by Mark Helm | Apr 8, 2022 | Buy Self Storage
As I am looking at a self storage project, I have noticed (1) apartment rent growth in the market and (2) housing demand. I am clear there is a link between the two and self storage demand. I am just not able to have a formula that quantifies how much the impact is on...
by Mark Helm | Apr 1, 2022 | Buy Self Storage
Given the tight nature of the self storage market, as small investors, we are searching for any idea, lead, or data point to help us get in or grow our self storage business. I read the industry papers as they come out. Recently I read the Marcus & Millichap 2022...
by Mark Helm | Mar 25, 2022 | Buy Self Storage
As self storage owners, we hear a lot about inflation today. What does it mean for us? Well, in my opinion, it is a mixed bag. I should start by saying I am not an expert on much in life, especially not the economy. There is no reason why you should listen to anything...
by Mark Helm | Mar 18, 2022 | Buy Self Storage
Most people I work with getting in the self storage business are individuals who think they are solo entrepreneurs getting in storage. It often takes a while to realize they are not. There is no way. Yes, you may not have employees or partners…but I guarantee you, you...
by Mark Helm | Mar 11, 2022 | Buy Self Storage
Something was brought to my attention by someone I have a self storage coaching relationship with between apartment rents and storage rents. Specifically, this relationship can impact self storage demand in a market area. Said another way, how this relationship can...
by Mark Helm | Mar 4, 2022 | Buy Self Storage
This is the fourth and final episode in a series entitled Practices For Self Storage Entrepreneurs To Develop Series. Given the state of the self storage industry today, and the unique challenges, I thought I would share some of the best habits, mindsets, or...
by Mark Helm | Feb 27, 2022 | Buy Self Storage, Practices to Develop for Self Storage Entrepeneurs
This is the third episode in a series entitled Practices For Self Storage Entrepreneurs To Develop Series. The older I get, the more I realize how life can occur like a contradiction. Like the last practice we discussed, “analyze … but don’t over analyze.” Let’s...
by Mark Helm | Feb 18, 2022 | Practices to Develop for Self Storage Entrepeneurs
This is the second episode in a series titled Practices for Self Storage Entrepreneurs to Develop Series. Given how fast we have to move to control storage opportunities in today’s world, I think a few ideas on best practices could be helpful. In last...
by Mark Helm | Feb 12, 2022 | Practices to Develop for Self Storage Entrepeneurs
Practice One: Specialize…Don’t Diversify The investment world tells us to diversify, don’t put all your eggs in one basket. I guess that’s good advice if you are a passive investor. However, I am very leery of “investment advisors,” who...
by Mark Helm | Jan 28, 2022 | Back to Basics Series 2021-2022
I believe that getting in self storage is no different than anything else in life. Those who are successful today at getting in or growing their business are those who will take action. The specific knowledge and actions required in self storage may be different from...
by Mark Helm | Jan 21, 2022 | Buy Self Storage
Let me introduce you to Fred (not his real name). When we connected on a phone call to see if the Bootcamp training was right for him, he had a residential real estate background. He owned a residential real estate brokerage company and a few residential investment...
by Mark Helm | Jan 15, 2022 | Back to Basics Series 2021-2022, Buy Self Storage
Let me introduce you to Jim (not his real name). When Jim and I connected, he had invested in houses and apartments, had had some success, but thought self storage would be a better use of his time. He wanted to get away from all the management issues involved in...
by Mark Helm | Jan 7, 2022 | Back to Basics Series 2021-2022, Buy Self Storage
Over the past few years, a lot has changed in the self storage industry. As a small investor, what we are doing now to get in or grow our business is very different from a few years ago. I thought I would start 2022 off with a Back To The Basics series, showing the...
by Mark Helm | Dec 31, 2021 | Buy Self Storage
This is the fifth and final m in a series of episodes exploring the world of raising investment capital for those of you wanting to use other people’s money to get in and grow your self storage business. In Episode 316, we had a quick look into who “investors” are,...
by Mark Helm | Dec 17, 2021 | Buy Self Storage
This is the fourth in a series of episodes exploring the world of raising investment capital for those of you wanting to use other people’s money to get in and grow your self storage business. In Episode 316, we had a quick look into who “investors” are, what they...
by Mark Helm | Dec 10, 2021 | Buy Self Storage
This is the third in a series of episodes exploring the world of raising investment capital for those of you wanting to use other people’s money to get in and grow your self storage business. In Episode 316, we had a quick look into who “investors” are, what they...
by Mark Helm | Dec 4, 2021 | Buy Self Storage, Raising Money for Self Storage Series
This is the second in a series of episodes exploring the world of raising investment capital for those of you wanting to use other people’s money to get in and grow your self storage business. Last week we had a quick look into who “investors” are and what they...
by Mark Helm | Nov 20, 2021 | Raising Money for Self Storage Series
In the next few episodes, I will go into a little more detail than I have in the past about how we have raised investment dollars to buy self storage. I do not consider myself an expert, and I am just sharing what I/we have done. Always have a good attorney who is...
by Mark Helm | Nov 12, 2021 | Financial Analysis of Self Storage
My cost of capital is one of the metrics I use today when buying self storage. I have said this before and don’t think any idea I have ever discussed has caused more head-scratching. First of all, many don’t understand the concept and at the same time,...
by Mark Helm | Nov 5, 2021 | Buy Self Storage
Today, it is more critical than ever to make sure a trade area is healthy and ripe for self storage as you are considering buying, building, converti9ng, or expanding in a particular trade area. It has always been important, but never more than today. So, when I say...
by Mark Helm | Oct 29, 2021 | Buy Self Storage
Over the past few years, I have been questioning if the standard measure we all use, how many square feet of self storage per person exists in a given trade area, is the best measure to determine the supply/demand of that trade area. What I am noticing is that in many...
by Mark Helm | Oct 22, 2021 | Buy Self Storage
It’s that time of year. It’s time to begin creating your 2022 self storage operating budget. I want to take a slightly different approach than most people. There are a lot of good articles out there on how to create a budget. I would rather focus on a couple of...
by Mark Helm | Oct 15, 2021 | Buy Self Storage
I recently was on a panel discussion at the SIN Summit (Self Storage Investor Nation). One of the panel members was talking about Beginning With the End In Mind when it came to getting in (or growing) your self storage business. I did an entire series on how I use the...
by Mark Helm | Oct 8, 2021 | Buy Self Storage
As a small investor, are you sometimes wondering how in the world you can compete with all the bigger players buying up storage facilities in the market today? Just look at this random screen shop from the ISS website. I in no way organized it. This is just what...
by Mark Helm | Oct 1, 2021 | Buy Self Storage
It can be frustrating trying to get in or grow your self storage business. I know. I am experiencing it myself. We have been selling a lot of self storage. I have investors in most of my deals, and we have a fiduciary responsibility to maximize investor returns. That...
by Mark Helm | Sep 24, 2021 | Build Self Storage, Buy Self Storage
Sometimes it is hard today to find deals that could work as you look at buying and getting in the self storage business. Let me give you an example of how parking can sometimes support you. I analyze five to ten deals per week most weeks, and I ran across one a few...
by Mark Helm | Sep 17, 2021 | Buy Self Storage
It is challenging today to purchase existing self storage—no doubt about it. But can we small investors do so. And do it in a way that cash flows and gives us the returns we need? Yes, you absolutely can. It is done every day. However, it requires more work than it...
by Mark Helm | Sep 10, 2021 | Buy Self Storage
Remember, according to Bloomberg, 8 out of 10 entrepreneurs who start businesses fail within the first 18 months. A whopping 80% crash and burn. And yes, the primary reason companies fail is they run out of cash. Warren Buffett says, “The language of business is...
by Mark Helm | Sep 3, 2021 | Buy Self Storage
Remember, according to Bloomberg, 8 out of 10 entrepreneurs who start businesses fail within the first 18 months. A whopping 80% crash and burn. And yes, at surface level, the primary reason businesses fail is they simply run out of cash. Here are a few other...
by Mark Helm | Aug 27, 2021 | Buy Self Storage
It’s amazing how many of us in the self storage business don’t know much about financial statements and financial literacy. I had a big learning curve and still am not as strong as I could be. But then again, balance sheets and profit and loss statements are not very...
by Mark Helm | Aug 20, 2021 | Buy Self Storage
I recently was traveling looking at some sites for some self storage projects and thought it might be good to write an episode outlining what I think makes a good site. I have made some real mistakes on this in the past. There are four main elements that make a great...
by Mark Helm | Aug 13, 2021 | Buy Self Storage
It was good to be back in Las Vegas at a self storage convention. I didn’t realize how much I missed it until I was there. Here are a few takeaways from being there that may serve you as you grow or get in this fantastic business of self storage. Construction...
by Mark Helm | Jul 30, 2021 | Buy Self Storage
This is a different episode than the rest. Let’s look back and see a few highlights from 300 episodes of self-storage over the last six years. The industry has changed, we have changed, but some things stay the same....
by Mark Helm | Jul 23, 2021 | Buy Self Storage
I don’t use CAP rates much when thinking about self storage, at least when I am buying it. In my opinion, today, they are misleading, not accurate, and not a good way for me to relate the value of a facility. At least not the way they are being used today in our...
by Mark Helm | Jul 9, 2021 | Buy Self Storage, Getting Started In Self Storage Series, Self Storage Business Planning, Self Storage Financing
I have discussed in my training and classes why I think there is a bright future for the next decade or so for the small investor in self-storage, but I realize I haven’t created an episode for the general public on this topic. Here is it. There are three main reasons...
by Mark Helm | Jun 26, 2021 | Buy Self Storage
OK… I have said before our industry is evolving fast, but now I really mean it. I can remember when I met the first person I ever knew in the self storage business. It was an Acquisition Director for a REIT in the mid-1990’s. He told me self storage was a boring...
by Mark Helm | Jun 18, 2021 | Buy Self Storage
There’s no doubt about it. Self-storage is harder to get into, grow, or figure out today than ever. Prices are still high, CAP rates low, lots of new product to compete with, and many other challenges to tackle as a small investor. Here is one way to reduce the...
by Mark Helm | Jun 11, 2021 | Buy Self Storage
If you are considering getting into the self-storage business or in the self-storage business, one of the attractive features is the low amount of ongoing capital expenses. Unlike multi-family, office, or even retail, there are very few capital expenses required to...
by Mark Helm | May 28, 2021 | Buy Self Storage, Self Storage Business Planning
We are in the sixth and final episode in a series centered around the due diligence process for self storage in today’s world. We have covered a lot. So far, we have discussed: Timelines and what to get from the Seller. Physical inspections and third-party vendors....
by Mark Helm | May 21, 2021 | Buy Self Storage
We are in the fourth episode in a series centered around the due diligence process for self storage in today’s world. So far, we have discussed: Timelines and what to get from the Seller. Physical inspections and third-party vendors. Financial records and operational...
by Mark Helm | May 14, 2021 | Buy Self Storage, Self Storage Business Planning
We are in the fourth episode in a series centered around the due diligence process for self storage in today’s world. So far, we have discussed: Timelines and what to get from the Seller. Physical inspections and third-party vendors. Financial records and operational...
by Mark Helm | May 7, 2021 | Buy Self Storage
We are in the third episode in a series centered around the due diligence process for self storage in today’s world. So far, we have discussed: Timelines and what to get from the seller. Physical inspections and third-party vendors. Read Last week’s blog here....
by Mark Helm | Apr 30, 2021 | Buy Self Storage
Here is the second episode in a series centered around the due diligence process for self storage in today’s world. Last week we opened the series discussing the building blocks for a successful due diligence period as we discussed the timeline and what to get from...
by Mark Helm | Apr 23, 2021 | Buy Self Storage
I realize I have not done a detailed series on the due diligence process for self storage acquisitions in these episodes yet. We have discussed many aspects of it, but never a series devoted to this topic. Time to remedy that with a five-episode series. In our Self...
by Mark Helm | Apr 16, 2021 | Buy Self Storage, Self Storage Management
We talk a lot about creating new income cash flow streams in the self storage business. Mailboxes, selling propane, ATMs, record storage, and the list goes on. Here is a novel idea. Why not start automating certain aspects of your storage facility by offering it as a...
by Mark Helm | Apr 2, 2021 | Buy Self Storage
Here is a subject not talked about too often in the world of self storage, land leases. Most people waive them off with the flick of a hand and say, “I’m not interested.” That is fine with me. However, one of our most successful projects has a land lease,...
by Mark Helm | Mar 19, 2021 | Buy Self Storage, Self Storage Business Planning
I realize I have been spending so much time keeping my eyes on the immediate self storage horizon over the past year. Given the world today, it is hard to look past the next month or six months. What the world will be like in a year is anyone’s guess. But let’s do...
by Mark Helm | Mar 12, 2021 | Buy Self Storage
Over the years, I have shared how I use other people’s money to grow a self storage portfolio. For the most part, it has worked well and been a true win-win. Investors get above-market returns with the safest real estate asset as security generating it, and my team...
by Mark Helm | Mar 5, 2021 | Buy Self Storage, Self Storage Mindset
It is not what you may think. It is not prices. Although, prices are high. It’s not being overbuilt. Although, many sub-markets are over built. It’s not a lot of stupid money chasing self storage. Although ,there appears to be stupid money chasing self storage. It’s...
by Mark Helm | Feb 26, 2021 | Self Storage Management
Last week I introduced some ideas about my opinion concerning the real source of innovation in the self storage industry. I don’t think it is all the new, shiny, tech solutions to running the business. I think it is the mindset, the thinking we use to approach how we...
by Mark Helm | Feb 19, 2021 | Buy Self Storage, Self Storage Management, Self Storage Mindset
We hear a lot about innovation in the self storage industry. At least for me, I immediately jump in my mind to new, shiny, tech solutions to running the business and interacting with customers, vendors, or creating deal-flow to analyze. But, as I began to really think...
by Mark Helm | Feb 12, 2021 | Self Storage Mindset
For whatever reason, people I talk with or coach in getting in the self storage business, sooner or later begin to ask questions about what I really do in a day. My coaches (yes, I have coaches as well) over the past few years have told me I should do some “behind the...
by Mark Helm | Feb 5, 2021 | Buy Self Storage, Self Storage Management
You are bringing on new self storage space for lease. In my opinion, this is the riskiest proposition there is today for the small investor in the self storage business. However, it is usually part of our business strategy today, with prices being where they are....
by Mark Helm | Jan 29, 2021 | Self Storage Management
Here is a term you will hear more and more of in the self storage business in the next year or so, “Practical Automation.” For us smaller owners and investors, it can be the difference between long-term success or not. New Shiny Objects The tendency for humans appears...
by Mark Helm | Jan 15, 2021 | Buy Self Storage
Getting into the self storage business can be challenging in today’s world. Any markets are overbuilt. Prices are high—A lot of people with cheap money buying. But those are external factors. I have no control over them. Yes, I could chase industrial warehousing or...
by Mark Helm | Jan 1, 2021 | Self Storage Business Planning
Well, no doubt about it… 2020’s self storage goals I created in Dec. 2019 didn’t come to pass. In the old days, we would create one-year, five-year, & ten-year goals. Hard to do today. It can be challenging to set even quarterly goals now, given how fast things...
by Mark Helm | Dec 18, 2020 | Buy Self Storage
I make many bold statements about self storage, like now is a great time for smaller investors to buy self storage. I will be the first to tell you I make a lot of mistakes (just ask my wife). But I stand by this and want you to know our company is going to be...
by Mark Helm | Dec 11, 2020 | Buy Self Storage
We hear a lot about company brands. Have you heard much about self storage company brands? Most likely not. You know the big ones, Public Storage, Extra Space, etc. But what is the real difference between them? Why would you choose one over the other if both are next...
by Mark Helm | Dec 4, 2020 | Buy Self Storage, Self Storage Mindset
I found myself in a new space in 2020 concerning my self storage business. I have never been here before. I realized I had lost some of the passion for my self storage business. Have you ever been there? Not the place to be or claim if one of your accountabilities is...
by Mark Helm | Nov 20, 2020 | Buy Self Storage
As I stated last week, I recently attended a virtual business summit. I have been translating what I have been learning onto the self storage industry. I think all too often, we hear our industry voices bouncing back and forth, and it is good to get out and see what...
by Mark Helm | Nov 13, 2020 | Buy Self Storage, Self Storage Management
I was recently attending a virtual (obviously written in 2020) Business Summit meeting, and one of the sessions was entitled How To grow Your Business. I can insert “self storage” into that, and everything remains exactly the same. My observations about people have...
by Mark Helm | Nov 6, 2020 | Build Self Storage, Financial Analysis of Self Storage, Self Storage Business Planning
It can sometimes seem hard to get in the self storage business or to get your next self storage project today with prices being what they are now. People new to the space will often review countless for-sale projects, scratch their heads, and wonder, “How does anyone...
by Mark Helm | Oct 30, 2020 | Buy Self Storage
Just go to the Inside Self Storage new website, or go to the Radius Plus home page, and look at the headlines. Here are some headlines the day I write this: Argus Affiliate Brokers Announce Sale Of Multiple Georgia Self Storage Facilities. Southeast Florida Storage...
by Mark Helm | Oct 23, 2020 | Buy Self Storage
Here is a recent article I wrote for Inside Self Storage. If there was a self storage soapbox, and I was standing on it, what you would have heard me say over the past few years was “get a feasibility report!” This statement rings louder than ever with so much new...
by Mark Helm | Oct 16, 2020 | Buy Self Storage, Self Storage Management
We have been exploring the current challenges our self storage company is focused on to keep our self storage companies going strong over the next year or so. Let’s complete this series. If you want to, you can review Episodes 263,264, 265 , 266 ,267 here. As a...
by Mark Helm | Oct 2, 2020 | Buy Self Storage, Self Storage Management
We are in the fifth episode of a series, discussing the current challenges our company is focused on to keep our self storage facilities going strong over the next year or so. If you want to, you can review Episodes 263,264, 265 & 266 here. As a review, I laid out...
by Mark Helm | Sep 25, 2020 | Buy Self Storage, Self Storage Management
We are in the third episode of a series, discussing the second current challenges our self storage company is focused on to keep our self storage companies going strong over the next year or so. If you want to, you can review Episodes 263,264, & 265 here. As a...
by Mark Helm | Sep 18, 2020 | Buy Self Storage
We are now in the third episode of the series. We’re discussing the current challenges our self storage company. We’re focused on keeping our self storage companies going strong over the next year or so. If you want to, you can review Episodes 263 here...
by Mark Helm | Sep 11, 2020 | Self Storage Business Planning, Self Storage Management
We started a series last week looking at the current challenges we are in and what I think as owners we should be focused on to help keep our self storage companies going strong over the next year or so. I laid out five things we are focused on: Effective &...
by Mark Helm | Sep 4, 2020 | Buy Self Storage
The self storage industry is in uncharted territory as an industry. It will be very interesting to see how things turn out for us. We continue to be one of the shining stars in investment real estate, but nothing guarantees things will continue to be the case. As a...
by Mark Helm | Aug 28, 2020 | Build Self Storage, Financial Analysis of Self Storage, Self Storage Business Planning, Self Storage Financing
No doubt about it, 2020 is a year of totally new territory for the self storage industry, and that goes for self storage lending as well. We are currently working on three loans, getting ready to close on them, and it has been a journey. CMBS We are not doing any CMBS...
by Mark Helm | Aug 21, 2020 | Self Storage Management
I have said it in other episodes, but the fortune-tellers of today are the ones who “interrupt data.” I could get the “data” to predict virtually any outcome I want. But with all this data flying around, it is hard not to predict what is coming...
by Mark Helm | Aug 14, 2020 | Buy Self Storage, Self Storage Management
I get tired of hearing about the “new reality” we are in due to COVID-19. I am sure many of you do too. However, in the world of self storage, as we try to figure out what works and does not work, let’s stay on the subject a little longer. What we did in 2019 to fill...
by Mark Helm | Aug 7, 2020 | Self Storage Management
I am very grateful that I have figured out how to make money in self storage. Who I am now is someone you could take everything from, drop-off in a strange place where I know no one, and I would be OK, prosper, and soon have all I could ever want. And I don’t think it...
by Mark Helm | Jul 31, 2020 | Buy Self Storage
Before you dive into self storage ground-up development, it is always good to know other peoples’ mistakes. Fortunately for you today, if you are considering developing storage, I have made a lot of mistakes and can share my experience. I could have made this...
by Mark Helm | Jul 24, 2020 | Buy Self Storage
In today’s world, if you are getting in the self storage business, or growing your self storage business, you look at a lot of “Offering Memorandums” (OM). We have to develop a strategy for quickly figuring out which ones we should focus on and which...
by Mark Helm | Jul 17, 2020 | Build Self Storage, Buy Self Storage, Self Storage Management
I am beginning to re-think how I calculate lease-up in self storage projects. When I first entered into self storage in the mid-1990s as a broker helping a REIT find self storage, they used to assume 5% of their square footage per month would lease-up (wouldn’t...
by Mark Helm | Jul 3, 2020 | Buy Self Storage
I have said before about self storage, “Make data-driven decisions.” I try to do that. But it’s getting hard. Real hard, in my opinion. In my humble opinion, there are two big issues with data today in the self storage industry. The first is how it is collected, and...
by Mark Helm | Jun 26, 2020 | Self Storage Management
Let’s talk about online marketing for a self-storage facility. Let me start by saying I am not an “expert” in online marketing for self-storage facilities. But I have never worked with an “expert” that has generated any results period,...
by Mark Helm | Jun 19, 2020 | Uncategorized
This week it is hard for me to talk about self-storage and ignore what is going on in the country at the moment. So, let’s talk about it. I am not sure when you see this, but at the moment we are slowly coming out of quarantine from COVID-19 (still no vaccine), and...
by Mark Helm | Jun 12, 2020 | Buy Self Storage, Self Storage Management
As a real estate professional and a self storage owner/operator, I am now clear on two things that have emerged from the COVID-19: The office sector will never be the same. Self storage can be leased with minimal customer interaction. Office I am clear that as the...
by Mark Helm | Jun 5, 2020 | Self Storage Business Planning
In this age of increased self storage per capita in many submarkets across the nation, boat and RV parking may be a way to enter or expand. I have been hesitant to embrace this method and have fallen back on it when necessary. We had a two-building conversion project...
by Mark Helm | May 29, 2020 | Build Self Storage
I’ll admit it. I have never been a big fan of container self storage, or temporary storage. At best, I thought we could perhaps use it to plug up a few holes we may have in our facilities and maximize our income. When I first looked (a number of years ago I admit),...
by Mark Helm | May 22, 2020 | Buy Self Storage, Financial Analysis of Self Storage, Self Storage Business Planning
From attending a number of webinars, researching, and reading between the lines, here is the information I have been able to find out about our self storage industry’s performance last month (April 2020) in the “Age Of Coronavirus.” It was a mixed bag of contradictory...
by Mark Helm | May 15, 2020 | Buy Self Storage
As we have stated in the last few episodes, self storage appears to be positioned particularly well to perform better than other segments of the commercial real estate industry during COVID-19. In a recent Marcus & Millichap Special Report (M & M),...
by Mark Helm | May 8, 2020 | Buy Self Storage
I have said this in the past few weeks, and I am going to say it one more time. Now is the time to get off the sidelines and figure out how to get into self storage if this has been a goal for you. I am creating this episode right now primarily because of the training...
by Mark Helm | May 1, 2020 | Buy Self Storage, Self Storage Business Planning
I mentioned in last week’s episode that I think self storage demand will increase as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. I believe that even more as I researched what I think “work” is going to look like after the stay in place order, or strong suggestion, depending on...
by Mark Helm | Apr 24, 2020 | Buy Self Storage
Do you want to make a bet about self storage demand in the age of coronavirus? I bet demand goes up as a result of the quarantine in the US. It is too early to tell here in the US, and we are mostly dealing with how to manage our facilities differently, stay on top of...
by Mark Helm | Apr 17, 2020 | Self Storage Management
We find ourselves in new territory in terms of running a self storage business in the age of COVID-19. We’ve made some decisions on how to run our self storage business during this “lock-down” time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. First of all, we do...
by Mark Helm | Apr 3, 2020 | Buy Self Storage
I thought I might take a few episodes and discuss what we and others are doing differently and adjusting in our acquisition and management practices, as we go deeper in self storage during COVID-19. This week we will discuss acquisition, next week management. I have...
by Mark Helm | Mar 27, 2020 | Self Storage Management
It seems like there have been a lot of self storage facilities lately I have looked at with large amounts of non-paying tenants, or tenants paying an extremely low rent compared to street rate. Have you seen this lately? People I am working with ask why? Well, first...
by Mark Helm | Mar 19, 2020 | Self Storage Mindset
OK, I don’t want to jump on the Coronavirus bandwagon and do an entire episode on it instead of self storage, but indulge me somewhat. Let’s discuss it and how it can relate to you getting in, or expanding your self storage business. Backpedaling I admit it. I am...
by Mark Helm | Mar 11, 2020 | Buy Self Storage
Have you ever looked in the mirror and said to yourself, “I thought I would be further along in life than I am by now?” I know I sure have. For me, a pivotal moment was around 2006. I was a commercial real estate agent earning reasonably good money then,...
by Mark Helm | Mar 6, 2020 | Buy Self Storage, Self Storage Management
There is no doubt about it; if you are in the self-storage business, there will be a moment in time when you ask the question,” Should I renovate my facility?” For many of us, it is when we are looking to purchase an older project, and we want to...
by Mark Helm | Feb 28, 2020 | Buy Self Storage
Over the last four weeks, we have been studying What It Takes To Succeed In Self Storage Today. Having worked with a lot of people over the last decade and a half, supporting them in getting in this fantastic business of self storage, I have noticed some patterns to...
by Mark Helm | Feb 21, 2020 | Buy Self Storage, Self Storage Mindset
Over the years, I have worked with a lot of people supporting them in getting in this fantastic business of self storage. With some people, I have had to focus harder on one aspect or another depending on their strengths. But in essence, everyone I work with knows...
by Mark Helm | Feb 14, 2020 | Self Storage Mindset
We are in the middle of a series called What It Takes To Succeed In Self Storage Today. I realized after working with so many people assisting them in getting in self storage that what it took to be successful was not the “information” I was teaching. Yes, they had to...
by Mark Helm | Feb 7, 2020 | Buy Self Storage, Self Storage Mindset
To be successful in anything, but especially self storage today, it is not a function of what you know. Yes, you have to know a lot of things, but knowing them guarantees nothing. The colossal failures in life know quite a lot. If you know nothing about self storage...
by Mark Helm | Feb 1, 2020 | Buy Self Storage, Self Storage Mindset
To be successful in self storage today, it is not a function of what you know about self storage. Yes, you have to know a lot of things, but knowing them guarantees nothing. In fact, if you know nothing about self storage when you start, but have the mindsets we...
by Mark Helm | Jan 24, 2020 | Buy Self Storage, Self Storage Mindset
I have just finished a series called Getting Started In Self Storage. Over the years, I have worked with a lot of people supporting them in getting in this fantastic business of self storage. Everyone I have worked with, I have gone into details about what was in that...
