May Talk with Alex Glass

May is the last month of spring and the month often signifies growth – and is derived from the Greek goddess Maia. It’s often a time of events and festivals nationwide. It’s a busy month and it’s also the countdown to the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee this year. We’d like to find out more about what some UK small business owners are up to this month. Today we're talking to Alex Glass. Alex and his wife Emma operate a self storage business called easyStorage across Wilts, Bucks and Oxon. They take the pain out of self storage. They collect from home or business, store for as long as needed and return items back when their clients are ready.

May is the last month of Spring – how has Spring been for you so far in your business? 
Self storage is a seasonal business and Spring is the start of our busy period. We’re off to a brisk start. It’s going to be a busy summer!

Have you got any milestones coming up in May, personal or in your business, role or organisation?
We will be taking some well earned rest in May, spending time with friends and family. At the same time, we’re developing a new storage site and expanding our service offering, so plenty to be getting on with.

This has been a challenging time for some businesses – with issues around supply chains and cost of living rises – how are you facing that as a business or as a consumer? 
We’re certainly seeing challenges across a number of areas. Operating costs are up, but we’re trying to buffer our customers from them as much as possible. Biggest challenges are around staff and salaries. They’re feeling the pinch in their personal lives and we’re trying to help out as much as we can.

Do you have any money-saving tips or hacks you can share?
We’ve found the folks at Utility Warehouse really helpful, they’ve kept our utility rates in line with the market and we’ve saved significantly on our broadband expenses. 

We’ve also found Auditel to be a good resource in terms of sourcing services our business needs at competitive rates.

Touch wood, we’ve been ok staff wise. We’ve built a good team of people that we can trust and they’re feeling valued and respected which I think goes a long way.

Are you taking part in any business events or looking forward to any milestones this month?
We’ve recently taken a stand at the National Self Build and Renovation Centre at junction 16 in Swindon and will be attending the Homebuilding Show there this weekend (May 13 & 14).

We’re also launching our new site just outside Didcot in June and will be adding vehicle, container, document and trade storage options to our collect/return service.

Do you have a top business tip for your fellow travellers in business?
It’s a cliche I know, but try to focus on the stuff you can genuinely influence and don’t dwell on the stuff you can’t. It’s easy to get bogged down in things you have no control over. I always at least feel better when I’m beavering away on something I know can help the business and isn’t reliant too much on outside factors.

It's National Walking Month - do you enjoy walking? 
Emma and I love walking and so does our dog Nala. Walks are a daily part of our routine, mostly around our village. When we’re away camping, we’ll often pick spots where we know the walking is good.

Tell us something we don't know about you!
I was a choir boy in school and competed regularly. Doesn’t sound funny, but if you heard me sing now, you’d soon get the joke.

For more information visit www.easystorage.com