of interesting customers in Elephant Storage. I would like to share a lovely story of a couple retiring and starting a new life aboard in Israel.
Five years ago a doctor from Tallaght Hospital and his wife were one our 1st customer’s when Elephant self Storage opened in Dublin in 2005. They decided to sell their house and took a small storage room to de-clutter as they prepared to sell up. As Elephant is convenient to Tallaght Hospital in Dublin it was easy for our clients to drop in and out with their belongings and over time I got to know them like good friends.
After successfully selling their home in 2007, they took another room to store the rest of their belonging that they didn’t use on regular bases. They took to the sea on their modern catamaran to exotic places like the Caribbean. They spent the last couple of years sailing around the world, popping back home to friends and family on a number of occasions. These trips home also included a visit to Elephant Storage in Dublin to pick up a few things and put things away.
I enjoyed meeting them every so often and finding out where they had been and where they were setting sail to next. It was clear that the new life really suited them and they were enjoying it. The final time I saw them was in August 2010 when they were packing up the last of their belonging and shipping them over to Israel from our Storage Centre. They were excited about their next venture and are looking forward to starting a new adventure in Israel where they will be settling with friends and family.
I wished them all the very best in their new start and thanked them for their custom over the last five years.
It’s sad to see one of our first customers leave as they had become part of the Elephant family.
Have you an interesting story? Why not drop in and tell me about it or email it to me. JUDE.
What is an Business Incubation Centre?
In Dublin, Aldi, Motorola, and loads of less impressive but just as important clients have used the BIC services since 1989. BIC is an American concept and has been running for over 20 years. Today there is a BIC in just about corner of the Globe.
The new EBIC, is based in the Elephant Self Storage facility in Tallaght, hence the name Elephant Business Incubation Centre or EBIC.
If you have a business idea, no matter how daft, ring or email us and at the least we will chat to you and see if we can help. We are business people and like you, we started from a tiny base. In fact, a borrowed £5 was the starting capital of our businesses, some of which have been running since the 1950s! When we started our first business we were told we were mad! Sometimes it helps to be a bit mad.
Enterpreneurship is a way of thinking and today, more than ever, we all need to think outside the box. Ask yourself if you would like to be your own boss, be responsible for your own future, and also if you are prepared to work all the hours God gave you, use your friends and relatives to help you, have no money for a long time, and stay awake nights unable to sleep due to worry. If the answer is yes, “I could deal with that”, then perhaps you have the making of a Bill Gates or Michael O’Leary.
Chat to someone who has done it, still does it, and still enjoys the fun and excitement of starting a new business. Ireland needs people with the guts to make things happen. Its not as hard as you might think.
Thanks for reading my blog.
The EBIC man.
Insurance – Safer Self Storage
Many people rent a self storage room to hold valuable things, household items, furniture and sometimes precious family heirlooms. Businesses use the storage rooms to carry stock and some run their businesses from the facility. Just as you would make sure you have insurance cover in your home or business, you should make sure you take out insurance when you use a self storage facility. Yes, they have all sorts of modern security systems but take out insurance, just in case!
It is not expensive and typically you can get cover for €3 per €1000 value, per month.
For a small fee on top of your monthly rental, you will have peace of mind.
Reduce Business Costs
Do you need extra space but do not want to move office or premises yet?
Have you a new product or innovation you would like to try and need space for stock but don't want to take on a new lease?
Save money by using Elephant Self-storage as an overflow space! That way you can wait until commercial rents come down without tying yourself in to a long-term contract.
Elephant Self Storage in Dublin 24 offers short to medium term space so that you can expand your business without making a long-term committment. All you need is that you take a unit for a minimum of one month and if you stay longer only give us two weeks notice before vacating.
Whether you are
an entrepreneur who wants to try making a million on Ebay,
a manufacturer who needs some extra space, a marketeer who needs to store marketing material looking for a store for exhibition material stands,a small business who wants to store a new product on trial we can help.
Also Check out our New Business Centre
Phone Jude on 01 4940000 or Email info@elephant.ie
DIY moving can save you lots of money.
Before you decide whether or not to do it yourself, ask yourself these questions:
- Will friends and family be able to help?
- If they are, will you have someone to help you when you arrive?
- Make sure you have enough time to pack and unpack not just boxes but the van?
- Check what size van or trailer you’ll need?
- If you are hiring a large van or using a trailer check that you have the correct drivers licence?
- Do you have the strength to lift and carry all those boxes or do you need assistance?
- How long is the journey to your new home? Allow time for breaks
- Will you have the energy to unpack the van when you arrive or should you hire the van for an extra day?
- Are there special requirements for moving heavy appliances?
- What about the family? Will they travel with you or separately?
If you’ve answered these questions satisfactorily then DIY moving may be best for you. Have a look at our Moving Tips articles for general advice and guidelines on the best way to move appliances, equipment, pets and children.
Don`t forget that the staff at Elephant Self Storage are here to help at every stage whether you need short, medium or long term self storage. So do contact Jude, Joanne or Marius we'll be delighted to help where we can.
phone 01 4940000 or email info@elephant.ie
Jude
Sales Job
Job Details for Sale Executive
Full Time Office & Field Sales Job
Initial 3 Month Contract leading to a permanent position for a suitable candidate
About the Job We are a leading Irish Self Storage company based in Dublin 24. Our clients are local, national and international and we operate as a small team in a facility with over 800 different sizes storerooms. We require a person to sell our services to clients as varied as Medical, Solicitors, Furniture Designers, Retail, Distribution & IT, etc. There is great scope to grow the business with potential earning in excess of €50,000 per year.
About You You must be an experienced sales person who can demonstrate sales achievements in a similar business but we will train you about the storage industry. Are you an effective communicator that can develop new business accounts and service established ones? Are you a goal oriented team player that can self manage and achieve results? Are you: Entrepreneurial? Ambitious? Goal Oriented? Enthusiastic? Then you are the type of person we are looking for. You will need excellent Interpersonal skills ,
enjoy working with people and be a trustworthy, self motivated, career orientated team player who is target driven, decisive and ambitious. You will have a full clean driving licence and your own car
We offer: Performance Based EarningsFull Training
Apply by email with a covering letter to jude@elephant.ie
DUE TO THE HIGH VOLUME OF APPLICATIONS RECEIVED WE CAN ONLY RESPOND TO CANDIDATES WHO MEET THE ABOVE CRITERIA.
- Elephant Self Storage
More Tips on Decluttering
Appliances and Furniture:
Storing Applicances
There is no point in keeping broken appliances. If you’ve been promising yourself to fix your old toaster but haven’t got around to it a year later then the chances are you never will. The same goes for old furniture that needs to be fixed or re-upholstered. Generally these items end up in the garage, gathering dust. Fix them or get rid of them. However, if you have perfectly good furniture and appliances that you don’t use, consider these tips:
- Working appliances can be swapped or given away over the internet or you can give them away on Dublin waste website FREE Trade Site.
- Smaller electrical and electronic items can be sold on bidding sites such as eBay.
- Young couples moving into a first home often need furniture. Try placing an ad on the internet or in a magazine such as Buy and Sell or try eBay.
-
Storeroom for Toys & Boxes
Furniture that you are keeping for children or items that no longer fit in the home, such as a piano, should be put into Elephant self-storage for just €10 per week.
Decluttering ideas to consider
Ideas for organising you home:
1. Clothes:
Modern houses never seem to have enough wardrobe space. This means it can be difficult to locate items or that clothes get damaged. Many of us have a tendency to stockpile clothes particularly if they are still in good condition. Clean out your wardrobes and drawers of all the items you no longer wear. Charity shops accept old clothes and there are clothes recycling centers in most towns. However, here are some other ideas you could try:
- Have a swop party with friends. I recently attended one its great fun and great finds at no cost. This is particularly good for items that no longer fit and for occasion dresses and outfits that you are unlikely to wear again.
- Sell your old clothes to second-hand boutiques or on a bidding site such as eBay.
- Heavy winter coats, ski suits and hatboxes take up a lot of space. These are generally expensive but are items we only use seasonally or infrequently. Consider a small self-storage unit for these clothes. When you need them they are easily accessible but not taking up valuable cupboard space.
- You can go to a Swop Shop as well. I found this one in Temple Bar SWOPSHOP it great for clothes we all have hanging in the wardrobe and still with the labels on or clothes we just the once. They have a great collection of fashionable clothes and you can even swop custom jewellary.
Gifts and Memorabilia: 
No-one wants to throw away a present from a friend or items of sentimentalal value. However, these items can take up a lot of space in your home. Consider these ideas:
- Go through boxes of old photos. Chose your favourites and put them into a photo album or frames.
- Create scrapbooks for memorabilia such as letters and children’s drawings.
- Gifts that have been stored in a spare room or in the attic are not likely to be missed by whoever gave you an item. Give them away or send them to a charity shop such as Barnardos
- Consider buying boxes and putting them into self-storage for items that you can’t bear to throw away.