Small records storage warehouse

Law firms, accounting practices, medical and dental offices, contractors, schools and small companies that must keep records but lack the office space.

Monthly fee per box or per shelf, plus fees for retrieval, delivery, new box intake and, eventually, secure disposal handled through a partner.

• Organized and detail-minded
• Trustworthy with confidential material
• Basic inventory or barcode software
• Local B2B selling

• Insurance beyond general liability, such as coverage for customers' goods in your care. Ask a broker
• Fire code, sprinkler and zoning rules for storing paper. Check with your city or county and the landlord
• Medical, legal and financial records may carry privacy rules (for example HIPAA). Check what contracts and safeguards you need
• Lost or misfiled boxes are a serious liability, so use strict tracking and written contracts
• Long lease commitments before you have enough clients

Startup costs are typically around $40,000 to $150,000, depending on the size of the warehouse, racking, security and tracking software. This is an estimate, and long lease commitments before you have clients can add risk.

Monthly revenue is typically around $3,000 to $15,000, depending on how many boxes you store and the retrieval and delivery services you offer. This is an estimate and depends on how quickly you win local business clients.

Check insurance covering customers' goods in your care, fire code, sprinkler and zoning rules for storing paper, and any privacy rules for medical, legal or financial records, such as HIPAA. Use strict tracking and written contracts.