Self Storage Income

Self storage is a seasonal business, so if you’re not capitalizing on the busy and slow seasons, you risk your entire year of revenue. Why do we raise rates in the winter, strategically encourage tenant turnover before spring, and constantly obsess over occupancy by unit size? Today, we’re bringing on Jesse Harmon, Cedar Creek’s Director of Revenue Optimization, to reveal our proven game plan for self storage seasonality. This WILL make or break your facility, so get this RIGHT!

We’re about to enter (if not already in) the “busy” season of self storage. People are moving, spring homebuying is picking up, and you BETTER have units ready to lease at your facility—at the highest price possible. Have units below market rates that need to reach street-level pricing? Jesse shares the data to look at before putting in a rent raise and how to “test” higher rents so you can keep the most high-paying customers.

Next, we’re talking about leads: how to get them at a low cost—or even for free—and which marketing services we use most to fill our pipeline with self storage renters. Plus, before paying a service six months’ rent to get a customer, calculate this CRUCIAL metric to see precisely how much you should pay per lead. 

What you’ll learn in today’s show:

Helpful Related Articles:

Calculating For Marketing: https://www.selfstorageincome.com/blog/market-dynamics-key-metrics-and-Insights-for-smart-investments 

How To Increase Revenue:  https://www.selfstorageincome.com/blog/how-to-increase-revenue-in-self-storage-investing

Why Occupancy Doesn't Matter The Way You Think it Does: 

https://www.selfstorageincome.com/blog/why-occupancy-doesn-t-matter-in-self-storage 

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Resources Mentioned:

📉 NowMetrics: https://nowmetrics.co/

📌 Make self storage management easier than EVER with our podcast sponsor Tenant Inc. - https://www.tenantinc.com/

🎙️ Apply to be a Guest On Self Storage Income HERE: https://form.asana.com/?k=TGU88eU0bFTFW1iHcckuTA&d=1203571084143207

Self storage is much more than a piece of real estate, and if you’re not “in the business of storage,” your investment is doomed to fail. Today, AJ and Conner will give you the blueprint for running not just a functional self storage facility but a profitable self storage business you can scale!

Your customers might see a large metal box, but there is much more going on behind the scenes of your self storage business—including people, operations, systems, and processes—that will make or break your success. In this episode, AJ winds back the clock and shares why he got into self storage investing in the first place, the four “pillars” he used to build his business, and the secrets that allowed him to scale a company that is now worth several hundred million dollars!

Along the way, you’ll learn why you need to prioritize talent—even if it means taking a temporary cash flow hit—and how to transition from “wearing many hats” to creating specialized roles and departments in your business. You’ll also learn the dos and don’ts of people management and why you can’t afford to stop learning, even as you delegate responsibilities!

What you’ll learn in today’s show:

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Enter our survey for a chance to win a signed copy of AJ’s NEW Book - https://form.asana.com/?k=da0pR8v74pC8OEgx9dgKRQ&d=1203571084143207 

Sign up for the Self Storage Income newsletter - https://www.selfstorageincome.com/newsletter/ 

Trump’s tariffs are back, and they could send shockwaves through the self storage industry. With new tariffs on building materials, development costs are rising, demand is shifting, and investors need to prepare. Whether you’re a self storage owner, developer, or investor, these US tariffs could impact everything from occupancy to rental rates and long-term supply and demand.

At the time of this recording, Trump’s tariff policies remain in place, affecting trade with Mexico, Canada, and China. With uncertainty surrounding US tariff negotiations, how will these changes reshape the self storage industry? Will new restrictions drive rents up, slow development, or create unexpected opportunities?

We’re explaining the first, second, and third-order consequences of these tariffs, breaking down how they affect self storage investors at every level—from REITs to mom-and-pop operators. Plus, what lessons can we learn from previous tariffs and economic cycles, and how should you adjust your self storage investing strategy moving forward?

What you’ll learn in today’s show:

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Why U.S. Debt is Everyone’s Problem (Including Yours) - https://youtu.be/DFDZwj64EeQ?si=9yppssHb01hhcWUr

Get my FREE self storage starter pack to learn how to analyze, underwrite, and operate your next storage investment: https://www.selfstorageincome.com/start-podcast 

Brady McDonald is not only a fellow self storage investor but also the founder of Barefoot Land Co., a company that specializes in acquiring and entitling land for self storage development. Only a few years ago, Brady owned a large portfolio of rental properties in Canada. But when he realized that “you can’t eat equity” and needed more cash flow, he packed up his young family, moved to the US, and started a business that sources land off-market, entitles it, and then sells it to other developers. He has even developed a couple of his own self storage facilities, too!

In this episode, Brady shares his journey into self storage investing, the major changes he’s noticing throughout the self storage industry, and the steps he takes when analyzing a market for development opportunities. Stay tuned if you want to know where rental rates are headed and where class A storage could take off in 2025!

What you’ll learn in today’s show:

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Barefoot Land Co.: https://www.barefootlandco.com

Brady’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brady.mcdonald84

📌 Make self storage management easier than EVER with our podcast sponsor Tenant Inc. - https://www.tenantinc.com/

📑 Our Self-Storage Feasibility Studies will help you speed up the process in understanding markets, potential risks, and analyzing the facility itself.  https://cedar.cc/feasibility-studies/ 

🎙️ Do you have a great story to share on the Self Storage Income or AJ Osborne podcasts? You can now apply here! 

https://form.asana.com/?k=TGU88eU0bFTFW1iHcckuTA&d=1203571084143207 

📖 Get AJ's book that teaches you everything he knows about self-storage https://a.co/d/aRSKcSq 

📉 Take advantage of today’s market conditions and invest with us: 

https://cedar.cc/invest

Self storage “deals of a lifetime” are already hitting the market! 

Is the self storage deal drought over? It’s certainly starting to feel like it. More and more self storage investments are now making financial sense at prices sellers are willing to accept—and we’re taking full advantage. If you’ve been waiting to buy your first or next self storage facility, this may be the perfect time to get in, as sellers are FINALLY waking up to reality and considering offers well below asking price. We’ve already got multiple deals under contract this year, but this buyer’s market will NOT last long.

Why are sellers finally starting to come around? Is it due to low buyer demand or high interest rates lasting too long? There are multiple factors forcing sellers to reconsider offers that they would have, up until recently, laughed at. So, how do YOU take advantage now and acquire assets that’ll be home-run deals in just a few years? 

We’re walking you through how to get in the game, build your self storage investment “buy box,” and score a “deal of a lifetime” before the market flips back to the seller’s side.

What you’ll learn in today’s show:

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Self Storage Inner Circle - https://www.selfstorageincome.com/inner-circle 

Can you use AI to run a self storage facility? Yes, and it can do it better than you can. Don’t worry; AI (artificial intelligence) won’t take your checks and put them into its artificial bank account. You’ll still keep all the profits. But, thanks to massive leaps in technology, you can use AI to streamline and optimize almost every part of your self storage business, from customer support to revenue management, drafting lease agreements, and even underwriting deals for you!

Today we’re sharing how we’re using AI in 2025 to boost our self storage profits, reduce our team’s busy work, and find opportunities for us. We’ll walk through the six ways AI can help any storage operator, whether they’re a large or small investor. We’re talking about operations, marketing, revenue management, customer retention, business strategy, and legal and compliance.

If you’ve got a couple of storage facilities and you’re running them by yourself, these integrations can help cut your workload in half so you have more time to focus on building your portfolio. For larger operators, we’ve seen these additions massively trim the busy work (and costs that come with it) we’re used to dealing with daily.

AI is a game-changer IF you use it the right way. Good news: we’re explaining exactly how to do that. 

What you’ll learn in today’s show:

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Self Storage Income Newsletter  - https://www.selfstorageincome.com/ 

Nokē Smart Entry - https://www.janusintl.com/products/noke 

Get my FREE self storage starter pack to learn how to analyze, underwrite, and operate your next storage investment: https://www.selfstorageincome.com/start-podcast 

What’s one of the best ways to make more money with your current storage facility? You’ve probably already considered tenant protection insurance, selling moving supplies, or building more units to boost your income, but what about hosting RV rentals? RV self storage isn’t new, and many storage owners have already caught onto the fact that RV and boat parking can bring in considerable revenue without building more units. But what if, like U-Haul trucks, you become the operator for RV rentals all from your storage facility?

Garr Russell and Mark Beasley from Fireside RV Rental are making this income stream dream a reality for self storage owners all across the country. As a self storage owner, you can get a cut of the revenue by providing parking and pickup space for RV owners renting out their vehicles. If you’ve got parking and an operator who can handle on-site rentals, you might have everything you need to increase your facility’s income.

So, how does it work? Which storage facilities can get in on it? And is it worth the small amount of effort? Garr and Mark walk through the entire process and why this may be the ultimate win-win-win for storage operators, RV owners, and RV renters, resulting in more money from the same self storage facility! 

What you’ll learn in today’s show:

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Fireside RV Rental: https://firesidervrental.com/ 
My Wheel Estate Story: https://www.mywheelestatestory.com/freebook-v2

Get my FREE self storage starter pack to learn how to analyze, underwrite, and operate your next storage investment: https://www.selfstorageincome.com/start-podcast 

Is self storage in trouble? Not exactly, but we need to adapt to avoid suffering the same fate as the hotel industry. Today’s guest has had his finger on the pulse of the self storage industry since the 1980s, and he’s going to share where we’re at and where we’re headed!

We had the opportunity to chat with Steve Mirabito, who is not only the founder and president of StoragePRO but also a board member for Storelocal, the largest self storage co-op in the world. In this episode, he winds the clock back nearly 40 years and shares about his journey into self storage and the challenges he faced early on. You’ll learn all about the birth of the industry, the role Steve played in popularizing this asset class, and how self storage has evolved since. 

Most importantly, where does the industry stand today, and what can investors expect going forward? Steve will share his unique perspective on some of the biggest opportunities and threats in self storage, the lessons investors can learn from the rise and fall of the hotel industry, and the number one thing you need to prepare for in 2025 and the years ahead!

What you’ll learn in today’s show:

StoragePRO: https://www.storagepro.com

StoragePRO Management: https://www.storagepromanagement.com 

📌 Make self storage management easier than EVER with our podcast sponsor Tenant Inc. - https://www.tenantinc.com/

Mentioned article: https://www.selfstorageincome.com/blog/the-self-storage-industry-a-brief-overview 

📑 Our Self-Storage Feasibility Studies will help you speed up the process in understanding markets, potential risks, and analyzing the facility itself. https://cedar.cc/feasibility-studies/

🎙️ Do you have a great story to share on the Self Storage Income podcast? You can now apply here! https://form.asana.com/?k=TGU88eU0bFTFW1iHcckuTA&d=1203571084143207

📖 Get AJ's book that teaches you everything he knows about self-storage ! https://a.co/d/aRSKcSq

📉 Take advantage of today’s market conditions and invest with us: https://cedar.cc/invest 

Get my FREE self storage starter pack to learn how to analyze, underwrite, and operate your next storage investment: https://www.selfstorageincome.com/start-podcast 

Most people don’t realize it, but self storage facility insurance can kill your deal. Fires, tornados, hurricanes, and winter storms are making it more and more costly to protect your facility, and rising prices could eat into the profit margin you worked so hard to create. How do you keep your insurance prices reasonable while still protecting your property? Are insurance premiums about to skyrocket again, or is 2025 the year they finally “level off”? 

We own a lot of self storage, but we aren’t insurance specialists, so we brought one on to help YOU get the most coverage at the lowest cost. 

Terry Campbell is the expert in self storage. He’s done everything from building to lending, operating, and educating on self storage investing, but now, he’s tackling a bigger beast: self storage insurance. 

If you’re new to self storage investing, this is an episode you MUST listen to before buying your first property. If you’ve been investing in storage for a while, you already know how pricey premiums have gotten, and Terry’s tips can help you save some serious cash when it’s time for renewal. 

What you’ll learn in today’s show:

Johnson Insurance: https://gojohnsoninsurance.com/ 

Email Terry: [email protected] 

📌 Make self storage management easier than EVER with our podcast sponsor Tenant Inc. - https://www.tenantinc.com/ 

📑 Our Self-Storage Feasibility Studies will help you speed up the process in understanding markets, potential risks, and analyzing the facility itself.  https://cedar.cc/feasibility-studies/ 

📉 Our current investment opportunities: https://cedar.cc/invest

Get my FREE self storage starter pack to learn how to analyze, underwrite, and operate your next storage investment: https://www.selfstorageincome.com/start-podcast 

In this episode of Self Storage Income, Conner breaks down the key strategies for maximizing self-storage profits through seasonality management, smart marketing, and operational efficiency. Learn how to adjust your approach throughout the year to maintain high occupancy rates, reduce costs, and boost revenue.

What You’ll Discover:

Whether you're new to self-storage investing or managing multiple facilities, this episode is packed with actionable advice to help you succeed in any market condition.

🎧 Tune in now to unlock your facility’s full potential!

📌 Make self storage management easier than EVER with our podcast sponsor Tenant Inc. - https://www.tenantinc.com/

📑 Our Self-Storage Feasibility Studies will help you speed up the process in understanding markets, potential risks, and analyzing the facility itself. https://cedar.cc/feasibility-studies/

🎙️ Do you have a great story to share on the SSI or AJ Osborne podcasts? You can now apply here! https://form.asana.com/?k=TGU88eU0bFTFW1iHcckuTA&d=1203571084143207

📖 Get AJ's new book that teaches you everything he knows about self-storage https://a.co/d/aRSKcSq