Starting a new business, whether it is your first or fifth business, can be intimidating. There are many factors to consider before you get started, making it a somewhat daunting task. One of the big questions is whether or not you should rent the building for your business, buy and renovate an existing building, or order a new building customized to meet the needs of your new business.
Steel for Business
While you may think of a steel building as bare and uninteresting, a steel building can be customized entirely into a beautiful structure that fits whatever business you need it for. Having a steel building for your business can be highly beneficial.
Customization
Ordering a prefabricated steel building allows you to customize the entire thing, so you have the perfect layout for your home or business, including getting the right door and window sizes and styles. You can even cover them in wood, brick veneer, faux stone, and more to make it look like it is a traditional building instead of one made of steel.
Durability
Steel is designed to be a tough and durable material, so you can have large clear span areas without needing support columns to break up the space, which makes them an even better choice for a business. Steel buildings have stood up to hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, and other weather events because of their sturdiness, making them ideal if your business is located in an area with extreme weather. Since they can hold up so much weight, they are also great in areas with heavy snowfall each year; your roof has a little more protection against the weight of snow than a building with a wooden roof.
Energy Efficiency
Steel buildings are excellent at maintaining the temperature inside, and they have insulation options that enhance that. You can save money on heating and cooling as a result.
You can also choose to have energy-efficient lights installed, saving you additional money. There are government incentives for both homes and businesses that are energy efficient too.
Businesses to Start in a Steel Building
Steel buildings are an excellent option for buying and having a new building constructed for your business. They cost about 50 percent less to build, and they are highly customizable. While they are great for any building type, some are more commonly done as steel buildings. The COVID-19 pandemic may have changed the plans for some prospective business owners, but these businesses still have the potential to be successful in 2021.
Self-Storage
The self-storage industry has been consistently successful for over 35 years now, and it shows no signs of slowing down. Storage space is important, and people cannot seem to get enough of it. Storage buildings are relatively easy to build, and if you decide to expand your business, it is simple to do so.
Warehouse and Distribution Centers
Warehouse and distribution centers are an ideal business to start in a steel building. The e-commerce industry has grown exponentially in the last few years, and it has gotten even more prominent since the pandemic. Opening a business in this industry has the potential to be a highly lucrative endeavor.
If you want to open an e-commerce business selling goods, opening your own warehouse and distribution center can be beneficial. You can set it up to both manufacture and distribute goods for you, cutting out the middleman and making everything a more seamless process. It will also save you money since you will not need to pay a warehouse to store and distribute your products for you.
Auto Repair Shops
The auto shop industry is a $58 billion industry that shows steady growth, and it is predicted that it will be sustained in the future. Since there is no real shortage of auto shops out there, finding an existing building to buy or rent might not be difficult, depending on your area. However, when you purchase an existing building, you are not in control of the building’s layout, so it may not have the features you want, and many of these buildings are sold “as is,” so you might be inheriting some problems with the building. If you construct a new building for your auto shop, you can have the design tailored to your needs, and steel buildings are easy to expand. Many chemicals in vehicles are combustible, so having a non-combustible building can also be helpful, and it can get you a lower insurance cost.
Animal Shelters and Dog Parks
Steel buildings are the optimal choice for opening an animal shelter because they last decades, require little maintenance, and usually cost about 50 percent less to purchase and construct. The customization options available allow you to choose the exact layout of the shelter, so it is set up perfectly for your needs, and they are easy to expand upon if you need more space later on.
Indoor dog parks also flourish in a steel building, since they are so much easier to keep clean and sanitary than other building materials. Indoor dog parks are popular in areas with extreme weather, where it might be too hot or cold for a dog to get their exercise outside during the day. You can also make an indoor dog park double as a doggie daycare or dog groomer; both are popular business ideas that would do well in a steel building.
Fitness Centers
While opening a new fitness center might not be a good idea now, since the COVID-19 pandemic is still raging, when the pandemic finally does come to an end, opening fitness centers will be beneficial. This can be a highly profitable industry to enter, and by ordering your own steel building, you can ensure the building is set up exactly how you need it to be to benefit your customers.
