Most small businesses don't have the volume of shipping or receiving to require full-blown truck dock facilities. But if your business does ship or receive either a large number of truck-delivered items, or such items include those that are too large or heavy to be lifted off a truck bed and carried through a door, you probably need a dock facility. Some businesses, such as manufacturers, may in fact have separate shipping and receiving docks.

If the flow of materials in and out of your facility is large, any inefficiency that comes about as a result of an inadequate dock facility may be passed along to other parts of your business.

Some small businesses have relatively small amounts of refuse, while others generate large amounts daily. If your business operation requires the disposal of food product or other organic waste, your disposal needs will be more acute. Large trash receptacles and trash compactors may be necessary. So don't agree to move into any facility until you know that you can obtain, and legally use, adequate refuse disposal equipment.

If your business uses, generates, or receives toxic wastes or other environmentally damaging materials (such as used petroleum products), there may be local, state, or federal disposal rules that your business must follow. Further, if you improperly dispose of hazardous materials on your facility site, federal law can require you to pay the costs of cleaning up the property.