Springtime is a time of new growth in the natural world. Trees and shrubs are starting to leaf out. Tulips and daffodils are blooming. Many animals give birth to their young. It’s a time of coming out of hibernation and the doldrums of winter. The world of self storage seems to be coming out of hibernation, too. Additions are being added to facilities while other facilities are finding buyers. [More]

In Sarasota, Florida, Quality Self Storage purchased a self storage facility for $1.7 million dollars. This amount is almost half of the price that it was valued at eight years ago in 2004. The current owner paid $3.28 million for the business at that time. The facility has over 93,000 square-feet and was built 39 years ago. This was the second self storage business in the area that was sold in the last several months. [More]

Success can be a very difficult thing to achieve no matter what the target goal is with anything less than a complete, whole-hearted effort by any and everyone involved. Anything less than 100 percent is quite likely to flirt with disaster and failure rather than success. Many believe that if you are not going to give your best effort you might as well not try; hence a saying that is true in the self storage industry and anywhere else—go big or go home. [More]

During a troubled economy it can be tough to for a business to keep its doors open let alone turn a profit. However, some business—like the self storage industry—have been able to thrive when many business are struggling. In fact, the self storage industry has become the picture of growth during hard times. [More]

People tend to like people who like people. It may sound strange, but think about it. Do you want to be friends or do business with someone who is not personable? Of course not! When it comes to friendship and business it helps to be social! For the business realm though, being social takes on a whole new meaning. [More]

History repeats itself. At least that’s what the historians tell us. Examples of this repetition include the killing of the Jews during World War II. The Rwandan genocide between the Tutsis and the Hutus happened in 1994. And in 2003, one of the worst humanitarian genocides in the world happened in Darfur.

Those are extremely unhappy times when history repeated itself. Today, I’d like to mention a much happier type of example of history repeating itself. – and that example is the growth of Amsdell Companies. [More]

Remember the children's book The Little Engine That Could? The engine had a heavy load of cargo to pull up a steep hill. As the engine struggled and strained, he kept repeating the words, "I think I can. I think I can. I think I can." With lots of focus, positive attitude, and hard work, the engine made it to the top of the hill.

Compass Self Storage reflects the attributes portrayed in the story: vision, hard work, dedication, and positive thinking. Because of these traits, the self storage business has increased over the years into a very respectable business. Recently it acquired five additional properties in the greater Cincinnati area. [More]

Many problems that society faces are considered so large in scale that many individuals don’t feel the urgency to act. They believe that their miniscule contribution will not make a difference so they need not bother to put forth the effort. What they fail to realize that in refusing to fight the good fight at all they just make sure that failure is eminent. [More]

Amsdell Cos., a Cleveland-based self storage investment company is rapidly growing its portfolio in metro Detroit, Mich. The company purchased properties in Flat Rock, Fraser and Shelby Township. It has added to three other Michigan self storage facilities and one Pittsburgh, Pa. facility purchased by them since August. [More]