Self Storage Goals: Setting vs. Achieving

If you received the link through an email subscription, odds are you won’t read this post.

I know because I try to manage what is in my inbox while keeping my mouse over the delete button.

But what if this post contains information leading to the greatest impact on your self–storage business in 2016 of anything in your inbox for the rest of the year?

I commit to you it does.

There are a lot of blogs and emails hitting my inbox now talking about goals and goal setting for the next year.

I notice that I delete most all of them. And yet, I am in the midst of planning and creating my next year goals in all the different endeavors I find myself in.

So I found myself sitting down to write an episode that I have been regularly deleting and couldn’t help but ask myself what could I possible say that would make a difference for my subscribers who are getting in and/or growing your self–storage business about planning your 2016.

Here is what I know about you:

• You are successful to a large degree already. Sure you may not be where you want to be yet (at least I hope not…it is in growing and expanding that self expression exists for most of us), but your life works and you have experience setting goals and getting there.
• You are also creative. You would not be getting in or growing your self–storage business without (1) being able to see something for yourself that does not exist yet and moving towards it, and (2) have the experience of creating something from nothing.

Then I realized the gift I could give that would make the real difference as you create your 2016 for your self–storage business.

So let’s use a goal setting model that should be familiar to you. Standing in December 2016, one year looking back from then to now: where are you in your self–storage business?

• How many facilities have you put in service last year? One, two, one per quarter?
• What is your gross income, net income, value of your assets?

Create your self storage goals that way. Looking backwards.

Write them down.

Then break them into yearly quarters. Don’t be vague here. Be specific.

But that’s not what makes the difference.

Here is what I have learned:

Nothing new happens without new HABITS.

Look at your goals you just wrote down. That was not hard at all for you. It was somewhat familiar, maybe real familiar depending on if you regularly create goals for yourself.

But that alone will not get you there unless you are extremely disciplined and have them in the forefront of your mind every day, every hour, and eat, drink and sleep with them.

But new HABITS will.

Every big move you have made in life from one place to another happened as you created a new habit.

Look at your goals for 2016, yearly and quarterly.

Now look at what you do every day. What is missing in your daily activities that would make the most difference for you next year?

Is it finding properties?

Is it raising money?

What is missing now in your life that would have the most impact on the goals you wrote down, such that if you did that activity, did it regularly, would have the greatest impact on your business.

As I started creating this business of “Learning Out Loud” about self–storage, sharing what I know and learning in a way that would help the smaller investor like myself get in this business, last December I created what this part of my business would look like in Dec. 2015.

Then I looked at what was missing in my life that would make the most difference.

It was the space to create content, to write, and to create products that could help others.

So I took out my calendar (really my computer) looked at each day, week, month and quarter, and scheduled exactly when I would do it. It meant I would have to get up one hour earlier every week day, finish my meditation practice at 6:30, work from 6:30 to 8 every morning, etc.

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I created it in time. I literally created the space to do it, then did it.

When I am raising money to purchase self–storage, I schedule the time to call, to meet, to create the presentations. I would raise how much by when and track it like a dog. If I am behind, I re-work the schedule.

I have learned nothing new happens without a new HABIT, and new habits, for me at least, happen by putting them into my calendar, allotting time, and then keeping that appointment with myself.

So what new habits will your goals require of you to grow in 2016?

Schedule the time in now, so in January you are not wondering what to do, you are just executing the plan.  Need some help finding more time?  These apps might help.

As always, reach out if I can be of any assistance.

Let’s beat the competition to the best facilities in 2016.