Students of Storage

Buying a piece of software is not going to fix your business. That is not something you usually hear from a software company, but it is the perspective Andrew Capranos brings to his new role as President, Self Storage at Cubby. He spent his career on the operator side of the table, looking at move-ins, occupancy, and NOI, and he knows results come from how you run the business, with the right technology supporting it.

Andrew started in self storage in 2014 as a district manager for Public Storage in Orlando. He worked across three regions and finished overseeing South Florida, one of the company's largest MSAs. He calls it his second MBA. In 2022 he joined 10 Federal and helped scale one of the pioneers of the automated model, doubling the portfolio to about 140 assets across 17 states and one of the largest fully automated portfolios in the country.

In his first week at Cubby, Andrew sits down with Matt Engfer, Co-Founder and CEO, to talk about proving remote management could work back when people laughed at the idea, why technology and AI will separate the operators who succeed from the ones who struggle, and why he kept his office door open to competitors who wanted to see how 10 Federal did it, mistakes included.

It is a short conversation with a clear takeaway for owners and operators: the best software helps, but the business behind it still decides the results.

Key Takeaways:

(0:00) Intro

(0:48) Andrew's first week at Cubby

(1:27) From Public Storage district manager to 10 Federal

(3:04) Proving remote management when people laughed

(4:32) Why technology and AI will separate storage operators

(5:25) Why the self storage community is so close knit

(6:19) The golden rule and an open door for competitors

(8:06) Why Andrew joined Cubby

(9:45) Turning technology into business outcomes

(11:01) Why software alone will not fix your business

(11:53) Closing thoughts

Resources Mentioned:

Andrew Capranos | LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/acapranos/

Cubby | Website

https://www.cubbystorage.com

Thank you for listening to Students of Storage. If this episode gave you something you can use, please leave us a five star review and subscribe so you do not miss the next one.

Self storage was profitable enough, for long enough, that nobody had to fix what was broken underneath. Rob Kapp argues that is exactly why the industry sits 20 to 30 years behind on technology, and why the margin compression operators feel today is finally forcing the issue. As he puts it, the profits masked the inefficiencies. Now that it is a six to ten percent margin game, they cannot.

Rob started in storage 26 years ago as an owner operator and built a top 100 portfolio in North Carolina, running remote operations for 25 years. Five years ago he founded Keep It Simple Storage to build the technology he could never find for his own business. He joins Michael Brevdeh of Cubby for a conversation about what actually has to change in a storage operation, and in what order.

The through line is that technology is not the first step. Rob and Michael both make the case that you fix the operating model, the processes, and the seats people sit in, and only then do you add tools and scale. Every operator says they want to double this year. You cannot do it on a cracked foundation.

Along the way Rob shares the experiment that doubled his conversion rate by moving the rental into the app, why a manager will quietly sabotage a rollout if nobody explains the why, and the conversation with his daughter on her first day in the family business that convinced him to start a technology company. He and Michael also take apart the objection they hear at every trade show, that older customers will not use technology, with evidence from a Florida campfire and a 91 year old neighbor with an Apple Watch.

This is a practical conversation for owners and operators who are tired of trading one problem for another.

Key Takeaways:

(0:00) Intro

(1:04) Meet Rob Kapp and Keep It Simple Storage

(2:31) Why Rob built KISS after 25 years of remote operations

(4:51) How storage fell 30 years behind, and why the margins changed that

(6:43) The app-first rental experiment that doubled conversion

(8:19) Two kinds of owners, and why the rental experience decides

(12:20) Adding new tools without losing the human touch

(14:27) Pump the brakes on AI: drive the outcome, then pick the tool

(16:17) Rewriting the storage manager job description

(18:13) What self storage can borrow from multifamily

(21:53) Getting managers bought in before a rollout

(23:53) Specialization, and why you cannot scale on a cracked foundation (26:46) The conversation with his daughter that started the company

(29:54) The myth that older customers will not use technology

(31:54) Closing thoughts

Resources Mentioned:

Keep It Simple Storage | Website https://keepitsimplestorage.com

Keep It Simple Storage | LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/kissstorage

Rob Kapp | LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-kapp-7a543210/

Cubby | Website https://www.cubbystorage.com

Thank you for listening to Students of Storage. If this episode gave you something you can use, please leave us a five star review and subscribe so you do not miss the next one.

Chris Michaels turned to self-storage in 2019 while broke and behind on bills, and closed his first wholesale deal about a week after he started. Today he leads The Storage Rebellion, the community he first joined as a beginner. In this episode he sits down with host Tully Hannan to talk about what it actually takes to buy your first facility in a market that is far more competitive than the one he started in.

The core message is simple. Studying the business is not the same as doing the business, and the people around you are what move you from one to the other. Chris makes the case that you learn the fundamentals, then put them into practice by taking real action, and you do it faster when you are surrounded by other investors walking the same path.

Chris is practical about how deals get found today. He walks through sourcing on Google Maps, TractIQ, listing sites, brokers, and even Facebook Marketplace, then explains why fewer, deeper relationships beat blasting hundreds of mailers. He also covers the conversations most new investors dread, the follow-up cadence that keeps you top of mind, and the deal-killers he looks for when he walks a property.

If you have been consuming storage content for months without making a move, this conversation is a clear nudge toward action, plus a reminder that the right room can carry you further than any amount of solo research.

Key Takeaways:

(1:25) Broke to first deal in about seven days

(8:44) Take action before you feel ready: escaping the information-overload trap

(10:47) Find the deal first, and the money will follow

(11:05) How to have seller conversations without selling yourself

(14:37) The follow-up cadence that turns a "not now" into a future deal

(17:36) Inside The Storage Rebellion's three groups and why community matters (22:15) The day-after-closing checklist for a new facility

(26:32) Deal-killers to look for on a property walk: roof, water, drainage, access, security

(31:58) Where to find deals today: Google Maps, TractIQ, brokers, and Facebook Marketplace

(37:43) You rise to the level of your environment

(40:19) Why 30 solid relationships beat 600 mailers 

Resources Mentioned:

The Storage Rebellion | Website

https://thestoragerebellion.com

Cubby | Website

https://www.cubbystorage.com

Thank you for listening to "Students of Storage." Be sure to leave us a 5-star review and subscribe so you don't miss an episode.

#SelfStorage #SelfStorageInvesting #CubbyStorage #BusinessGrowth #StorageRebellion

Owners do not hand over their facilities lightly. What earns that trust is not a pitch, it is operational excellence delivered every day by a team that follows through. In this episode JC Reed lays out how a third-party manager builds an operation owners want to stick with, from the systems that hold up at scale to the attention to detail that sophisticated owners notice.

JC spent 12 years at Public Storage, rising to senior regional vice president over 80 to 100-plus locations across Washington, Hawaii, and Idaho. He later helped build the platform at Store Space, spent time at BlueGate Storage under Madison Capital Group, and now leads operations and revenue management at All-Purpose Storage, which has grown past 87 facilities as it expands into third-party management. He brings the operational discipline of a national REIT to a fast-moving, entrepreneurial team.

This is a practical conversation for owners, operators, and managers. JC explains what makes Public Storage's execution so hard to replicate, why systems that run three stores fall apart at twenty, how he rebuilt a broken collections process, and how a remote-management model keeps unmanned sites looking as sharp as staffed ones. He is candid about what actually differentiates a manager over the long term: talent, care, follow-through, and living your core values. It is not just a number to his team, and that is why owners keep handing over the keys.

Key Takeaways:

(4:52) Why retail and franchise backgrounds build operators who can coach, develop, and hold a team accountable

(12:43) The operational excellence JC saw at Public Storage and works to replicate: SOP discipline, ROI on every decision, and reliance on data

(16:33) Why scaling breaks what works: systems that run three stores fall apart at twenty, and at eighty without real process

(21:22) Rebuilding a broken collections and auction process from over 20% down to industry-leading, within state lien law

(24:17) Revenue management as an operational discipline: ancillary income like solar, truck parking clubs, and protection plans

(26:11) Know who you are: pricing to your facility's life cycle and position in the market

(29:01) Testing and iterating on rate increases instead of guessing

(31:41) What actually differentiates a third-party manager: talent, care, and follow-through

(32:17) A remote-management model that keeps unmanned sites looking sharp, and onboarding that earns owner trust

(34:46) Why technology and AI have become table stakes for operating at scale

(39:21) JC's why: family, the people he works with, and the owners who entrust their assets

Resources Mentioned:

All-Purpose Storage Management | Website

https://www.allpurposemanagement.com/

JC Reed | LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jc-reed-74977518/

Cubby | Website

https://www.cubbystorage.com

Thank you for listening to "Students of Storage." Be sure to leave us a 5-star review and subscribe so you don't miss an episode.

#SelfStorage #ThirdPartyManagement #CubbyStorage #BusinessGrowth

Brett Copper, partner and president of Copper Storage Management, joins Matt Engfer to share how he helped build one of the industry's first third-party remote management companies and what scaling it taught him about growing a business the right way.

Brett grew up in self storage. He spent childhood summers auditing facilities with his father, worked at CubeSmart out of college, and ran feasibility studies and due diligence projects for years before launching Copper Storage Management in 2019. He saw that remote management was possible long before the software or the industry was ready for it.

Then COVID hit, and Copper was one of the only management companies that could operate with no one in the office. The portfolio exploded to nearly 200 stores in a matter of months. In this episode, Brett is candid about what that breakneck growth cost him, why he deliberately shrank the business to around 120 stores, and how learning his true cost to operate turned Copper into a healthier, more profitable, and more resilient company.

He also breaks down the trends that reshaped self-storage technology, the five things he looks for when evaluating a facility to add value, and why a diversified base of small owners protects the business better than a few large clients ever could.

This is a practical conversation about disciplined growth, operations, and what it really takes to build a storage business that lasts.

Key Takeaways:

(0:00) Intro

(3:06) Who Brett is and what Copper Storage Management does

(5:10) Growing up in a self-storage family

(9:01) The origin story of Copper Storage Management

(15:22) COVID and the explosion to nearly 200 stores

(17:50) Copper's remote and hybrid management model

(19:40) What's next, and the cost of scaling too fast

(24:08) How technology transformed self storage

(30:49) Five things that make or break a storage deal

(38:03) Why a diversified client base lowers risk

Resources Mentioned:

Copper Storage Management | Website

https://copperstoragemanagement.com

Brett Copper | LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-copper-750672171/

Cubby | Website

https://www.cubbystorage.com

Thank you for listening to "Students of Storage." Be sure to leave us a 5-star review and subscribe so you don't miss an episode.

#SelfStorage #StorageInvesting #Entrepreneurship #CubbyStorage #BusinessGrowth

Karl Graham, Co-Founder of Luminous Capital, joins Matt Engfer to share his journey from oil and gas exploration to building a growing self-storage platform across the heartland.

After spending a decade making high-stakes investment decisions in a volatile and capital-intensive industry, Karl realized he wanted something different. He wanted to build a business where execution, discipline, and team performance had a greater impact than external forces. That shift ultimately led him into self storage.

In this episode, Karl walks through how Luminous Capital scaled from individual syndications to launching a fund, why geographic focus creates a real operational edge, and how disciplined underwriting and risk management have shaped their growth. He also shares how his team is leveraging data, marketing, and AI. This includes analyzing tens of thousands of customer calls to improve sales performance and building more advanced revenue management systems to stay competitive in today’s market.

This conversation is a practical look at what it takes to build and operate a successful storage business today and why the days of easy storage are behind us.

Key Takeaways:

(0:00) Intro

(2:19) Karl’s background in oil and gas and transition to self storage

(13:34) Why he chose self storage over other real estate asset classes

(24:12) Why geographic focus creates a competitive advantage

(28:22) How Luminous operates remotely with local teams

(33:20) How Luminous creates value for self-storage businesses in today’s market

(36:33) Growing the Operation and Taking Next Steps

(42:36) Using data and AI to improve operations and sales

(49:10)  Revenue management, pricing strategies, and AI agents

Resources Mentioned:

Luminous Capital | Website

https://www.luminouscapital.com

Cubby | Website

https://www.cubbystorage.com



Thank you for listening to “Students of Storage.” Be sure to leave us a 5-star review and subscribe so you don’t miss an episode.

Jeff Greenberger, a nationally recognized self-storage attorney and founder of Late2Lien, joins Matt Engfer to explain why lien enforcement isn’t dangerous—but getting it wrong absolutely is.

With more than 30 years of experience serving the self-storage industry, Jeff walks through the real legal risks operators face when notices, timelines, disclosures, or documentation aren’t handled precisely. From evolving state statutes and California’s increasingly complex disclosure requirements to tenant tactics pulled straight from Reddit, this episode exposes how small operational missteps can quickly turn into lawsuits.

Jeff also shares why “compliance is king,” how technology can remove human error from the lien process, and how Late2Lien was built to take responsibility off managers’ plates while protecting owners from liability. The conversation blends legal insight, real-world examples, and practical guidance that every operator—large or small—can apply immediately.

Key Takeaways:

(0:00) Intro

(1:47) Jeff's story

(4:56) Shaping the legal landscape of self-storage

(7:52) Current legal issues Jeff’s clients are facing

(11:12) Making sure clients are limiting risk and exposure to litigation

(12:24) CA & PA Bills impacting rates and lien statutes

(19:46) Reddit threads creating risk for self-storage owners: Credit Cards

(22:31) Reddit threads about change of address scams

(26:14) How does Late2Lien work?

(33:28) Late2Lien helps avoid the sale

(34:54) How Cubby and Late2Lien work together  

Resources Mentioned:

Late2Lien | Website

https://www.late2lien.com

Jeff Greenberger | Self Storage Law

https://www.selfstoragelegal.com/

Cubby | Website

https://www.cubbystorage.com

Thank you for listening to “Students of Storage.” Be sure to leave us a 5-star review and subscribe so you don’t miss an episode.

#SelfStorage #SelfStorageLaw #StudentsOfStorage

Kale Leavitt, CEO of StorageReach, joins Matt Engfer to break down why Google Reviews have become one of the most powerful—and most misunderstood—drivers of growth in self-storage.

Drawing on nearly a decade of experience in storage marketing, Kale explains how reviews impact far more than reputation. From organic rankings and paid search performance to leasing velocity and customer trust, reviews now touch every part of the renter’s decision-making process. He shares what he learned while helping grow SEO services from zero to nearly 1,500 facilities, and how those lessons led to building StorageReach as a review-first platform designed specifically for self storage.

In this episode, Kale walks through the mechanics behind quality, quantity, and consistency in review generation, why “spikes” hurt more than they help, and how automation allows operators to generate steady reviews without overwhelming tenants. The result is a practical, system-based approach to turning reviews into measurable business performance.

Key Takeaways:

(0:00) Intro

(1:34) Kale's story

(4:16) The beginning and growth of StorageReach

(7:11) Marketing lessons learned from the early days

(9:00) The MVP of StorageReach and getting Google reviews

(11:41) Checking the boxes of getting reviews and seeing results

(14:44) Effective ways to get positive review and avoid negative reviews

(19:56) Working alongside Google

(22:21) What’s next for StorageReach

Resources Mentioned:

Kale Leavitt | LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kale-leavitt-9063488b/

StorageReach | Website

https://storagereach.com

Cubby | Website

https://www.cubbystorage.com

Thank you for listening to “Students of Storage.” Be sure to leave us a 5-star review and subscribe so you don’t miss an episode.



#SelfStorageReviews #StorageMarketing #StudentsOfStorage

Magen Smith, Co-Founder and CEO of Atomic Storage Group, joins Matt Engfer to share how disciplined execution, strong fundamentals, and a people-first mindset have fueled one of the fastest-growing third-party management companies in self storage.

Magen walks through her unconventional path into the industry—from accounting and consulting to development and ultimately building Atomic Storage Group into a national platform. She explains why marketing is often the first indicator of operational health, which metrics truly matter in a property audit, and how consistent execution across marketing, operations, and customer experience creates long-term success.

Rather than chasing shortcuts or shiny tools, this episode reinforces a simple truth: doing the basics well, every day, at scale is what separates average operators from great ones.

Key Takeaways:

(0:00) Intro

(3:13) Magen's story

(7:14) The metrics that matter in a property audit

(9:23) How do you compete in today's market

(10:18) Managing all aspects of the facility

(12:37) Doing it well everyday - it's all about execution

(15:34) Building an effective team

(18:07) A diverse group of managed properties

(19:16) The secret is, there is no secret - hard work and a great team make the difference

(20:56) The growth and future of Atomic Storage Group and self storage

(25:46) What's ahead for Cubby in 2026

Resources Mentioned:

Magen Smith | LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/magensmithcpa

Atomic Storage Group | Website

https://atomicstoragegroup.com

Cubby | Website

https://www.cubbystorage.com

Thank you for listening to “Students of Storage.” Be sure to leave us a 5-star review and subscribe so you don’t miss an episode.

#SelfStorageManagement #StorageMarketing #StudentsOfStorage

Self-storage attorney Scott Zucker and Luke Shardlow, CEO of AI Lean, join host Matt Engfer for a deep dive into one of the most critical—and risky—parts of operating a storage facility: the lien process. Together, they discuss the legal responsibilities operators carry when enforcing tenant liens, why accuracy and documentation matter more than ever, and how technology can help reduce human error, avoid legal pitfalls, and keep operators fully compliant.

Scott highlights the newest challenges around SCRA protection, bankruptcy filings, returned mail, and changing state laws, while Luke explains how AI Lean’s platform automates verification, mailing, tracking, and recordkeeping to protect operators at every step.

Whether you’re a new operator or managing a large portfolio, this episode gives you the practical tools and insights you need to navigate liens with confidence—and avoid costly mistakes.

(01:47) Speaker Introductions

(09:14) Understanding SCRA compliance and military verification.

(10:09) The Power and Responsibility the go along with the lien process

(15:20) Technology considerations for staying SCRA compliant

(19:30) How bankruptcy impacts the lien timeline.

(21:28) Complications that come from deceased tenants

(23:00) What operators should look for in a lien-processing partner

(26:53) Don’t be afraid to cancel the sale

(29:58) Solutions to avoiding a cancelled or illegal sale

(36:00) Final lessons learned

Resources Mentioned:

Scott Zucker | Website

https://wzlegal.com

AI Lean | Website

https://www.ailean.com

Self Storage Legal Network

https://www.selfstorage.org/Products-Services/Self-Storage-Legal-Network

Cubby | Website

https://www.cubbystorage.com

Thank you for listening to the Cubby Podcast. Be sure to leave us a 5-star review and subscribe so you don’t miss an episode.

#SelfStorage #SelfStorageLienLaw #AILean #SelfStorageLegal #CubbyStorage #StorageOperations