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How do you actually get started in self-storage and buy your first facility? Inspired by a conversation with a brand-new member of the Storage Wins coaching community, host Alex Pardo shares the advice he gives every new investor who feels overwhelmed: do not overcomplicate this business.
Alex explains why storage isn't truly passive at first (and how he ran an 838-unit portfolio on one to two hours a week once it was stabilized), why money isn't the real obstacle, and how to choose between on-market and off-market deals. He also walks through his LMAO framework for building a consistent deal pipeline. If you've been thinking about self-storage but haven't taken the first step, this episode gives you a simple roadmap to start.
You'll Learn How To:
- Stop overcomplicating self-storage and break it into simple, repeatable steps
- Understand why storage isn't passive at first, and how it becomes semi-passive once stabilized
- Fund deals with other people's money instead of your own
- Choose between on-market and off-market deals, and commit to one marketing channel
- Build a loose but clear buy box to guide your search
- Use the LMAO framework: List building, Meaningful conversations, Analyze deals, Offers
- Screen a deal in 60 seconds before you spend more time on it
- Take action first so the confidence follows
What You'll Learn in This Episode
[0:00] Storage isn't passive, and why that's not a bad thing
[0:43] How do you actually buy your first storage facility?
[0:56] The Storage Wins roadmap: deal flow machine, deal filter system, and the three phases of deal discovery, fearless funding, and winning the deal
[2:11] First and foremost: do not overcomplicate it
[2:30] The controversial truth your guru doesn't want you to know
[3:00] 838 units, 104,000 square feet, and one to two hours a week
[3:22] You don't need 40 hours a week or hundreds of thousands of dollars
[3:54] Why money isn't the obstacle. It's a knowledge gap
[4:08] Running facilities remotely with the unmanned model
[4:51] How Alex explained the storage business to his 11-year-old daughter
[5:10] On-market deals: brokers, Crexi, and LoopNet
[6:03] On-market or off-market? Picking your focus
[6:52] The biggest mistake: running too many marketing strategies at once
[7:42] Decide and commit: do something your future self will thank you for
[8:15] Spend 80 to 90% of your time on deal discovery and build your buy box
[9:05] We don't find deals, we create deals
[9:50] The LMAO framework: List building
[9:59] Meaningful conversations: connect with five storage owners or brokers every day
[11:02] Analyze deals: the 60-second test
[11:49] Offers: send multiple every single week
[11:54] Recap: stop making excuses and start with a decision
[12:13] Why a mentor, coach, and community make all the difference
[13:04] You learn more by doing. Speed wins deals
[13:39] Act first, then confidence follows: be, do, have
Who This Episode Is For:
- Aspiring investors who want to buy their first storage facility
- Anyone who feels stuck, confused, or overwhelmed about where to start
- Investors who think they need a lot of their own money or a facility in their backyard
- New investors trying too many marketing strategies at once
- Anyone ready to stop consuming information and start taking action
Why You Should Listen:
Most people who want to get into self-storage never buy a facility. Usually it isn't because the business is too hard. They get lost in excuses, information overload, and too many strategies at once. Alex cuts through that and lays out exactly what to focus on first.
The core lesson is simple: decide and commit, pick one lane, and get your reps in. Build your list, have meaningful conversations, analyze deals every day, and make offers every week. The confidence comes from doing the work, not the other way around.
Follow Alex Pardo here:
- Storage Wins — storagewins.com
- Book a call with Alex — storagewins.com/call
- Follow Alex on Facebook
- Follow Alex on Instagram
- Subscribe on YouTube
Stop thinking and start doing. Pick one lane, build your list, and start making offers. If you're serious about buying your first storage facility with the right people in your corner, head to storagewins.com/call and let's hop on a short ten-minute call to see how we can help.
