Shipping Container Business Ideas

Shipping containers can be put to a wide variety of uses, and many people have built inventive homes and business premises from them. For a small business owner searching for a place to start up their business, looking into the different types of containers for could offer some great new business premise options.

The advantages of using a shipping container for your business are numerous. Pricewise, used shipping containers are cheaper to purchase than a similar size traditionally constructed building. This means that you may be able to afford to rent a space to put your container in a better location than if you were going to rent or buy a complete construction.

Containers also make your business flexible, giving you the option to be able to pick up your entire business and transport it to another location or to add additional containers to give you increased space as your business grows.

Standard container are 8-feet wide by 81/2-feet high, and they come in lengths of 20 and 40-feet, so there's a surprising amount of room to play with, and with some expert advice, you can transform a shipping container into a customised showcase for your business.

Here are some ideas for business which you can successfully run from a shipping container.

Water Sport Equipment Rentals
A shipping container makes a perfect place to rent surfboards, snorkelling gear, deckchairs and other beach toys. There is plenty of room for storage, and as it is not a permanent construction some local laws allow positioning in prime positions close to the beach, so you can be right where your customers are.

Adventure Store
The mobility of a container can again give you the advantage to be able to locate in more remote locations where tourists visit, like the start of a walking trail or a river entry point. You can rent canoes, kayaks or walking sticks and sell water and high energy snacks.

Beach Bazar
Convert a used shipping container so that one side folds down to create a highly visible and attractive display area and you have an ideal beach retail shop for summer essentials like swimsuits, sunscreen and the like. Containers are perfect for seasonal business as they can be securely locked down during the offseason, or even transported to another location to take advantage of a different tourist destination.

Seasonal Store
Used shipping containers can be converted into snug warm places which are isolated from the cold outside creating an enticing option for people to enter and escape the winter weather. Decorate the outside with bold, attractive designs so that it is obvious what you are selling and specialise in over the top Christmas sweaters, or an extensive range of tree decorations and the customers will flood in. Alternatively, a container also makes a great place to sell Christmas trees from. Rent a space close to a main shopping area and with room for parking and although It's only a short season you could combine this with water sport rentals in the summer, and you've got a nice year-round business.

Arts and Crafts
A container can become an eco-friendly art gallery which can be transported to arts and crafts markets or cultural events. There's plenty of wall space, and it's easy to set up excellent lighting to best show off your artwork. You can even use part as a small workshop so you can actually be producing on site. Clients love to see the artist at work, and this can really boost your sales.

Pop-up Bookstore
There is plenty of room to install shelving for loads of books, and the sealed nature of a container protects printed matter from potentially harmful exposure to the elements. Have a couple of comfy chairs inside in the winter and out front in the summer, and you can bring a comfortable and affordable literary space to the people.


Article kindly provided by seacontainers.co.nz