Storage Moguls

Joe Downs, Stories and Strategies
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Investing

What does it take to go from knowing absolutely nothing about self-storage investing to owning your first storage facility? Turns out, less than you think. And Storage Moguls is going to show you exactly how. Storage Moguls is hosted by entrepreneur and storage investing expert Joe Downs. Each week, Joe sits down with seasoned storage operators, real estate investors, SBA lenders, acquisition specialists, and students who've already done the deals, breaking down every piece of the self-storage and Boat & RV storage investment process so that anyone can understand it, act on it, and succeed with it. Whether you're a first-time real estate investor trying to understand cap rates, NOI, and due diligence, or an experienced entrepreneur ready to scale your commercial real estate portfolio through storage acquisitions, this show removes every barrier between where you are today and your first storage facility. No fear. No gatekeeping. Just the real storage education, SBA financing strategies, underwriting breakdowns, and passive income playbooks that turn beginners into Storage Moguls. storagemoguls.ai. Practitioners, Not Professors.

  1. 3d ago

    Is Your Storage Facility Properly Insured? Probably Not.

    Most self-storage investors have never actually verified they're properly insured... and the ones who find out they weren't usually discover it at the worst possible moment. Joe Downs sits down with Terry Campbell; commercial insurance specialist at Johnson Insurance and a storage industry veteran who has built facilities, underwritten SBA loans at Live Oak Bank for seven years, served as CEO of Copper Storage Management, and personally owns eleven self-storage locations across the Southeast.  Terry brings a perspective almost no insurance professional can: he sees coverage gaps through the eyes of an owner, an underwriter, and an operator simultaneously.  From FEMA flood remaps that sent one facility's insurance from $11,000 to $84,000 overnight, to coinsurance penalties hiding in aging policies, to the specific coverages first-time buyers almost always skip, this episode is a direct challenge to every storage investor who has ever assumed they were properly covered… without actually checking.   Listen For: 4:58 Why should every self-storage buyer check the FEMA flood map before making an offer? 14:47 How do you know if your current self-storage facility is underinsured right now? 16:07 What replacement cost mistakes are self-storage owners still making after the COVID price spikes? 22:15 What coverages does Terry Campbell say every first-time self-storage owner must have at closing? 29:55 How does insuring a boat and RV facility or small bay flex space differ from traditional self-storage?   CONNECT WITH GUEST: TERRY CAMPBELL, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER | SELF-STORAGE & FLEX SPACE  Website | LinkedIn | Email   CONNECT WITH US Joe Downs on LinkedIn Belrose website | Belrose email | Belrose LinkedIn

  2. Aug 10

    Catching Underwriting Mistakes Self-Storage Investors Miss

    What if the biggest mistake in your first storage deal is believing the appraisal?  Joe Downs and Jack Pezzino reveal how one student nearly overpaid millions for a self storage facility after relying on the wrong appraisal method.  They explain why income, not replacement cost, should drive valuation, why commercial appraisals differ from residential ones, and how inexperienced investors can unknowingly turn an asset into a liability. The conversation explores common underwriting mistakes, the danger of being either too aggressive or too conservative with assumptions, and why understanding the market is more important than simply analyzing the property.  Joe and Jack also pull back the curtain on Storage Moguls' deal review process, showing how an experienced second set of eyes can uncover costly mistakes before an offer is submitted.  Their biggest takeaway is simple: successful investing is less about having perfect information and more about validating your assumptions before committing to a deal.   Listen For: 10:03 Is seller financing the most dangerous trap in a mispriced self-storage deal? 12:22 Why do first-time self-storage investors underwrite themselves out of every deal? 20:24 How does Jack Pezzino calibrate the line between conservative and realistic in a storage underwrite? 27:17 Why is market underwriting the non-negotiable first step before valuing any storage facility? 33:58 What does Jack Pezzino say is the single move that separates investors who close from those who don't?   CONNECT WITH GUEST: JACK PEZZINO, VP OF ACQUISITIONS BELROSE STORAGE GROUP  Website | LinkedIn CONNECT WITH US Joe Downs on LinkedIn Belrose website | Belrose email | Belrose LinkedIn

  3. Aug 3

    No Experience? No Excuse. Self-Storage Beginner's Blueprint

    What does it actually take to run a self-storage facility you've never set foot inside, from fifteen hundred miles away, without a single day of real estate experience between you?  Joe Downs sits down with John Gaspar and Robert Figueiredo, co-owners of CubedUp Self Storage in Morganton, North Carolina. The duo are IBM veterans originally from Brazil who fired their third-party management company after just two months and took full control of their facility from Miami, Florida.  In seven months of self-managing, they drove physical occupancy from 70% to 84% and executed a 12% rate increase with zero tenant turnover.  This episode is a masterclass in self-storage operations, remote management systems, and the entrepreneurial mindset serious storage investors need to scale.  If you've been telling yourself, ‘you can't buy a self-storage facility because you're not local’, this episode dismantles that excuse entirely.   Listen For: 3:54 Why They Fired Their Storage Manager in 60 Days 5:41 The Delinquency Fix Every New Operator Needs 8:17 How to Run a Storage Facility From 1,500 Miles Away 14:08 Why Self Storage Thrived During COVID 14:31 The One Thing Stopping First-Time Storage Investors   CONNECT WITH GUEST: CUBEDUP SELF STORAGE Website | LinkedIn  JOHN GASPAR, CO-FOUNDER | OWNER-OPERATOR LinkedIn   ROBERT FIGUEIREDO, CO-FOUNDER | OWNER-OPERATOR LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram    CONNECT WITH US Joe Downs on LinkedIn Belrose website | Belrose email | Belrose LinkedIn

  4. Jul 27

    A Self-Storage Broker's Warning to First-Time Buyers

    Is the self-storage brokerage relationship the most misunderstood edge in storage investing? And are first-time buyers quietly destroying their own deal flow without knowing it?  Joe Downs sits down with David Perlleshi, Managing Director of Self-Storage at Franklin Street, one of the nation's leading self-storage brokerage firms.  David leads a national team with a buyer list of 10,000–15,000 active prospects and is currently on the front lines of a wave of COVID-era vintage loans from 2019–2022 coming due into a dramatically higher-rate environment.  He and Joe dismantle the fear-based myths holding first-time storage investors back, from lowball offer anxiety to blacklist paranoia, and reveal what actually gets a buyer frozen out.  With more than $1 trillion in commercial real estate loans maturing in the next two years, the storage investing window is opening.  The investors who understand how to work with brokers right now will be first in line.   Listen For: 4:12 Is self-storage really one of the most recession-proof asset classes lenders track? 11:50 Did compressed cap rates in 2021 create the underwater loan crisis hitting storage owners right now? 23:53 Why does a broker's commission structure make them just as motivated to find you a deal as close one? 25:43 Are $1 trillion in maturing CRE loans about to flood the self-storage market with new inventory? 26:43 What expansion opportunities are first-time storage investors missing on listings?   CONNECT WITH GUEST: DAVID PERLLESHI, MANAGING DIRECTOR, SELF STORAGE INVESTMENT SALES | FRANKLIN STREET  Website | LinkedIn | X| Facebook| Instagram| Email CONNECT WITH US Joe Downs on LinkedIn Belrose website | Belrose email | Belrose LinkedIn

  5. Jul 20

    Build the Systems, Scale the Storage Business

    What actually separates storage investors who scale from the ones who burn out? The deals, or the systems behind them?  Joe Downs sits down with his own business partner, Tim Kane, co-founder of Belrose Storage Group and Storage Moguls and head of acquisitions for a platform with 20+ facilities and over $70 million in storage assets.  Tim pulls back the curtain on the systems that took Belrose from three guys fixing gate codes at night to a multi-vertical platform spanning self-storage, Pro Storage, and industrial outdoor storage (iOS).  From defining roles before you scale to leveraging AI and fractional talent, this is the storage investing playbook for anyone weighing their first acquisition.  In a market this fragmented, the window to build your system is now.   Listen For: 2:38 Is self-storage as an organized industry really younger than McDonald's? 9:45 Do independent operators still own the majority of US self-storage facilities? 17:06 Does self-storage really have the lowest default rate in commercial real estate? 26:41 Is industrial outdoor storage commercial real estate's fastest growing asset class? 30:18 Does any single company own more than 5% of US self-storage?   CONNECT WITH GUEST: TIM KANE, CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER | VP OF OPERATIONS | BELROSE GROUP LinkedIn | Belrose Group | StorageMoguls.AI | Email | Instagram   CONNECT WITH US Joe Downs on LinkedIn Belrose website | Belrose email | Belrose LinkedIn

  6. Jul 13

    Why Self-Storage Success Starts With Better Systems

    What if the fastest way to grow your self-storage portfolio is to stop trying to do everything yourself?  Joe Downs sits down with Magen Smith, CPA, CEO and co-founder of Atomic Storage Group, to unpack her remarkable journey from managing a single self-storage facility fresh out of college to leading one of the nation's largest third-party management companies with more than 180 locations across 30 states.  Magen shares how accounting, operations, marketing, development, and technology all intersect to create exceptional storage businesses, why great management is far more than collecting rent, how one lease up reached nearly $70,000 in monthly revenue within just nine months, and why AI is transforming operations without replacing people.  Whether you're considering self-management or outsourcing, this conversation offers practical lessons on data driven decision making, scaling a portfolio, building systems, and focusing on the work that creates the greatest long term value.   Listen For: 6:00 How did Magen Smith scale Atomic Storage Group to 180 facilities? 12:46 What drove a new self-storage development to 57% occupied in nine months? 21:37 Is the fear of losing control to third-party management actually backwards? 25:01 What was a REIT operator missing that let revenue jump 220%? 27:48 Which KPI should every first-time storage investor track from day one?   CONNECT WITH GUEST: MAGEN SMITH, CEO, ATOMIC STORAGE GROUP LinkedIn | Website | Email    CONNECT WITH US Joe Downs on LinkedIn Belrose website | Belrose email | Belrose LinkedIn

  7. Jul 6

    Why Storage Investing Deals Die During Due Diligence

    What's the one clause in your storage deal that could cost you six figures…and would your attorney even catch it?  Joe Downs pulls back the curtain on the legal side of storage investing with Jason Mandel, the commercial real estate transaction attorney at Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld who quarterbacks every deal for Downs' 20-plus facility, $70M+ storage portfolio.  Mandel reveals the $900,000 mistake an ALTA survey prevented on a $1.5M self-storage acquisition, why signed LOIs are never fully non-binding, how to stop the due diligence clock from running before you're ready, and the title, zoning, and CCR landmines hiding in storage acquisitions.  If you're underwriting your first storage deal or still using your brother-in-law as counsel, this is the market intelligence you need before you sign anything.   Listen For: 2:29 What is the most expensive mistake first-time storage investing buyers make? 11:11 How did one ALTA survey save a $1.5 million self-storage deal? 14:20 Is a signed letter of intent on a storage facility really non-binding? 19:55 When does the due diligence clock actually start on a storage acquisition? 29:42 When does Jason Mandel say to bring an attorney into your storage deal?   CONNECT WITH GUEST: JASON MANDEL, REAL ESTATE ATTORNEY, ROYER COOPER COHEN BRAUNFELD LinkedIn | Website | Email  CONNECT WITH US Joe Downs on LinkedIn Belrose website | Belrose email | Belrose LinkedIn

  8. Jun 29

    The 3 Fears Keeping You From Your First Storage Deal

    What's really standing between a smart, employed, motivated person and their first storage facility… and why isn't it money?  Joe Downs makes the listener the guest and pulls back the curtain on the three quiet fears that keep would-be buyers stuck: no one will lend me money, no seller will take me seriously, no broker will take me seriously.  Drawing on a portfolio of 20+ storage facilities worth more than $75 million across multiple states and verticals, Downs dismantles each fear with real numbers, DSCR targets of 1.20–1.25, SBA financing, and the 70–75% of US self-storage still owned by mom-and-pops.  He closes with a $1.1 million North Carolina acquisition that proves relationships, not credentials, win storage deals.  Essential listening for any first-time storage investor ready to stop researching and start buying.   Listen For: 3:25 Why do mom-and-pop owners still control most self-storage deal flow? 6:15 Will a lender really fund a first-time self-storage buyer with no track record? 9:28 How do first-time storage investors get sellers to take them seriously? 16:15 How did showing up in person save $100K on a North Carolina storage deal? 25:23 What is the one question every storage investor should answer right now?   CONNECT WITH US Joe Downs on LinkedIn Belrose website | Belrose email | Belrose LinkedIn

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About

What does it take to go from knowing absolutely nothing about self-storage investing to owning your first storage facility? Turns out, less than you think. And Storage Moguls is going to show you exactly how. Storage Moguls is hosted by entrepreneur and storage investing expert Joe Downs. Each week, Joe sits down with seasoned storage operators, real estate investors, SBA lenders, acquisition specialists, and students who've already done the deals, breaking down every piece of the self-storage and Boat & RV storage investment process so that anyone can understand it, act on it, and succeed with it. Whether you're a first-time real estate investor trying to understand cap rates, NOI, and due diligence, or an experienced entrepreneur ready to scale your commercial real estate portfolio through storage acquisitions, this show removes every barrier between where you are today and your first storage facility. No fear. No gatekeeping. Just the real storage education, SBA financing strategies, underwriting breakdowns, and passive income playbooks that turn beginners into Storage Moguls. storagemoguls.ai. Practitioners, Not Professors.

Information

  • Creator
    Joe Downs, Stories and Strategies
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    18
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Storage Moguls
  • Show Website
    Storage Moguls