Self storage was profitable enough, for long enough, that nobody had to fix what was broken underneath. Rob Kapp argues that is exactly why the industry sits 20 to 30 years behind on technology, and why the margin compression operators feel today is finally forcing the issue. As he puts it, the profits masked the inefficiencies. Now that it is a six to ten percent margin game, they cannot.

Rob started in storage 26 years ago as an owner operator and built a top 100 portfolio in North Carolina, running remote operations for 25 years. Five years ago he founded Keep It Simple Storage to build the technology he could never find for his own business. He joins Michael Brevdeh of Cubby for a conversation about what actually has to change in a storage operation, and in what order.

The through line is that technology is not the first step. Rob and Michael both make the case that you fix the operating model, the processes, and the seats people sit in, and only then do you add tools and scale. Every operator says they want to double this year. You cannot do it on a cracked foundation.

Along the way Rob shares the experiment that doubled his conversion rate by moving the rental into the app, why a manager will quietly sabotage a rollout if nobody explains the why, and the conversation with his daughter on her first day in the family business that convinced him to start a technology company. He and Michael also take apart the objection they hear at every trade show, that older customers will not use technology, with evidence from a Florida campfire and a 91 year old neighbor with an Apple Watch.

This is a practical conversation for owners and operators who are tired of trading one problem for another.

Key Takeaways:

(0:00) Intro

(1:04) Meet Rob Kapp and Keep It Simple Storage

(2:31) Why Rob built KISS after 25 years of remote operations

(4:51) How storage fell 30 years behind, and why the margins changed that

(6:43) The app-first rental experiment that doubled conversion

(8:19) Two kinds of owners, and why the rental experience decides

(12:20) Adding new tools without losing the human touch

(14:27) Pump the brakes on AI: drive the outcome, then pick the tool

(16:17) Rewriting the storage manager job description

(18:13) What self storage can borrow from multifamily

(21:53) Getting managers bought in before a rollout

(23:53) Specialization, and why you cannot scale on a cracked foundation (26:46) The conversation with his daughter that started the company

(29:54) The myth that older customers will not use technology

(31:54) Closing thoughts

Resources Mentioned:

Keep It Simple Storage | Website https://keepitsimplestorage.com

Keep It Simple Storage | LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/kissstorage

Rob Kapp | LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-kapp-7a543210/

Cubby | Website https://www.cubbystorage.com

Thank you for listening to Students of Storage. If this episode gave you something you can use, please leave us a five star review and subscribe so you do not miss the next one.

Chris Michaels turned to self-storage in 2019 while broke and behind on bills, and closed his first wholesale deal about a week after he started. Today he leads The Storage Rebellion, the community he first joined as a beginner. In this episode he sits down with host Tully Hannan to talk about what it actually takes to buy your first facility in a market that is far more competitive than the one he started in.

The core message is simple. Studying the business is not the same as doing the business, and the people around you are what move you from one to the other. Chris makes the case that you learn the fundamentals, then put them into practice by taking real action, and you do it faster when you are surrounded by other investors walking the same path.

Chris is practical about how deals get found today. He walks through sourcing on Google Maps, TractIQ, listing sites, brokers, and even Facebook Marketplace, then explains why fewer, deeper relationships beat blasting hundreds of mailers. He also covers the conversations most new investors dread, the follow-up cadence that keeps you top of mind, and the deal-killers he looks for when he walks a property.

If you have been consuming storage content for months without making a move, this conversation is a clear nudge toward action, plus a reminder that the right room can carry you further than any amount of solo research.

Key Takeaways:

(1:25) Broke to first deal in about seven days

(8:44) Take action before you feel ready: escaping the information-overload trap

(10:47) Find the deal first, and the money will follow

(11:05) How to have seller conversations without selling yourself

(14:37) The follow-up cadence that turns a "not now" into a future deal

(17:36) Inside The Storage Rebellion's three groups and why community matters (22:15) The day-after-closing checklist for a new facility

(26:32) Deal-killers to look for on a property walk: roof, water, drainage, access, security

(31:58) Where to find deals today: Google Maps, TractIQ, brokers, and Facebook Marketplace

(37:43) You rise to the level of your environment

(40:19) Why 30 solid relationships beat 600 mailers

Resources Mentioned:

The Storage Rebellion | Website

https://thestoragerebellion.com

Cubby | Website

https://www.cubbystorage.com

Thank you for listening to "Students of Storage." Be sure to leave us a 5-star review and subscribe so you don't miss an episode.

#SelfStorage #SelfStorageInvesting #CubbyStorage #BusinessGrowth #StorageRebellion

Owners do not hand over their facilities lightly. What earns that trust is not a pitch, it is operational excellence delivered every day by a team that follows through. In this episode JC Reed lays out how a third-party manager builds an operation owners want to stick with, from the systems that hold up at scale to the attention to detail that sophisticated owners notice.

JC spent 12 years at Public Storage, rising to senior regional vice president over 80 to 100-plus locations across Washington, Hawaii, and Idaho. He later helped build the platform at Store Space, spent time at BlueGate Storage under Madison Capital Group, and now leads operations and revenue management at All-Purpose Storage, which has grown past 87 facilities as it expands into third-party management. He brings the operational discipline of a national REIT to a fast-moving, entrepreneurial team.

This is a practical conversation for owners, operators, and managers. JC explains what makes Public Storage's execution so hard to replicate, why systems that run three stores fall apart at twenty, how he rebuilt a broken collections process, and how a remote-management model keeps unmanned sites looking as sharp as staffed ones. He is candid about what actually differentiates a manager over the long term: talent, care, follow-through, and living your core values. It is not just a number to his team, and that is why owners keep handing over the keys.

Key Takeaways:

(4:52) Why retail and franchise backgrounds build operators who can coach, develop, and hold a team accountable

(12:43) The operational excellence JC saw at Public Storage and works to replicate: SOP discipline, ROI on every decision, and reliance on data

(16:33) Why scaling breaks what works: systems that run three stores fall apart at twenty, and at eighty without real process

(21:22) Rebuilding a broken collections and auction process from over 20% down to industry-leading, within state lien law

(24:17) Revenue management as an operational discipline: ancillary income like solar, truck parking clubs, and protection plans

(26:11) Know who you are: pricing to your facility's life cycle and position in the market

(29:01) Testing and iterating on rate increases instead of guessing

(31:41) What actually differentiates a third-party manager: talent, care, and follow-through

(32:17) A remote-management model that keeps unmanned sites looking sharp, and onboarding that earns owner trust

(34:46) Why technology and AI have become table stakes for operating at scale

(39:21) JC's why: family, the people he works with, and the owners who entrust their assets

Resources Mentioned:

All-Purpose Storage Management | Website

https://www.allpurposemanagement.com/

JC Reed | LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jc-reed-74977518/

Cubby | Website

https://www.cubbystorage.com

Thank you for listening to "Students of Storage." Be sure to leave us a 5-star review and subscribe so you don't miss an episode.

#SelfStorage #ThirdPartyManagement #CubbyStorage #BusinessGrowth