While there is an upside to running your own business the downside exists as well. The responsibility for the success of the company falls upon you. Employees will be counting on their jobs to feed their families. As the business owner not only do you have your own time and energy invested in it, but chances are a lot of your own money. [More]

The Internet is fast becoming a way for customers to search for self storage facilities, but the simple phone call is still the most prevalent way a customer gets information. Statistics show 93 percent of all renters call a facility first and their main question is what size units are available. During the few minutes a salesperson is on the phone, he must build a rapport with the customer and hopefully make the sale. But some employees interact better with customers in person. Mystery shopping is a way to evaluate phone sales and train staff in handling telephone communications with customers looking for self storage. [More]

Starting a business is generally one of the proudest moments of people’s lives. It is the chance to see a dream realized and become something more than just thoughts and ideas. It is also a great way to take control of the financial well-being of you and your family by becoming your own boss. The feeling of success when your business thrives is unparalleled. [More]

Overall, during the past few years the self storage market has proven to be recession-resilient and this has led to many acquisitions for investment. There is a bubble of safety around the storage business because of a constant growing demand. Just this week in a major purchase, Virtus, an Austin, Texas, based real estate private equity firm has purchased 20 self storage facilities throughout the southeastern U.S., totaling 1,000,000 sq. ft. of space at a cost of $50 million. [More]

Sometimes you have to give a little in order to get a lot. You have to spend money in order to make money. However you put it, it has been shown in the past in many different industries, not just the self storage one, that when businesses give things away they tend to get repaid in loyal customers and probably even more customers through referrals. [More]

Two Tulane University professors have designed a 1,000 sq. ft. house that breaks down to fit entirely into a portable storage unit, ready for shipping. The National Portable Storage Association (NPSA) is promoting the concept, designed by Judith Kinnard, professor of architecture and Tiffany Lin, assistant professor of architecture. [More]

A highlight for many people can be when they become business owners. It’s a tremendous accomplishment in life and one that a person should be proud of. However, just owning a business is the easy part; making it profitable is the real challenge. For that you not only need customers, but more importantly need employees that want to work for you. [More]

Another storage facility has just joined the eco-friendly club by offering recycling services as other storage businesses are converting to green practices such as solar paneling and assessing their level of sustainability. [More]

Around the holidays there is a lot of press generated about how many self storage facilities around the country lend a helping hand to those that are less fortunate acting as donation drops for toy, clothing, and food drives for a number of organizations. For many self storage companies the helping hand does not end there. [More]

The immense popularity of two new reality shows on the auctioning of storage units has brought droves of “newbies” to the bidding scene. It’s the thrill of the hunt, some say, that attracts new bidders more than the prospect of making money. But for the serious and experienced bidders, Ebay or Craigslist are the places they take their wares and hope to earn a pretty penny. [More]