I've actually looked at this forum many times over the last couple of years as there is alot of information covered here in legal and marketing, etc.

I started out wanting to manage apartments. The company I worked for had 4 self storage facilities (two had truck rentals) and I started covering the managers days off and vacations when I was 24 years old. Two years later I was managing their largest facility and truck rental. I wouldn't have been doing it for the last 18 years if I didn't like it.

Currently looking for work, I worked for the same owner for 15 years and went to a larger corporation and found out that it's a big difference.

Welcome, Eileen! Glad to have you on the forum. I see you've already discovered our jobs section. Hopefully, it will give you some leads.

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Amy Campbell
Editor
Inside Self-Storage
acampbell@vpico.com

Eileen, welcome to the family. Check in the jobs section. Every once in a while, something shows up there. Good luck in the job hunting.

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Bob Taylor (Astro)
Blue Ridge Self Storage
Cashiers, NC

Great to see a long time lurker finally jumping in!

With all your experience you should have no problem fitting in anywhere -- Good luck finding the right place.

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Wayne
All American Self Storage
Palmdale, CA.


All arguments can be resolved ... with high explosives and Humor!!!

Thanks. Like I said, there's a ton of useful information on this site. I've been working in this industry for a long time but you always seem to encounter something new that's never happened before. Most people don't understand how dynamic this business is.

I can't think of any other business that you can have a customer base that is so varied. I've had CEO's and a homeless people as customers in the same hour. It's just never gotten boring to me.

Another passionate person!! YAY!!! Eileen Welcome to the Forum and thanks for finally introducing yourself. When you say "I worked for the same owner for 15 years and went to a larger corporation and found out that it's a big difference". what do you mean?? Did you like working for a smaller operation or a bigger one?? I am just curious, if you don't mind me asking!! I have always worked for a small one (just two facilities) and love it!

Look forward to your contributions to the forum!

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MusicCity Gal

Don't mind at all.

I guess I had most of my experience with the same owner who had only 6 facilities in the same city. I still keep in contact with everyone there.

I'm sure there are good corporate locations to work for and I'm really not sure how to explain it. Some of them can make you feel like an "occupancy level" as opposed to a person.

I still love the job, though. Just gotta find the right fit for an employer.

The answer to the difference between BIG corporations and the smaller owner is very simple. Do you like managing your property? do you like making the decisions (mostly) for you facility? If you answer yes, you won't like working for one of the BIG ones, as that is mostly removed from range of responsiblities.

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Bob Taylor (Astro)
Blue Ridge Self Storage
Cashiers, NC

Astro hits the nail firmly on the head. Big companies have policies and procedures for everything and are (over)dependant on them. They hire people who are expected to carry out said policies and procedures, usually without question. It's the same reason that bureaucracies appear so inefficient - the individual is seldom, if ever, empowered to make decisions that actually benefit the customer or address the problem.

With a smaller company, chances are the owner is an entrepreneur not far removed from doing the things you are hired to do. He/she has come up with ways for making things work but this person is not so caught up in ego as to disregard ideas you may have for improvement. Chances are good, too, that the owner is involved in multiple things and the more decision-making ability you show, the easier you make his/her life. If you go to this type person with a problem AND an idea or two for resolution, you will probably get a fair hearing. If the same happens with a bureaucracy, you'll be directed to page so-and-so in the company hymnal for the answer.

I think the big companies get lost in their policies. It was just frustrating for me, but some people seem to like that kind of structure. This last year, I definitely spent alot of time trying to think "outside the box" for marketing. But implementing anything "different" with a large corporation is a time consuming process and there's always a chance you'll miss your target while you're waiting.