December 2018 Newsletter
Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!
Storage Authority® News
We want to take a moment and say thanks to all our family, friends, vendors and franchisees for being a part of our lives and success in 2018! We are forecasting 2019 to be a blockbuster year for self-storage and for Storage Authority Franchise owners.
As the holidays approach it’s often hard to concentrate on business. Self Storage rentals do tend to slow down around the holidays (December & January) but for us, it is the most important time of the year, as this is when we check & update just about everything. And plan and set our goals for next year.
Some of the many items checked off the 2018 Storage Authority list:
New franchise websites – rent online
Social Reputation platform provided for franchise owners
Cloud drive set up for easy access to manuals, forms, products etc
Office sign manual completed
12+ new approved vendors
Contractors & Designers added to our approved vendor list
National real estate broker added to our approved vendor list.
Updated Managers handbook
Storage Authority customized forms, emails, letter etc added to SiteLink management software
All systems & platforms reviewed and updated
Implemented Late 2 lien Auction program
Streamlined the getting started the process
Storage Authority registered in more states
Implemented the Dynamic Ease Series for Operations, Marketing and Sales.
Storage Authority Planning Highlights for 2019
Expand our services and improve our existing services to our franchise owners
Add a minimum of one new vendor a month to improve our Franchisees efficiency and profits.
Implement monthly training newsletter on new systems and technology for owners & managers.
Implement regular interviews and discussions with owners on pain points to find better ways we can serve Franchise owners.
Attend, present and meet friends at the April 2019 ISS World Self Storage Expo in Las Vegas
Provide training on new IOE tools
Provide guides and workshop on using website analytics for more profits
Provide guides and workshops on social marketing for more profits.
Provide guides and workshops on why website and google reviews will make you rich and how to get 10 reviews every single month.
1 new Franchise purchased per month
New franchisee facilities open in PA, NJ, TX, FL, NY, VT, MA & More
Time is running out to finish your Christmas shopping. Maybe a best selling self-storage book on development would be a good gift for someone you know? If so check out www.SelfStorageMarketing101.com You will find three books by our President Marc Goodin that will make your profits soar.
Our President was asked to be the moderator for a roundtable table discussion at the April Las Vegas, Inside Self Storage Expo. The topic is using available web data to make investment decisions for new self-storage development. It is going to be a great discussion. We hope to see you there. We would love to grab a coffee with you? Give Garret a call at 941-928-1354 to set up a time to grab a coffee together.
If you missed Marc’s two articles about self-storage feasibility studies in the ISS magazine here are the links:
Click Here to Read _____________________________________
As part of our Dynamic Ease Self Storage Development Series, we help our franchisees around the development landmines, including finding land, designing, financing and building a premier self-storage facility and to understand the options and prepare accordingly. _____________________________________ If you want to learn more about Storage Authority Franchise there is a wealth of information on our website www.StorageAuhorityFranchise.com Don’t forget to check out “Why Storage Authority” and our blog/newsroom. Then the next step is to apply on our website or email or call Garrett Byrd (Garrett@StorageAuthority.com or Direct 941-928-1354)
Vendor Highlight
Our vendor list is growing every month. Instead of highlighting a single vendor this month we want to give you two actual examples of how important quality pre-approved vendors are and how they make our franchisees successful.As Ed prepares to open his Storage Authority Franchise this month he has a ton of last minute things to do:
He did not have to find a quality shirt vendor. A call to our approved shirt vendor and to quality logo polo shirts was on the way.
A call to our lock supplier and Storage Authority logo locks were delivered.
No need to worry about gate & office signage. They are all detailed in a manual by our office & gate sign vendor and available with a couple of clicks. Again no need to reinvent the wheel.
Business cards, rack cards, marketing cards – a couple of minutes on our printers website and pre-designed marketing materials personalized to the Franchises store are on the way.
Time to use Sitelink management software to the maximum. No problem it comes preloaded with Storage Authority late schedule and fees, letters, emails, notices etc.
If a client does not pay – no problem they go right into the Late 2 Lien auction program when they hit 30 days late. Putting renters in the auction at 30 days vs 60, 90 or when you get around to, increases your profits.
With a simple call our insurance vendor Storsmart, the insurance is loaded into SiteLink and ED is ready to protect his investment and collect added income for each renter.
And our vendors are also a huge part of your quality construction process. Just last week on another facility under construction shop drawings was submitted for review and it was easy to make them upgrade the proposed product:
When your contractor submits shop drawings for aluminum decorative perimeter fencing with 1/4″ pickets you refer them back to the fencing detail by our approved vendor in their contract – Steel (not aluminum) with 1/2″ pickets not 1/4″
Same goes for other construction items like the kiosk, gate systems, buildings etc where pre-approved vendors and their specifications save our franchisees time and money.
You can see a hand full of approved vendors (below) and on the home page of our website www.StoageAuthorityFranchise.com
9 Steps To Decide if Self Storage Is For You.
1. Make a written a list of why self-storage is for you. If you are not willing to take this step no need to go any further.
2. Set a time frame and date to decide if self-storage is right for you now. If you are not willing to take this step no need to go any further. Often 2 months is more than enough time to get the facts.
3. Read Marc Goodin’s 2 Self Storage books. If you are not willing to take this step no need to go any further.
4. Order the Inside Self Storage Magazine. While you are on the site you can search Marc Goodin for articles on self-storage development & marketing.
5. Count your cash. You need $450,000.
6. Make a list of the pros & cons. And update your list why self-storage is for you.
7. Share items 1-6 with your spouse.
8. Realize you will not have more time next year or the year after. If self-storage is for you, you will have to make the time. You could have and should have done items 1-7 in less than 2 weeks if you have a passion and goal of owning your own business.
9. Make a list of the first 20 things you will need to do to start your self-storage journey. If you got to this step and completed it congratulations I am sure you on the right track to owning a self-storage soon. _______________________________________ Storage Authority® experts are ready to help you every single step of the way, from finding land to building your facility, to operations, to driving your revenue year on year. If you have a question give us a call. Team up with the experts to save time and maximize your profits. Call Garrett at 941-928-1345 for more information.
ARE YOU READY?
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” –Wayne Gretzky
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What Makes You Happy and Excited to be Alive?
I love campfires! Marc Goodin CEO Storage Authority
A campfire provides a time to relax and enjoy time with friends and family!
Before I retired from my civil Engineering career in 2009 I maybe enjoyed a fire once every 5 years. Simple… no time. It is amazing how things change drastically when you decide what you want to do every day. I am guessing I had well over 60 fires in 2018.When you retire or semi-retire what will you do? When money and time is not an issue what will you do?
Maybe self-storage is the right vehicle to make your dreams come true. It was for me!
Just like Self Storage You Must Think Ahead and be prepared to enjoy your campfires
Clockwise
1) That’s my summer office. Notice the fire pit. I enjoyed a fire 3 times a week all summer2) That is my wife GP and two of her sisters. We never let a little rain get in the way of a good fire.
3) The first thing we did was install a wood stove in our cottage so we could enjoy a good fire and lunch on the fire during construction.
4) If you are going to have a fire you need wood. Here is my wife GP with 2 of her brothers ready to head home with a good load of wood.
Clockwise
1) While building our river cottage this fall we often had a fire going inside and out. The scrap construction wood keeps the fire going all the time.
2) When we are up north for Christmas we enjoy hanging out in the garage with the wood stove going. That me by GP’s brother wood stove in his huge garage. That stove can take 3-foot monster logs.
3) Our friends know to invite us over when they are going to have a fire. This fire is at our friends Daniel & Pauls cabin in the woods.
4) We converted our garage up north to a hangout with a pellet stove. It is always full of family and friends who just randomly stop by. Everyone loves the fire!
1) My favorite annual summer fire is when I cook a chicken and shish kabobs on my homemade tinfoil oven above my campfire.
2) I even bought my son Lee a fire pit for Christmas a couple of years back so we could sit back and relax when we visit. And his 2 young boys and Tiffany love it as well.
I am sure there are a ton of things you would do if you had more time. Would it be worth working hard for 5 years so you had all the time in the world to enjoy the things you love to do for the rest of your life?
Just a thought – No matter what, most people are likely going to be working hard anyway?
Please share! We Love Referrals.
Storage Authority 677 N Washington Blvd. Sarasota FL 34236
www.StorageAuthorityFranchise.com Garrett@StorageAuthority.com 1-941-928-1354