Growth is supposed to be a good thing.
That’s what every business book, podcast, and motivational quote says, anyway.
More staff, more sales, more space — the natural rhythm of success.
But in the UK, growth often comes with a catch. Hidden behind the proud moment of signing a new lease lurks something far less celebratory — business rates.
In my case, the projected rent for the new warehouse was about £230,000 per year. Painful, but manageable with a bit of optimism and creative budgeting. Then came the business rates: another £110,000.
Add them together, and you’ve got £340,000 a year — just for the privilege of having a roof over your head. That’s not expansion. That’s slow financial suffocation.
When I started talking to other small business owners, I realised I wasn’t the only one gasping. Everyone had a story — and most had found workarounds.
Some had carved up their warehouses into small units, each one “independent,” conveniently keeping the rateable value below the £12,000 threshold.
Others had teamed up with charities to claim that magical 80% relief. A few more had become experts in paperwork gymnastics — moving in and out of properties on paper to reset the three-month rate-free holiday.
Clever? Perhaps.
Legal? Often questionable.
Peaceful? Definitely not.
Every “solution” came with sleepless nights, the risk of court summons, and the uneasy feeling that one day, someone in a grey suit at the council office would decide your luck had run out.
And deep down, I knew I didn’t want that.
I wanted to build something solid — not something that would crumble under scrutiny.
But with the warehouse partner’s deadline closing in and my spreadsheet stubbornly refusing to produce a miracle, I started running out of both options and time.
Then, one night, when I was about ready to give up, something unexpected happened — a tiny flicker of hope, like a sailor lost at sea catching the faint light of a distant lighthouse.
Next Chapter: The Automated Warehouse Racking
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