Gabfocus Self Storage Podcast

Customer service makes all the difference. You can have a fantastic self storage facility with a great location that is beautifully clean, but if your customer service is terrible you won't rent a unit. Lee Creech joins the webinar today to share his tips, tricks, and basic principles from his years of experience working in the hotel industry as well as self storage. He explores the art of simply talking with people and the importance of learning about your customers. From difficult conversations, to dealing with deliquent payments, to enforcing the rules, we cover all the elements it takes to provide exceptional customer service. Guests: Lee Creech, Northshore Pellissippi Storage Hosts: Tommy Nguyen & Melissa Huff Brought to you by the teams at StoragePug and Lighthouse Storage Solutions

There is a question in the self storage industry that brings to light just about everything you need to know about a tenant. Will they rent long term? Will they pay their bill? Are they a business owner? Are they a security risk? Do they need climate control storage? One simple question unlocks the door to all of these answers. This question changes the dynamic of a conversation and shifts the control from potential tenant to the manager.  So what is this all important question? You'll have to listen to find out. Hosts: Josh Huff & Melissa Huff Produced by Lighthouse Storage Solutions

Are you even doing trade shows right? There's a right way to do a trade show, and then there's just wasting your time and money. This is just one of many topics we cover as we return to the mics and gab all about the recent Self Storage Association Fall Conference in Las Vegas a few weeks back. We learned alot, from Google updates, to data analytics, to AI do's and don'ts. Plus, we share some of our tips for vendors looking to get more people visiting their booths. We've got some praises as well as pet peeves to hand out. We hope you find our insights... insightful, and that you make plans to head to a trade show in the near future. And if you do plan on going to one, make sure you do it right. Hosts: Josh Huff & Melissa Huff Produced by Lighthouse Storage Solutions

The Fall Conference season officially kicks off this week with the SSA Fall Conference & Expo in Las Vegas. With more shows than a person possibly attend over the next few months, how to do you know what is the right show for you? How do you get the most out of your trade show? And should you even attend one? We discuss a few of our tips and tricks for navigating show season, a few things to consider as you think about going to a show, and a few essentials to pack while you travel. This episode is short and sweet, because it's show time. Hosts: Josh Huff & Melissa Huff Produced by Lighthouse Storage Solutions

Matt Enger, co-founder of Cubby Storage, joins us to talk about his journey into self storage. From his beginnings storing artwork, to the development of Cubby, he has used his tech background to increase efficiency and enhance the customer experience in a variety of industries. We also dive into self storage software, which has become integral to running just about every facility in the country. What are the needs owners have? What should software do? We cover this and a ton more as we examine his origin story. Guest: Matt Engfer, Cubby Storage Hosts: Josh Huff & Melissa Huff Produced by Lighthouse Storage Solutions

Experts from 6Storage, Storable, Storage Commander, and Storeganise join us to talk all about software. Good self storage software can make all the difference for both the customer experience and the manager/owner. What functionality should software have? How should it interact with security, call centers, and payment portals? What are the pain points operators are trying to overcome? And of course, what's coming in the next few years? From integrations, to customer interactions, to management needs, our guests overview what you should be looking for in a software system. Guests: Jason Palmer (Storable), Alyssa Winkelman (6Storage), Steve Smith (Storage Commander), and Jack Colemanzo (Storeganise) Hosts: Tommy Nguyen & Melissa Huff Brought to you by the teams at StoragePug and Lighthouse Storage Solutions

Tommy Nguyen, founder of StoragePug, shares his origins both in the US and in self storage. From his humble beginnings coming to America from Vietnam, to his early days in tech after UT, to the beginnings of his company StoragePug, we hear all about his amazing journey. He discusses his personal story, the heart behind StoragePug, and his thoughts on the self storage industry's past and future. Guest: Tommy Nguyen, StoragePug Hosts: Josh Huff & Melissa Huff Produced by Lighthouse Storage Solutions

What data matters in self storage? Where do you get it? James McLean from Radius+ joins Tommy and Melissa to discuss all the analytics you can handle. It can be hard to sort through all the available data out there from your website to your online profiles to your management software. We discuss the tools that are available and the key data to keep track of to keep your business competitive and successful. Hosts: Tommy Nguyen & Melissa Huff Guest: James McLean with Radius+ Brought to you by the teams at StoragePug and Lighthouse Storage Solutions

Welcome to Episode 2 of Legal Chat. This virtual "Power Hour" covers a variety of topics and questions sent in from self storage owners and operators around the country. Today we cover the recently passed legislation regarding non-monetary defaults, the ability to enforce unsigned leases, properly disclosing fees, force-placing tenant insurance, laws against junk fees, legal tips for taking over a troubled facility, and much more. You can watch this episode over on their YouTube channel- Legal Chat Episode 2 Make sure to subscribe to watch future episodes. Hosts: Carlos Kaslow & Scott Zucker with the Self Storage Legal Network Brought to you by Lighthouse Storage Solutions

In this special 100th episode, we revisit our very first topic from two years ago- work life balance. Whether you own a business or just work for one, the motivation behind your work ethic drives everything you do, from the amount of time you spend with your family to the effort you put into your job. We discuss our own work life balance, the "Why" behind Lighthouse Storage Solutions, and some things to consider as you examine the relationship between your personal and professional endeavors. Hosts: Josh Huff & Melissa Huff Produced by Lighthouse Storage Solutions