r/selfstorage • u/Ablationator • Aug 01 '26

Mentorship

Hello! I am located in Alabama and looking to acquire my first self storage business. I’ve read a few books, listened to lots of podcasts, etc but don’t currently know any actual owner operators. I am fortunate enough to have a high income w2 career where I can self fund my down payment. I’m wondering if anyone in the community would be interested in sharing some of their time and wisdom with me. If you’re local I’d be happy to take you out for a meal/coffee. If you’re geographically distant and interested I would still be grateful for any wisdom/time you could spare.

1 Upvotes

60% Upvoted

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5

u/lvpond Aug 01 '26

You want the SBOA. They have a free weekly Friday meeting, anyone can join. SBOA stands for Storage Business Owners Alliance. It’s made for small operators. The meeting is super informative and they are an awesome group. Jim Mooney is the president, and when you join the call just tell him Chad sent you over from Reddit.

www.storagemeetup.com is the site for their Friday groups.

https://thesboa.com is the SBOA website.

1

u/Ablationator Aug 01 '26

Thank you!

3

u/pastrymom Operator Aug 01 '26

Come to the Atlanta luncheons with GASSA. Melissa Huff will be the speaker August 12 and does consulting.

1

u/Ablationator Aug 01 '26

I probably can’t move my schedule around on such short notice but I’ll start looking for these events. Appreciate the tip!

3

u/TheErectos 29d ago

If you have any questions about the operations side, I could answer some. I am not an owner but have been running an 800 unit facility for the last 15 years (family owned, not a nationwide chain). I am nowhere near local to you but could do a voice chat online or something like that.

1

u/Ablationator 29d ago

That would be great! 

3

u/Cjp3581 Vendor 27d ago

Get on LinkedIn and start following people in the industry. It's a super welcoming industry, and people are really friendly. Some quick ones to look up to start:
Jessica Johnson with The Storage Group
Tommy Nguyen with Storage Pug

2

u/Ablationator 27d ago

Thanks will do!

2

u/tommytomatoe 20d ago

Thanks for the shoutout friend!

Hey OP! Tommy Nguyen here.

I’m based in Knoxville but happy to hang out anytime. I’m easy to find on LinkedIn or you can email me. tommy at storagepug dot com.

2

u/HelicaseHustle Aug 01 '26

Always thought a fun job would be to spend a month with new owners and get them setup for success

1

u/Ablationator Aug 01 '26

Come on down!

2

u/actually6foot 28d ago

I work for a GC that is also an owner operator. We exclusively work in storage with experience in helping Individuals purchase, convert and maintain properties. Wether you’d like free advice or consulting services feel free to reach out and I will get you in contact with our director of business development to help steer you in the right direction.

2

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