Staffing

Many developers, investors and operators believe the self-storage industry is recession-proof. However, the weakened economy, fueled by the subprime lending crisis, poor credit market, historically high gas prices and one of the worst housing slumps in history has had a negative impact on the industry. The question now is: What can a self-storage operator do to improve facility performance?Teamwork and ...

Although self-storage operators often fixate on site “security,” not enough emphasis is placed on “safety.” While these two seem to go hand in hand, it’s important to review safety issues regularly, two to four times per year. Here’s what should be evaluated: Gates. Gates are a great security item for any self-storage site. Most every facility that uses them has the electronic ...

A lot of self-storage operators out there believe they provide site security simply because they have keypads, cameras and other similar equipment. What they don't realize is the technology doesn't run itself. It’s the person behind the counter who is managing the business! It's the manager who does regular lock checks, reviews the surveillance tapes and keeps the software up-to-date. ...

Most self-storage facilities experience a period during the month that managers refer to as “slow time” or “downtime.” For the most part, we have an opportunity to use that time productively, potentially earning an edge over the competition. Many facilities have heavier traffic on weekends or days leading up to the weekend. Many stores, too, have workloads that pile up toward the ...

Sales is about figuring out how to make the buying process less complicated but more attractive, streamlined and frequent. Sometimes it requires a lot of tweaking to current practices and fundamental shifts in strategy. There’s an old military adage that says, “No plan survives first contact with the enemy.” In other words, the best planning only lasts until the barrage begins; ...