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 success: our customers. I found the StorageCafe (an online marketplace...
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 the industry in terms of a human life cycle, when I first entered...
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 coloring my mood as I write about storage funds. I came across an...
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 consumers are the holy grail for online marketing success. Now I am...
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 deal was underwritten at today’s interest rates, and if rates go up...
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 lesson I wish I had learned early in my career, it is this: Always...
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 self-storage industry. It is evolving and changing fast. As...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 automatically because I know they will be so overpriced for our goals,...
AI in Action: How I’m Using It Right Now to Move Through Self-Storage Due Diligence
We all know how AI is changing the self-storage landscape. Others smarter than me have talked about using chatbots for storage answering services, AI in revenue management and tenant data analysis (determining which tenants can pay what rate based on behavior), and...
Five Lessons About Business I’ve Learned After 40 Years
After over forty years in real estate and the self-storage business, I have learned a few things about business that I am sharing as I hover around this 500-episode mark. I guess we could call these episodes “What I’ve Learned About Wealth, Business, and Life.”...
Five Things I Have Learned About Creating Wealth
As I hover around the 500-episode area, I am becoming more philosophical and want to share some insights I have had over the last ten years or so in the storage business. I’ve talked about the five biggest mistakes I have made in my career and the five decisions I...
Five Decisions I Made That Created My First Million Dollars of Wealth
Here I am at Episode 500. It has taken me about 550 weeks to get to this episode, but nonetheless we are here. On one level, it means nothing really, but on another, it shows I can stick to something for a long time and/or you can hang in there with me no matter how...
The Five Biggest Mistakes I’ve Made Over My 31 Years In The Self-Storage Industry
As I approach Episode 500, I have been thinking a lot about the self-storage business and my thirty-one years in and around the business. I was thinking about what I could share that would be helpful. I had two startling insights. The first was that what would be most...
Vendors Can Make or Break You Today
There has never been a moment in self-storage history where the gap between well-chosen vendors and poorly chosen ones mattered more than it does today. We are currently choosing our vendors for a new brand and have discovered one thing… Vendors today can make or...
The New World of GSO and How It Applies To Your Self Storage Business
Although you may be tired of hearing about AI and how it applies to your self-storage business, the AI hole is only getting deeper. If you haven’t already, it’s now time to embrace it and begin to understand how it is currently affecting your marketing, operations,...
Rethinking the Millennial Customer – A Force of Nature for Self-Storage
In the most recent ISS expo I attended, once again I saw that Millennials have become 20% plus of self-storage customers, up from about 16% a year ago. I remember some of the stereotypes many had a few years ago about the millennial generation: Avocado toast and $7...
Self-Storage Myth Number 2: REITs Outperform Small Self-Storage Owners
I hear partners, people I coach, and investors ask the question, “How can a smaller independent owner compete today with REITs or a big institutional player today? They have a lot more money and people, and their cost of capital is so low.” Valid question, but the...
The Square Foot per Capita Myth
It’s time to talk about square foot per capita again. I have run into more and more issues with that metric and think it is time to permanently interrupt the myth that still pervades our industry. That myth is: You can get a clear picture of supply/demand in a trade...
Insurance Shock: How Self-Storage Owners Can Fight Back in 2026
Let’s look at ways to reduce our insurance cost in 2026 and beyond. This expense line item is doing nothing but rising, and even though we had relatively calmer weather in 2025, excluding the west coast, more frequent and costly events are coming our way. Last week we...
A Big Shout Out To U-Haul
Finally! U-Haul’s President and CEO Joe Shoen took a stand in opposition of the deplorable pricing practices most of the bigger REITs and institutional players use today, with the absolute worst being Extra Space in my opinion. I am talking about the bait and switch...
Expense Discipline: The Quiet Way to Grow Self-Storage Value in 2026
A few weeks ago, we had a three-part series on Revenue Strategies designed for 2026. Now let’s focus on the expense side today. In reality, we are really focused on the Net Operating Income (NOI) (income minus operating expenses before debt and reserves). I am not...
So You Are Opening a Facility Soon – Let Me Share With You What We Are Doing
I am in some partnerships that will be taking over some facilities and doing some expansions (a conversion actually). So I have been thinking through some of the spaces our team will have to go through as we prepare to bring these projects online. Given the purpose of...
Self-Storage Revenue Strategies for 2026 Part 3 – Increase Add-on Revenue in 2026
Two weeks ago I started this series (Episodes 487 and 488). I think it is critical for this year given what we see in the current self-storage landscape. Effective revenue strategies are going to make the difference between well-performing assets this year and ones...
Self-Storage Revenue Strategies for 2026 Part 2 – Improve Collections With Both 20th & 21st Century Strategies
Last week I started this series, which I think is critical for this year given what we see as the current self-storage landscape. Effective revenue strategies are going to make the difference between well-performing assets this year and ones that fall behind due to...
Self-Storage Revenue Strategies for 2026 Part 1 – Avoid Reactive Pricing
I get it. In today’s competitive world of self-storage, reducing rates to match or beat your competition can feel like the smart move. There’s a lot of supply, and pricing algorithms are adjusting rates to keep up with what’s happening in a trade area. And consumers...
Mark Helm’s Self Storage Outlook for 2026
In 1995, I had an Acquisition Director for Storage Trust, a REIT at the time, tell me “Basically, self-storage is a boring and slow industry. Not many changes.” That is certainly not the case in 2026. This industry is evolving and evolving at a fast clip. Watch on...Make 2026 Your Year in Self-Storage
Virtual Training • January 16–17 Join Mark Helm’s Virtual Self-Storage Bootcamp and learn how deals are being done right now—in today’s market. Watch on YouTube Register for the Bootcamp Schedule a Call Live online • Fri–Sat • 10:00 AM–5:00/5:30 PM Eastern If you’ve...
The Greatest Economic Shift of Our Lifetime Is Already Underway
An Uncomfortable Reality I hesitated to make this video. I don’t want to sound alarmist or like I am trying to scare people. I’ve seen multiple market cycles over the years. But what I believe is approaching now is very different from anything we’ve seen before. For...
The Dark Side of The Self Storage Industry and the Upcoming Bootcamp In Jan. 2026
I was glad to see Ron Matejko’s article online about the Slate article on self-storage pricing tactics. I read the same article. Ron is an associate editor for Inside Self Storage. I have been on and off my soapbox over the years about self-storage pricing strategies....
How Expectation Fuels Breakthroughs in Your Storage Business
A friend of mine was telling me about an experiment that was conducted in the 1950’s using rats the other day. I did some research and was absolutely fascinated from what I learned from it. Let me share it with you and some of the takeaways I think may be applicable...
Thanksgiving 2025 Reflections
I want to share a brief look at the real history of Thanksgiving. We all grow up hearing the simplified story of the Pilgrims and the Indians sharing a harvest feast in 1621. There is truth in that story. When the Pilgrims arrived, about half of them died the first...
How One Person in the Inner Circle Prospects for Self Storage Opportunities
Intro & Disclaimer Welcome to The Creating Wealth Through Self-Storage Show with Mark Helm. Nothing shared here guarantees your success in the self-storage business. This content is for informational purposes only. Nothing said or implied is a call for investment,...
Tax Advantages of Self-Storage: Being a Storage Owner, Including Cost Segregation
One of the best things about owning investment real estate is the tax advantages, especially self-storage. Let’s discuss some of the benefits today. Now, I am not a tax specialist, and if anything I say goes against what your CPA or accountant says, always go with...
How to Raise Private Money for Your First Self-Storage Deal
So, if you are getting into the self-storage business, or if you have found a deal you are excited about, congratulations. But what if you don’t have enough to fund the down payment? You may be asking, how can I raise money to do this deal? Watch on YouTube Well,...
How Much Money Do You Really Need to Start in Self-Storage?
When I first got started in the self-storage business, you could realistically get in the game with as little as 10% to 15% down if you used SBA financing. That was one of the key advantages of starting back then — the low down-payment loans with SBA financing made...
Turnaround Playbook: 4 Steps I Use to Revive a Storage Facility
Every now and then one can find an existing self-storage facility with a lot of potential upside and be able to negotiate a price that allows you to realize it. But you need to be able to see it when it is there and know what your upside can be to negotiate it...
Self-Storage Startup Checklist – The First 4 Steps to Enter Self-Storage and Most Don’t Start Here
When entering the self-storage business, you are choosing to become an entrepreneur. In other words, you are starting your own business. This may sound like a simple statement, but if you have never been a business owner or if you have always had a “job” working for a...
The Four Metrics Every Self-Storage Operator Should Track Monthly
A few years ago, I wrote an episode and a download called the five KPI’s (key performance indicators). These are the five things I always said: if you keep your eye on them, you will have a great self-storage business. If interested, you can download it here. That...
Five Beginner Mistakes to Avoid When Buying a Self-Storage Facility
Five Beginner Mistakes to Avoid When Buying a Self-Storage Facility Let’s talk about five mistakes people are making when getting into the self-storage business today, especially people new to the business. Now I have made every one of them myself, so I will talk from...Cap Rates, ROI, IRR – Which Matters Most in Self-Storage?
Even seasoned storage people sometimes get focused on the wrong metric when analyzing self-storage. If you’re new to self-storage, it can be hard to understand all the financial metric slang and acronyms and what one should really be focused on. Which one...Tariffs, Trade Areas, and Self-Storage: Lessons From the “Big Short” – Pt. 2
Last week, we started a conversation about what I’m seeing in the economy, what may be coming next, and how that changes our self-storage strategy, based on research I dug into after hearing Michael Litt speak. As a CCIM in commercial real estate, our state chapter...
Tariffs, Trade Areas, and Self-Storage: Lessons From the “Big Short”
Some dots have connected in my mind recently that are reshaping how I evaluate self-storage trade areas moving forward. Surprisingly, this insight came from digging into the lives and current work of the people who shorted subprime financial instruments during the...
Lease-up Marketing: A Strategy for Smarter Spending That Can Produce Real Results
The biggest issue I see today when leasing up new self-storage space is overspending for online marketing that doesn’t produce results. I see it happen far too often and have experienced it myself. If you’re a larger operator, you can hire a full-time marketing...What Makes You Different? Winning the Self-Storage Lease-up Game With USPS
Let’s talk about converting potential self-storage renters into customers. Recently, I have written a lot about chatbots and high-tech stuff, but in the end, everything is only as good as a human sets it up. All, website hits, inquiries—they’re all great. But what...
2025 Tax Reform: Possible Impacts on Self-Storage
Let’s talk about the new tax implications for self-storage owners and take a look at the good, the bad, and the potentially ugly parts of the massive tax bill recently signed into law and championed by the current administration, at least from my perspective. Now,...
Self-Storage Property Insurance Is Getting Ugly – Now What?
I hate to do this, but we are going to need to get political today. We will need to discuss insurance and self-storage. Part of our job as owners and entrepreneurs is to look at what is going on now, extrapolate some data, and then make predictions about the future to...
Not Sure What Features to Offer at Your New Self-Storage Facility? Let the Demographics Tell You.
Let’s discuss what features, what bells and whistles to add to your new facility or one you may be purchasing. But first, let me tell you a story. About half the time on workday mornings, I still head to the office. On other days, I work from home, travel, or play...
Self-Storage Mid-Year Report 2025 (As Seen by Mark Helm)
Let me share what I’ve gathered about the state of the self-storage industry halfway through 2025. This is based on the latest Yardi Matrix data, Radius insights, REIT shareholder reports, and—just as importantly—my own observations and experience in the trenches....
Different Kinds of Revenue Add-on’s for Self-Storage & RV Parking Projects
We are all familiar with the standard add-ons for self-storage projects, such as tenant insurance, retail items, and truck rental. Let’s discuss some new possibilities for the modern project today. EV Chargers Interestingly enough, by 2026, all brands of electric...
How to Organize Your Automated Storage Management Operations Part 2
Last week, we started a conversation about how to organize management operations for your small, automated self-storage facility. This week, we’ll wrap it up. If you missed Part 1, here is a link. I’ve been reinventing how we manage properties—both automated and...
How to Organize Your Automated Storage Management Operations Part 1
Recently, I’ve been working closely with several people who are either purchasing or developing automated self-storage facilities. Naturally, the conversation quickly turns to one thing: how are we going to manage them? I am also reinventing how I will manage...
Development For Small Investors Pt. 3
Two weeks ago, we began a series outlining the five phases our construction company uses when developing self-storage projects in today’s unpredictable environment. This is the same process we use ourselves—and you can use it too, especially if you’re...
Development For Small Investors Pt. 2
Last week, we started a series outlining what our construction company uses as a general outline for developing self-storage projects in today’s uncertain world. This series aims to bring in a development project, or an expansion or conversion, in a manner that...
Development For Small Investors Pt.1
Given the continued high cost of existing self-storage facilities for sale and the challenges of getting into the business, let’s discuss the development steps for smaller investors. Or at least my take on the development process for the smaller player in the...
The Secret to My Biggest Leaps in Self-Storage (It’s Not What You Think)
The Inside Self Storage Expo 2025 is coming up next week in Las Vegas, and I’ll be there. I make it a point to attend at least one self-storage convention a year to stay sharp—tracking trends, seeing new products, and deepening relationships in the industry. Events...
Storage With Purpose: How Your Self-Storage Businesses Can Make a Real Difference
Let’s talk about charity work and your self-storage business. Everything I’m going to say here is just my opinion. But as business owners—especially those of us making a living in a particular trade area, city, or region—I believe we owe something back. We should...
Cash-On-Cash and IRR: What They Really Mean in Self-Storage Deals
As I work with people getting into the self-storage business and use some benchmark terms we use in our business and commercial real estate, I realize that not everyone really understands what the terms really mean. For example, CAP rates. I have done a couple of...
From Late Fees to Rent Caps: How Our Industry Keeps Inviting Regulation
I hate to say I told you so… but… I told you so. This headline popped up in my news feed dashboard: Now, I’m sure the storage industry will fight this, and they might even succeed—for now. But make no mistake: this is probably just the beginning of a wave of states...
Why Most Small Self-Storage Developers Overspend—and How to Avoid It
In episode 451, we discussed how uncertainty in Washington, combined with mixed economic signals, is causing some investors to sit on the sidelines. But for those who can make quick decisions and move fast, this could create a window of opportunity. One thing I can...
Uncertainty Creates Challenges & Opportunity: What the Shifting Political Landscape Means for Small Self-Storage Players
I am hosting a virtual online Bootcamp in March on the 21st & 22nd and have been revising some of my content for the event. This is the second episode of three, where I will be sharing some of the things I am going to be bringing up that I haven’t necessarily...
A Strategy for Gaining Momentum and Scaling Faster in Self-Storage
Get a partner. I am hosting a virtual online Bootcamp in March on the 21st & 22nd and have been revising some of my content for the event. I thought I would do a couple of episodes sharing some of the things I am going to be bringing up that I haven’t necessary...
From Vision to Reality: A Deal That Illustrates the Power of a Clear Goal
The last three episodes have covered my deep dive into the previous 35 to 40 years into exploring how creating goals and achieving them can work. Let’s talk about one of my most crazy experiences in this world of creating a self-storage business and what it can look...
How to Get the Most Out of 2025 for Your Self-Storage Business (Pt.3)
If you are in the self-storage business and trying to grow it, or if you have been trying to get in the business and it is slow-going, this episode may be for you. But I will take a very different approach than most in the next couple of episodes concerning how to get...How to Get the Most Out of 2025 for Your Self-Storage Business (Part. 2)
If you are in the self-storage business and trying to grow it, or if you have been trying to get in the business and it is going slowly, then this episode may be for you. But I will take a very different approach than most in the next couple of episodes concerning how...
How to Get the Most Out of 2025 for Your Self-Storage Business (part 1)
If you are in the self-storage business and trying to grow it, or if you have been trying to get in the business and it is slowly going, then this episode may be for you. But I am going to take a very different approach than most in the next couple of episodes...
How a Daily Close Report Reveals Self-Storage Facility Potential
Often, we are dealing directly with the owner of a self-storage facility we are looking at buying. It is hard to get financials, unit mix, or anything to go on in the first few meetings or conversations to help us see a potential value or where any upside is. So, when...
Self-Storage vs Flex Space Match Q1 2025!
I have worked with several self-storage investors who are now considering and undertaking mixed-use projects of self-storage and flex space. Flex space is the new shiny object for many smaller self-storage developers. As strange as it may sound, I worked for a...
Building Smarter: An Alternative to Design-Build Process for Smaller Self Storage Projects
Until the 2020s, as a self-storage owner and developer of smaller projects (i.e., not large multi-story projects), I never used the design-build process many people apparently use to start a development project or even an expansion. A “design-build”...
My Experience of 2025 as a Self Storage Operator/Investor
Let me share with you my experience of being a self-storage owner and operator in the year 2025. Remember that I sold off most of my portfolio (2 different brands) between 2019 and 2021. I am expanding again, but smaller than before (beats retirement). If I had to sum...
An Easy Solution That Just Might Make an Expansion Deal Work
How many times have you found a self-storage expansion deal, calculated the expansion amount you can add to the facility, and run the numbers, but it still does not work because you can’t get enough new square feet in the project? This has happened several times to...
Team Members Breaking Bad? Protecting Your Self-Storage Facility’s Cash Flow Strategies
I just saw a news article, “Self-Storage Manager Accused of Embezzling $53K From ______ Mini Storage.” I also remember buying a facility showing $73,000 or so a month in income. During the due diligence period, I couldn’t understand because I was estimating we would...
How Much Money Do You Really Need to Get Into Self-Storage Today?
I see a common mistake today as I work with people who are getting into the self-storage business. Especially people getting in their first deal. They will underwrite a deal using the downpayment amount a bank quotes. Often, this will change them, and they are left...
Winning the Self-Storage Marketing Game: Key Strategies for Today’s Customers
When I first entered the self-storage business, when I thought about “marketing,” the question was, how big a yellow page ad can you afford? People often named their facilities with an “A” in the first part of the name because it would show up early in the yellow...
Beyond 2024: Evaluating the Strengths and Weaknesses of the Self-Storage Industry Into 2025
I am sitting here in the last quarter of the year in 2024. There are some really exciting aspects of our business as I look into the future, and there are some real risks. I am planning out my next few years for myself and working on what I can tell people I coach and...
One of the Biggest Mistakes I Made Buying Self Storage
I have made many mistakes in my self-storage career, but one of the biggest I made early was when I purchased an existing facility with a record storage business. I am writing this because I have seen and worked with a lot of people buying self-storage projects with...
Navigating the Storm: Think through Pricing Strategies in Your Self-Storage Business
Let’s talk again about algorithmic self-storage pricing strategies used by many in the industry today. I also want to share a warning about pricing strategies in the aftermath of some natural disasters like Hurricane Milton or the most recent hurricane, Helene. Watch...
Gaining the Competitive Edge in Self-Storage: How to Conduct a Competitor Analysis
Congratulations. You now own at least one self-storage facility. In the old days, we would just set up shop, get our operating system up and running, and turn on the lights. Voila. Soon, our facility would be rented up, or if we just took over an existing one, we...
What Are Good Average and Median Incomes for a Self-Storage Trade Area?
Although I did not attend the most recent Self Storage Association convention in Las Vegas, I have been studying many of the sessions that occurred there. One thing I found very interesting was the presentation that showed the results of StorageMart’s Compound Annual...
The Future Is Here – Security Robots for Self-Storage
If you had asked me in the 1990s or early 2000s how technology is impacting the self-storage business, I would have asked “What technology?” “Storage is a concrete floor, a steel wall, and a roll-up door. Yes, I guess we have telephones and fax machines, and a...
Netflix, Self-Storage, and Revenue Management
Go with me for a minute. We will discuss self-storage brand loyalty, self-storage revenue management, and customer value. But let’s start with Netflix. I saw Netflix on my credit card statement yesterday, and it got me thinking. Netflix is a monthly subscription...
Planning a Self-Storage Re-Fi? Here’s Why Understanding Valuations is Crucial
If you took a loan or purchased your self-storage facility around 2018 and it is time to refinance, you better understand where you will stand with a bank. I suggest doing this before calling a lender. I was working with someone recently, and they were actually quite...
Why I Think the Human Touch Still Matters
In the self-storage world, there is a lot of momentum towards fully automated facilities, no matter what the size of the project. I am not here to say that is the wrong direction. I even am involved in one myself as a partner. Watch on YouTube But today let me talk...
Now Is the Time… Time to Get Rid of Sq. Ft. Per Capita Once and for All as the Metric for Self-Storage Supply Demand Calculations
It seems like once a year or so; I get on a soap box and rail about sq. ft. per capita as the primary measurement for self-storage supply demand calculations. Watch on YouTube Just some of the episodes are: Episode 313 – 10-29-2021 Is Sq. Ft. Per Capita Still...
If I Could Only Do One Type of Self-Storage Project, It Would Be….
I was thinking the other day, asking myself the question, “If I could only do one more type of self-storage deal, what would it be?” I have been taught that it is the questions we ask ourselves that determine the quality of our lives. It is also the questions we ask...
How to Plan for Self-Storage Capital Expenditures
Perhaps one of the best advantages of self-storage is the very few ongoing capital expenditures that are required. It is one of the main reasons I was initially attracted to this asset class. As a property manager and commercial broker, I saw how capital costs...
Value Engineering Construction Mindset For The Small Self Storage Owner
As many of you know, I helped start a small construction company in order to Resolve a problem I was having, construction cost being extremely high today. I wish I could take credit for the name, but Smitty, one of my partners, came up with it. So far, we have brought...
Why I Am Optimistic Today About Buying Self-Storage
It seems like there is a lot of wringing of hands and mashing of teeth when we talk about buying self-storage today. As I have said recently, it really takes something to buy self-storage or create a storage opportunity today. Usually, it’s a lot of work. Yet,...How to Analyze a Self-Storage Project With One Single Random Daily Close
Often, we deal directly with a seller when buying self-storage. Often, with listed property, we see a shiny OM (offering memorandum), and everything looks great. Then we see the other due diligence documents, and the facility can lose some of its luster. I have often...
Creative Self-Storage Solutions – Reducing the Cost of Capital in a Storage Deal
The cost of capital is high today to do a Self-Storage or Boat & RV development today. Let’s look at a creative way to reduce this cost of capital and perhaps solve another problem for us smaller developers if we are using other people’s money and/or syndicating a...
Is the Self Storage Party Over? Let’s Look at First Quarter 2024 REIT Stats
So, is the decade-long self-storage party over? Yes, I am finding it harder to put deals together, and I have seen no relief in interest rates for a while. The 10-Year Treasury Yield is at 4.47%, still above 4% (click the image below for a link to Fred’s...
Meet Smitty – President and General Contractor for Resolve
Smitty is my partner in a self-storage company designed to take the small investor through the entitlement process for self-storage projects in an affordable way and then bid on the construction of the project in a competitive environment, ensuring clients get the...Your Self-Storage Team
Self-storage tends to attract lone wolves who want the freedom and independence this business can offer. But here’s the deal: no one can be successful by themselves. It takes a village. Or a team, in this case. Watch on YouTube Let’s discuss who I think are the...
My Boat & RV Revelation
I had a few aha moments at the recent Inside Self Storage Convention (ISS) a few weeks ago, One of them was about the future of Boat & RV developments as a niche in the storage space. I heard a statistic. I already heard it a few times, but this time it clicked....
Takeaways from The 2024 ISS Convention
As many of you know, I attended the Inside Self Storage (ISS) Convention two weeks ago in Las Vegas. Not everyone could go, so here are a few takeaways in no particular order. Watch on YouTube Consolidation of The Self-Storage Space It’s not really surprising...
The Physics Of Self-Storage
Let’s talk about the physics of self-storage today. One of my passions is studying physics. Particularly theoretical physics at the quantum level. It’s mind-blowing, fascinating, and can also be very spiritual. Sir Isaac Newton really began much physics as we know it...
Three Reasons Small Investors Fail at Raising Money for Self-Storage Deals
Over the years, working with a lot of people who need to “raise investment money” from “investors.” I have seen many not succeed. I struggled some when I first got started, as well. It’s not always a bad thing to learn how to fail. Success could be called what happens...
Four Reasons I Am Going to the ISS Expo in April (And Hope to See You There)
Two main organizations put on seminars in the self-storage space in the US. One is the Self-Storage Association (SSA), and the other is Inside Self Storage (ISS). I love the SSA; it is a vital organization for self-storage owners. Watch on YouTube I find the ISS...
Let’s Re-Think What Makes a Profitable Trade Area for Self-Storage – Some Unique Metrics One May Use
I have been on a soap box for years, preaching that square feet of storage per person is not always the most accurate way to determine the viability of a self-storage project in a given trade area. Many of you have suffered through my rants before. Watch on YouTube No...Five Reasons Why You Should Consider Taking the Next Quickstart Academy Self-Storage Bootcamp
This episode will be more self-promoting than normal, but I will cover material that will be important to you regardless of whether you are joining us in this upcoming QuickStart Self-Storage Boot Camp on March 8th & 9th, 2024. Many things are changing in the...
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