Well…it’s the last quarter of 2026, and on the self-storage front, it does not appear like I will hit my targets for this year. Let me share with you a few ideas on what I do and why. Perhaps this could help you if you don’t meet your goals or feel you are not living...

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 to data platforms. We use the data to make assumptions such as...

I will admit that a few years ago I was scared of competing in a market against REITs. Well, yes, they have a lot more money than I do, and yes, I had my doubts about whether I could compete for the same customers and win. Those days are over. I am clear that smaller...

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...

As I look to the future, as I regularly do as a business owner, I realize that the self-storage business of the past will most likely not be the industry of the future. Let’s jump into the time machine and take a look at self-storage in the years ahead. Hint: To a...

Let me tell you why I am not a big fan of large storage funds. I was recently reminded of this when I read an article in the ISS Newsfeed. We have got to do something to restore the image of our industry and I think the time to start is now. Let me explain in this...

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 beat into our heads that reduced clicks for consumers is the holy grail for online marketing success. Now I am all...

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...

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… in this...

As I move through some of the various deals I am involved with today, the markets and the deals themselves are changing at a very rapid pace. Let’s look at what is behind these changes and the big advantage this current environment can offer the smaller...