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, but my lifestyle sucked every bit of it and a little more. 

I had been in and out of self storage by that time. I had put a small portfolio together, but had to sell it when we received an unsolicited offer. 

I wasn’t very well organized. My investors did great. I did OK, but that money was all gone by 2006.

My father had always told me I didn’t have to worry about my retirement, and he was setting up a trust fund for his kids (my sister and myself). But, the cost of keeping them comfortable and at home the last few years had eaten up most of that. I realized there just wasn’t much there. Certainly not enough for my family to live like they were accustomed to, or more accurately said, what I had envisioned and told myself I would provide them.

I had made a promise to myself that my wife was going to have a great life because she was married to me. In my mind, a big part of that was money and the ability for her to retire early. She was an RN.

So whatever day that was in 2006, I was shaving my face, I looked my life head-on in that mirror and realized, the predictable future was not going to be what I thought it would be. “I thought I would be further along in life than I am by now?”

Work On Yourself

Fortunately, I had learned early in my professional life, to work on yourself first, then your business.

I began to realize that I had a week relationship with money. I earned a lot, but I also spent a lot.

I looked head-on at the stories I had around money and success.

I continue to work on this to this day. I have made great strides. I no longer swim in debt that someone else isn’t paying, and I continue to work on it.

However, what I really got clear on as I looked into where I was in life, was that I was the engine for the money I was earning. 

If I stopped, by choice or by accident, the money would stop. And believe me, there wasn’t much to fall back on that morning.

I was in my early 50’s, and that was a real wake up call. I hope that when you have that wake-up call, you’re much younger than that.

That’s when I got serious about altering my future. 

That’s when I got serious about self storage.

Burn Your Bridges

I decided that given what I know about self storage, that was the path I would take.

I dove headlong into getting back in the business, and doing it differently. 

It was 2008 before I was back owning my next facility (remember 2008?).

Yes, it took me a while to get back in because I had no money to invest, and I had to figure out how to do it differently, but I did.

I have made a lot of mistakes along the way, like we all do, but nothing can match in my opinion what self storage can do to create predictable, “countonable” (a new term) cash flow, along with wealth creation.

I could stop working today, and the money would still keep coming in. I work today because I choose to, and it fulfills me.

That certainly wasn’t the case that morning in 2006.

The years after 2006 have been the most fulfilling years of my life, and I know what being in the self storage business can do for someone. 

If you want the experience of creating your own future, creating your own cash flow, have a business and a life that you are proud of and can pass on, or sell out and pass on the wealth created, nothing is better than this business.

So I don’t care where you are in life, if you will work on yourself and learn what there is to learn about this industry, you can get in the self storage business, or grown your self storage business. 

My goal is to be a resource for you to do that, to whatever degree you want. I know first hand what it can do for you and your family.

But, no matter what, don’t stop and settle if you ever have a morning like I did back in 2006.