If you make handicrafts and are very good at what you do, you probably sell your wares via a website and that means packing and delivering is a major part of your business processes. Unless you are shipping hundreds of products on a daily basis, you can handle order fulfilment in-house; all you need is one half of a double garage and you’re good to go!

Here are a few tips to help you transform your garage into an efficient logistics centre.

• Invest in good quality shelving – Order top-rated shelving that is interconnectable and you can make best use of available space. You need a large worktop for packing, which needs to be in close proximity to the items being packaged. 

• Task lighting – Spotlights on ceiling rails are the best way to give flexible task lighting; choose LED fittings to keep energy consumption down.

• Design your own exclusive packaging – Of course, packaging needs to protect the goods; if your products are delicate, you need packaging that offers complete protection. There are online companies with templates on their website that enable you to design your own packaging, which is great for branding.

• Barcode scanning – It is easy to set up a laptop and a mobile app that allows you to scan items in or out with a smartphone camera. Invest in a smart label printer and make the most of available technology. Click here to find out how to work from home and not get divorced.

• Local courier company – Forget queuing up at a post office; as a regular customer, the courier company will come to your house to collect packages and they bill you monthly. As long as your order fulfilment is manageable, self-packing will save you money; should you reach the stage where logistics is draining your limited resources, call in a third-party logistics (3PL) specialist and let them handle picking, packing and delivery.
  
• Install UPS – Your business needs to be online at all times and investing in a suitable UPS prevents downtime. Search the web for the best deals and have a unit delivered to your home address and never be dependent on energy corporations again!
  
• Good ventilation – If you are working in a closed environment, make sure you have a good airflow. Which can be achieved by installing a couple of extractor fans at both ends of your garage. 

• Wireless connectivity – Your laptop/desktop PC can be wirelessly connected to your printer/scanner/copier combo, which means you print your own barcode labels without an ugly bunch of cables. 

• Additional power points & lighting – The chances are you will want to add some power sockets, plus a few lights and your local handyman can make short work of this. Your power rating might have to be upgraded; talk to a local electrician and tell him what appliances you intend to run and let the professional decide.

Don’t forget to register the business with the federal government; hire a local bookkeeper and file your tax returns every year.