Teen Entrepreneur Opens Self-Storage Facility in Sydney, Canada

Jase Lachowiez, a 19-year-old entrepreneur, opened CoastGuard Self Storage in Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada. The facility at 300 Stable Drive in Harbourside Industrial Park comprises 9,000 square feet in 68 drive-up units. It also offers outdoor vehicle storage, according to a source.

“I’ve been always interested in business, finance and real estate from a super young age,” said Lachowiez.

Rather than pursuing a long academic program in college, he decided to enter the workforce as quickly as possible and obtained his real-estate license. One of his first opportunities was in self-storage, which he discovered thanks to his grandfather.

“My grandfather was looking for storage and he told me he couldn’t find a single spot. So, I looked into it a little bit more, ran some numbers about how much storage is here currently and how much storage needs to be here to fill that demand,” Lachowiez said. “It looked like we [had] a shortage of self-storage. The population here has been growing over the past few years, so I just went for it after that.”

CoastGuard opened in September and had a waiting list, but Lachowiez said making his business a reality took a year due to construction delays, dealing with the municipality on zoning laws and securing funding. As the business stabilizes, he plans to add more units, the source reported.

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“I found out there was demand for self-storage, so I went out and I wanted to deliver a product that not only meets the demand but also enhances the customer experience,” he said. “It was a lot of work. I did take a risk, but we got it done.”

Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada-based CoastGuard opened in 2024 and offers both drive-up and outdoor vehicle storage.

Source: Teen Entrepreneur Starts Self-Storage Business in Sydney