Work and family pressures tend to mount as daylight grows short, making winter a stressful season for even the most balanced self-storage professional. Though beginning and ending the workday in darkness seems to usher in challenges, the holiday season also can be rewarding as we reflect on the year behind us, set goals for the new year and carve out much-needed time with loved ones.
As usual, we’re wrapping up the year at the Inside Self-Storage Store with three of our most popular annual product releases, along with a special new series that packages together some of our best, evergreen educational video. Whether you’re a self-storage owner, manager, developer or investor shopping for yourself or a colleague, enriching oneself and others with professional insight and education is a gift with the power to reduce future stresses, encourage empowerment and build confidence.
Here is our 2018 holiday gift guide, highlighting our most recent new releases:
ISS 2018 Top-Operators Lists
Whether you’re looking to buy, sell or investigate existing and potential self-storage competition, few products in our inventory can match the breadth of information contained in our annual Top-Operators List Package.
Designed for industry investors, developers, owners and suppliers, this annual release offers vital data on the top 100 self-storage facility owners and top 50 third-party management companies, as determined and ranked by total net rentable square footage. Data includes the number of facilities owned and/or managed, number of units, operating names and locations, contact information for key personnel, company expansion plans and more.
The package includes an Excel spreadsheet containing complete list data as well as a 19-page PDF booklet presenting both lists in an easy-to-read format. It also contains a four-page report that analyzes growth, decline and general movement among this year's final list participants. It identifies companies in aggressive growth mode, others that are scaling back, and new up-and-comers in the business.
Self-Storage Mastery DVD Series
Last month, we released four Self-Storage Mastery DVD sets, offering facility owners and managers insight to career development, revenue management, sales and service, and staffing. Each set includes five DVDs with nearly four hours of content, packaging choice seminars recorded during recent ISS World Expo events.
The DVDs essentially work together as a best-of education series. The hand-selected sessions cover evergreen content essential to facility operators navigating their way through todays’ competitive environment. Each set offers valuable, in-depth knowledge from industry experts—all at significant savings compared to buying each individual session.
The individual sets are:
- Career Development: Covers issues important to facility managers’ professional growth, including goal-setting, communication skills, career progression, resume writing, motivation and more
- Revenue Management: Addresses issues important to facility operation including rental rates and other revenue streams, collections, expenses, and others
- Sales and Service: Teaches sales strategies and techniques, customer service and experience, relationship building, and more
- Staffing: Focuses on hiring, training and retaining qualified managers and staff, including recruitment, interviewing, compensation, motivation, work culture, legal compliance, etc.
These packages are a terrific way to help yourself or a colleague become a self-storage master. Follow the linked titles to review the individual sessions offered within each set.
2019 Monthly Maintenance Calendars and Guide
You may have noticed the self-storage industry has been in a bit of a development boom. Increased competition and the threat of market saturation mean curb appeal and operational efficiency take on added importance in attracting prospective tenants and preserving or enhancing self-storage property value. Poorly kept facilities can also increase safety hazards and expose operators to liability risks
Released this week, the Self-Storage Maintenance Package 2019: Monthly Task Calendars and Guide provides facility managers with detailed, customizable monthly calendars for 2019, breaking down tasks by day, week and season. It also includes a 64-page digital book containing expert advice on industry-related maintenance.
The monthly task calendars are color-coded for weekly, monthly, quarterly, seasonal and annual tasks. Each page also includes a list of daily maintenance responsibilities. Some months include callout reminders and tips for things like vacant-unit inspection and door cleaning. Contents are available through a downloadable zip file, which includes 12 individual calendars in PDF and Microsoft Word formats. The customizable Word templates allow managers to alter the calendars to fit their particular maintenance schedule and needs. A no-fuss, 12-month 2019 task calendar in PDF format is also included for those who wish to print the entire year without having to access individual files.
The “Self-Storage Maintenance Guide,” in PDF format, contains 23 articles related to facility maintenance. Topics include curb appeal, general tips and tricks, door cleaning and maintenance, pest control, roof care and maintenance, upkeep of security components, and service outsourcing.
2019 Guidebook Series
Though our annual Guidebook Series is still in production, keep your eye out for a formal announcement on the release of the 2019 Facility-Operation and Building/Investing books, which will be available for purchase in time for the holidays.
Each year the Guidebooks offer a comprehensive set of articles covering all aspects of the storage business. Whether you’re a facility owner, manager, investor or developer, the books are a treasure trove of expert insight designed to educate and be used as reference material year after year.
The Building/Investing Guidebook will appeal to those interested in self-storage investing as well as those who want to establish or expand an operation. This year’s book will address investing and real estate, finance and funding, development and planning, and design and construction.
The annual Facility-Operation Guidebook is designed for managers and owners. This year’s book offers more than 170 pages of insight to asset performance, money management, day-to-day operation, site safety, security, legal issues, insurance, staffing, career development, marketing, technology, add-on services and outsourcing.
Both books will be offered as digital or softcover publications, available for purchase individually or in a discounted package.
It’s our goal to offer the best in industry education, whether you’re new to the business or looking to improve or expand your existing operation. As always, we welcome your feedback and suggestions for any products on self-storage topics or concerns that may not be currently available. From all of us at ISS, may your winter holidays be merry and the new year look especially bright.
