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From 20 to 250: What Happens When Self-Storage Management Grows Too Fast?

Peter Smyth returns to the Self Storage Podcast to share his explosive journey, from managing 20 facilities to nearly 250 in just one year.

He outlines the challenges of hypergrowth, from client churn and employee scalability to building systems that can handle everything from rural RV lots to urban mega-facilities.

Peter and Scott talk hiring for skill versus experience, the role of AI and custom-built software in operational efficiency, and why white-label management is becoming the go-to for storage owners who want control without compromise.

WHAT TO LISTEN FOR

1:10 From 20 to 250: The Rocketship Year

5:53 Hiring for Talent, Not Just Experience

10:24 Scaling Services for Every Size Operator

14:10 KPIs, OKRs, and the Software Shift

21:07 Managing a Startup and a Young Family

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GUEST: Peter Smyth, White Label Storage

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What happens when a college senior aiming for luxury development ends up dominating the self-storage industry instead?

Scott Meyers sits down with Cory Bonda, co-founder of Prestige Storage Capital, to explore Cory’s unexpected journey into self-storage and how he scaled from moonlighting in Columbus to managing a rapidly growing, vertically integrated storage empire.

The conversation dives deep into Cory’s acquisition strategy, the value of fixed-rate debt, lessons learned through explosive growth (and pandemic curveballs), and the cautious yet innovative approach Prestige takes with technology and AI.

Listen For:

0:46 From Student to Storage: Cory's Accidental Entry into the Industry

4:02 How Prestige Storage Exploded Post-2020

6:22 Why Fixed-Rate Debt Fueled Smart Growth During Volatile Times

10:16 How AI is Revolutionizing Hub-and-Spoke Storage Models

16:28 2025 and Beyond: Strategy, Expansion, and the Top 25 Goal

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What happens when self-storage meets artificial intelligence?

Scott Meyers and Joe Downs reunite right after their Mastermind and Academy events to dive deep into the game-changing role of AI in the self-storage industry.

Fresh from coaching hungry investors through their first deals, they shift gears into a passionate discussion about AI’s transformational power—from automating market analysis and underwriting to building personalized dashboards and internal GPTs that replace hours of manual work.

With Joe’s infectious excitement and Scott’s strategic insight, this episode delivers a powerful look at how leveraging AI can drastically speed up, simplify, and supercharge success in real estate investing—especially self-storage.

Listen For:

1:17 Seal the Deal: Whale hunts, masterminds, and champagne for first deals

4:23 Hungry Dogs and First Wins: The energy of new investors and what fuels momentum

11:00 AI Revelation: How Joe realized he's spending 50% of his time learning AI

19:05 Market GPT is Here: The birth of Belrose’s self-storage-specific AI

30:52 Redefining Industry Norms: Why common metrics like supply index might be outdated

CONNECT WITH GUEST: JOE DOWNS

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