I have to start out by saying….I love dogs! I can’t remember a time in my life that I didn’t have a dog and I understand the beauty and companionship that dog owners feel about their pets. So, I can understand when facility managers bring their pets to...
It can be stated without hyperbole that the quality of data in the self-storage industry is severely lacking. Since the inception of the industry, we’ve seen the proverbial chicken and the egg situation: Owner-operators complain that industry data isn’t...
Having the specific skills for a particular job is important, but even the most qualified job applicant may not pan out if there is a poor “fit” between the position and the workplace. Whether one wants to call it job or corporate culture, work...
When I set out to start my company, I knew it was important to choose the right mix of employees. I wanted a group of smart, creative, problem solvers with open minds and strong work ethics. Ideally, everyone on the team would get along, be invested in...
Many businesses live by the notion that “the customer is king” and strive to provide exceptional customer service befitting of royalty. Others stand by the claim that “the customer is always right,” thus employees should do whatever it takes to make the...
Rancho Cordova, CA, January 20, 2023 – Everbrite Coatings, the manufacturer of the industry’s most durable restoration clear-coating, officially announces that StoragePRO Management is the first self-storage management company to join their Top Operator...
Within the self-storage industry, many of the most successful operators live by the notion that their property managers are their greatest assets. Considering that the managers represent “the face” of the facility, interacting with a site’s customers on...
Though it’s not always immediately apparent, evolution is all around us. The items we use are continually being improved, updated, or upgraded. Buildings are renovated. People, plants, and animals mature. Habits, lifestyles, and trends change....
It’s a great time to be in the self-storage industry, isn’t it? It is also a great time to check on where you stand with your goals and take actions to correct any deficiencies or give yourself a pat on the back for exceeding your goals!
With leasing...
The self-storage industry has developed dozens of specialty products over the past decades to add an element of product diversity and accommodate the needs of specific markets. To attract business customers, some operators find that offering leasable...
The writing has been on the wall—at least on the walls of the internet for several years. Most business activity is being conducted online. The self-storage industry has seen much of their business convert to online, and that includes the business of...
Several neuroscience principles limit our ability to creatively solve problems and generate innovative ideas. Understanding some of these principles can help you optimize your creative thinking and innovation processes.
The brain stores no fuel and...
With the shift to our new virtual world, you have probably found it more difficult to build and sustain professional relationships. Yet, the virtual technologies we are all using have actually expanded our opportunities to network and build connections....
The employee’s request had a certain degree of logic. He had just received a prescription for medical marijuana from a naturopathic physician. Could he get permission to smoke the substance on the job?
The employee argued that Colorado—the state where...
It’s a nightmare scenario that haunts every business owner: A troubled individual’s simmering anger boils over into an act of workplace violence. The mass shooting by an ex-employee at an Indianapolis FedEx facility in April was only the latest in an...
On May 20, 2020, Storage Asset Management (SAM), the largest privately owned third-party self-storage management company in the United States, celebrated its 10-year anniversary. Founded in 2010 by Jay Hoke, president and managing partner, and Alyssa...
By Erica Shatzer
In March, no one could have predicted that COVID-19 would be an ongoing issue and topic of discussion in November. Even though we are growing more accustomed to the “new normal” each passing day, with face masks becoming more of a...
By Erica Shatzer
The year is 2020, and self-storage facilities built during the development cycle before the Great Recession are either two decades old or close to that 20-year milestone. Twenty years really isn’t a long time for an edifice to be...
By Andy Kelly, Principal and Broker of A B Kelly Realty, LLC (Self Storage and Commercial Property Management) and Principal of Sierra Self Storage Consulting, LLC
I started in the storage business in 1992 as an area manager. The industry had very...
As businesses suffer, including self-storage operations, there are some inevitable questions that apply to managing staff, especially those that have tested positive for the virus or are caring for family members that are sick. Further, as revenue...
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate fell from 3.8 percent in March 2019 to 3.6 percent in April—the lowest jobless rate the country has seen since December 1969. While this is wonderful news, many employers are having...
I’m talking about our telephone and walk-in greeting process and the questions and command of the situation that determine how things will proceed. Your initial greeting has to be more than just a smile and pleasantries while seated behind your desk.
...
StorQuest’s Philosophy For Business And Life
Over two and a half decades ago, William “Bill” Warren Hobin was working for a large, regional home builder when he took notice to the lack of closets and storage space in newly constructed homes....
Similar to star triathletes, the best self-storage managers have the necessary skills to conquer various territories—on site, off site, and in cyber space. From customer service and sales to property maintenance and marketing, they know that focusing on...
Recruiting And Retaining Managers
Hiring an employee can either be the best move your company has ever made, or it can be the biggest mistake. Per the Society of Human Resources Management, on average, it costs an employer $4,000-plus to hire a new...
Within the self-storage industry, the notion that you only have one chance to make a first impression gets a substantial amount of consideration. From the property manager’s disposition and appearance to a facility’s curb appeal and cleanliness, plenty...
Finding the Right Path for Permits and Zoning
New self-storage facility developers have generally had luck moving their projects from the industrial and warehouse zones areas of many cities, but that doesn’t mean they’re not facing challenges from...
Handling Issues With Finesse
No one likes getting customer complaints, but, let’s face it, even the cleanest, best facilities will receive some customer complaints.
There are ways to handle customer complaints that will either make your facility look...
What’s A Self-Storage Manager To Do?
As odd as these stories have become, the solution to the type of tenants that seem to spend an inordinate amount of time at self-storage facilities, either in their closed unit or hanging out in the facility office,...
10 Tips For De-Hiring Managers
There are two things that are pretty certain in the job world: The first is that no one likes to be fired; the second is that no one likes to do the firing.
However, there are times when you may have to let one of your...
0