The self-storage industry is evolving fast, and one of the biggest challenges we struggle with is financial modeling today. If you are in the acquisition business of self-storage, you have subscriptions...
Three Ways a Smaller Operator Can Win the Customer Game Against REITs
I will admit that a few years ago I was scared of competing in a market against REITs. I remember an investor in our deals was really questioning me hard asking how we could ever compete and win in the...
What the 2026 StorageCafe Survey Is Telling Us
One of the advantages of being a smaller self-storage operator is that — unlike the REITs and larger players who focus on their investors and stockholders — we can focus on the real source of our...
The Storage Business I Knew Is Gone—Here’s What’s Coming Next
So as I look into the future as part of what I regularly do as a business owner, I am realizing the self-storage business of before will most likely not be the industry of the future. If you relate to...
Why I am Not A Fan Of Storage Funds
Ok…for the first time in my storage career, I am in an adversarial relationship with some sellers on a project we have under contract. This is not an episode about that deal, but fair warning, it may be...
Put a Bullseye on Your Customer: Why Landing Pages Still Win in Self-Storage
I don’t see owners utilizing landing pages that much anymore in online self-storage marketing, and I am not sure why. I suspect it is because it has been beaten into our heads that reduced clicks for...
What the Jobs Report, CPI, and Bond Market May Be Telling Us About Interest Rates
It has been a while since I used an SBA loan to develop some storage, but I am in a deal where we are using it now for a boat and RV development. We are racing to get it closed by Sept. 14 because the...
The One Habit I Wish I Had Started Early in My Career
I have made a lot of mistakes over my business career and done a few things right. Fortunately, it only takes a few good decisions and some grace from the universe to be successful. But if there is one...
Why the Smaller Investor Can Win in Today’s Self-Storage Market
Nothing in the universe ever remains constant. Everything is always in constant motion. From the subatomic level all the way to the entire universe itself, everything is in constant motion. This includes...
The First-Call Offer: A Different Approach to Finding Off-Market Self-Storage Deals
It has gotten to the point that I almost don’t pay attention to listed self-storage properties anymore. Not quite, but I notice when specific companies’ listings show up in my inbox, I delete them...
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