PODCAST · business
Self Storage Lab
by swivl
Join us for our brand new show, The Self Storage Lab–a new podcast deconstructing how operators are adapting to today’s technology-driven landscape and how it might impact your business.In the age of hyper-informed, store-anywhere customers, your business needs to be always on, data-driven, and customer-centered.Whether you’re a thousand location operator or looking to get into self storage with your first property, nerd out with us as we help you decide what’s best for your business.tryswivl.comtryswivl.com/blueprint
Episodes
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What's Real, What's Next? An AI Panel from SSA Fall 2026
A special one-off episode of Self Storage Lab, recorded live at the SSA Fall Conference on September 11, 2026. This isn't a typical interview. It's a panel titled "What's Real, What's Next?", a candid, unscripted look at how AI is actually being adopted and deployed across self storage, from…
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How StorageMax Stays Lean at 39 Locations
Welcome back to Self Storage Lab, the podcast where we deconstruct how operators are adapting to today's technology-driven landscape and what it means for the future of the industry. This episode brings two guests from StorageMax, Mississippi's largest self-storage operator, spanning 39 locations...
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Joel Patterson on Keeping the Personal in Personal Mini Storage
Welcome back to Self Storage Lab, the podcast where we deconstruct how operators are adapting to today's technology-driven landscape and what it means for the future of the industry. This episode's guest is Joel Patterson, SVP of Operations at Personal Mini Storage and past president of the…
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Travis Morrow on Why the Independent Operator Still Wins
This episode's guest is Travis Morrow, Chairman and CEO of Store Local and President of National Self Storage. Few people have seen the industry from as many angles as Travis: operator, co-op founder, publisher, event host, and one of the most connected voices in self storage. He runs a 29-store...
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Brett Copper is Rethinking Remote Storage Management
Welcome back to Self Storage Lab, the podcast where we deconstruct how operators are adapting to today’s technology-driven landscape—and what it means for the future of the industry. This episode’s guest is Brett Copper, President and Partner at Copper Storage Management. Brett grew up in the…
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How Storagely Rethinks Online Rentals with Amanda DiGaspari and Austin Simmons
Welcome back to Self Storage Lab, the podcast where we deconstruct how operators are adapting to today’s technology-driven landscape—and what it means for the future of the industry. This episode features Amanda DiGaspari and Austin Simmons, CEO and COO of Storagely, a company rethinking what a...
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Storage Marketing Authenticity with Anastasia Malagisi
Welcome back to Self Storage Lab, the podcast where we deconstruct how operators are adapting to today’s technology-driven landscape—and what it means for the future of the industry. This episode’s guest is Anastasia Malagisi, Vice President of Marketing at Safeguard Self Storage. With roots in…
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Winning Locally in Competitive Markets with Access Self Storage
Welcome back to Self Storage Lab, the podcast where we deconstruct how operators are adapting to today’s technology-driven landscape and what it means for the future of the industry. This episode features a special roundtable conversation with the leadership team at Access Self Storage, a...
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The Storage Marketer’s New Playbook with Susan Hovey
Welcome back to Self Storage Lab, the podcast where we deconstruct how operators are adapting to today’s technology-driven landscape and what it means for the future of the industry. This episode’s guest is Susan Hovey, Director of Marketing at Strat Property Management, whose career path spans...
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Tracking Smarter Storage Decisions with Noah Starr
Welcome back to Self Storage Lab, the podcast where we deconstruct how operators are adapting to today’s technology-driven landscape—and what it means for the future of the industry. This episode’s guest is Noah Starr, founder and CEO of Tract IQ—a data intelligence platform giving operators,...
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Finding the Middle of Intuition, Data, and Better Decisions with nodaFi's Jessie Lamb
Welcome back to Self Storage Lab, the podcast where we deconstruct how operators are adapting to today’s technology driven landscape and what it means for the future of the industry. This episode’s guest is Jessie Lamb, VP of Self Storage at and one of the sharpest minds working at the...
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The Art of Staying Customer-Obsessed with Tommy Nguyen
Welcome back to Self Storage Lab, the podcast where we deconstruct how operators are adapting to today’s technology-driven landscape—and what it means for the future of the industry. This episode’s guest is Tommy Nguyen, co-founder and COO of StoragePug—a company that started with one…
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Faraz Hemani: From Big Tech to Self Storage
Summary In this conversation, Faraz Hemani shares his journey from a successful career in big tech to becoming a self-storage entrepreneur. He discusses the challenges and motivations behind his leap into entrepreneurship, the importance of understanding risk, and how his upbringing shaped his...
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The Hidden Complexity of "Simple" Self Storage with Jackson Stevens from Sparebox Technologies
Welcome back to Self Storage Lab, the podcast where we deconstruct how operators are adapting to today’s technology-driven landscape—and what it means for the future of the industry. This episode’s guest is Jackson Stevens, co-founder and CEO of SpareBox Technologies. From classical musician to...
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Beyond The Hype: Building Useful AI in Self Storage
Welcome back to Self Storage Lab, the podcast where we deconstruct how operators are adapting to today’s technology-driven landscape—and what it means for the future of the industry. This episode is a throwback to the early days—with just Mason, Rodolfo, and Kyle at the mics. Together, they…
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Balancing Tech and Humanity in Canadian Storage with Robert Madsen from U-Lock Mini Storage
This episode’s guest is Robert Madsen, president of U-Lock Mini Storage Group and the Canadian Self Storage Association. Robert’s story is rooted in the early days of the industry in Canada, having grown up working in his family’s first converted warehouse facility. Today, he leads one of British...
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Transforming Urban Spaces Into Profitable Storage Facilities w/ Peter Smyth from White Label Storage
Company Overview & Background Founded by Peter and Alex (met at Harvard Business School) Started as Local Locker in NYC - urban storage platform focused on unused spaces Evolved into White Label Storage - third-party management service Alex just had second boy (now 5 kids between the two…
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Kat Lau & How Stuf Storage runs 30+ locations with just 3 ops staff
In this episode, we welcome Katharine Lau, an accomplished entrepreneur and innovator in the real estate and proptech space. Katharine is the Co-Founder and CEO of Stuf Storage, a fast-growing self-storage startup that’s reimagining how we use urban space. Katharine shares her journey from a...
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AI-Driven Marketing & Automation in Self-Storage with Gabriel Luna
In this episode, the podcast hosts welcome Gabriel Luna, an accomplished marketing expert known for his strategic acumen and innovative use of AI in marketing. Gabriel is the Engagement and Communications Manager for KobreCo, overseeing brands like Trojan Storage and QuikStor. Gabriel shares his...
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2024 Rewind - we let AI take this one
This year on Self Storage Lab, we’ve unpacked the biggest shifts and challenges in the self-storage industry—where operators are adapting to new tech, redefining customer experiences, and learning to balance automation with the human touch. In this special year-end recap, we let our AI co-hosts,...
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Decision-making framework & tech adoption with Atomic Storage Group
In this episode, Rick Beal and Magen Smith, co-founders of Atomic Storage Group, share their journey of rapidly scaling their company to manage over 90 facilities across 20 states since its inception in 2019. They discuss their backgrounds, challenges faced, and how they successfully balance...
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The Modern FMS with Cubby CEO Matt Engfer
In this episode, the first vendor guest, Matt Engfer, CEO and co-founder of Cubby, discusses how his company is transforming the self-storage industry with modern facility management software. Matt shares his journey from various industries—retail, life insurance, martech—and how these…
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Using Technology to Reduce Expenses w/ Raheem Amer
Today’s episode zeroes in on using technology to slash expenses and redefine the role of the manager. We'll discuss everything from the latest tech innovations to old tech and DIY budget-friendly solutions that have stood the test of time. Plus, we'll dive into effective ways to incentivize...
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Third Party Marketing Strategies w/ Melissa Stiles of SAM
In this episode of the Self Storage Lab, the focus is on third-party management with a special emphasis on branding and marketing strategies. Melissa Stiles, Chief Marketing Officer at Storage Asset Management (SAM), joins the discussion to share her extensive experience and insights. Key topics...
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Remote Management and Kiosk Tech w/ Go Store It
Welcome to the Self Storage Lab — where we deconstruct how operators are adapting to today’s technology-driven landscape and how it might impact your business. In episode 22 of the Self Storage Lab, the team sheds light on how self-storage operators are adapting to the latest in tech. From the...
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Week in AI: Mishaps, Google Search, Multi-Modal, Hardware Devices
Welcome to the Self Storage Lab — where we deconstruct how operators are adapting to today’s technology-driven landscape and how it might impact your business. In episode 21 of the Self Storage Lab, we’re diving back into the world of AI with all of the recent buzz over the last week. We review…
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Access Control: How SAM and Five Star Storage do it w/ Lynn Sykes & Eric Gardner
Welcome to the Self Storage Lab — where we deconstruct how operators are adapting to today’s technology-driven landscape and how it might impact your business. This episode explores the critical transition from manual to automated access and security systems in the self-storage industry. It...
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Part 3 - State of Technology: Conversational Trends
Today’s episode will be the final episode on our special series covering our report on the State of Technology in Self Storage. We discuss our main takeaways from analyzing over 2 million customer conversations used to optimize day to day operations, and cover topics including patterns in…
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Part 2 - State of Technology: Understanding Technology Trends
Hoping to stand out in this competitive landscape and focus inwardly on improving operational efficiency, operators are looking to the integration of innovative technology and the inclusion of customer-centric amenities within their facilities. Today’s episode will be part 2 of 3, where we'll…
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Part I - State of Technology: Uncovering Customer Trends
Consumer behavior has changed and operators need to rapidly adopt technology to stay current in today's economic landscape. Just last week, we put the final touches to our newest edition of the State of Technology in Self Storage. Building off of two years of data and a mass surge towards…
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2023 Recap: Generative AI & ChatGPT
In this episode, we nerd about about all things genAI — a year in review: We give a recap of genAI’s impact this year, and highlight a few areas of impact Economy and the markets “Generative AI, the broader tech category ChatGPT falls under, has been projected to add up to $4.4 trillion in value…
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AI Guidelines & Regulation - This is Just the Beginning
It appears that there is a continuous stream of groundbreaking advancements in the realm of artificial intelligence, occurring on a weekly basis. At the end of October, the Biden Administration released a sweeping order on artificial intelligence with the goal of promoting the “safe, secure, and...
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QR Codes - What are they and how do I use them in Self Storage?
In today's episode, we'll be discussing QR Codes, these black and white -like codes you often see in Restaurants nowadays. We will dive into remarkable resurgence of QR codes in the wake of the pandemic, examining how this technology is being utilized in various fields, and explore the unique...
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The State of AI (Rodolfo on the CSSA Webinar)
Today’s podcast explores AI as an umbrella term, capabilities, limitations, and get a glimpse of what the future holds for this technology. Rodolfo did such a good job at explaining this topic on a recent CSSA webinar, that we decided to play you the entire conversation. For more on AI topics…
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What is AI? Just another buzzword?
AI is all the rage right now. But what exactly is it? It’s thrown around as a buzzword and can often be a blanket term that encompasses a broader set of tools and technology. So let’s chat about what is and what is not AI. Topics Explored: What is Automation? Automation vs. AI Why is it important...
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How to choose a Facility Management System (FMS) We talk to operators
In the later part of the episode (44:24), we hear from operators who have gone through the decision-making process and learn about their experiences with different facility management software. Stay tuned for valuable insights that can guide you in selecting the best software partner for your...
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Levels of Automation (0-5) - Autonomous Vehicles & Self Storage??
In our tenth episode, we dive into the five different levels of automation, from manual processes to more advanced use of technologies, and examine how they are transforming the way humans work. We walk through the challenges, benefits, and exciting opportunities that we can expect from…
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Management Styles & Tools (Hub & Spoke, Remote, etc.)
.Have you ever reached that point where running your self-storage property just feels like too much to handle? The good news is that you've got options! In episode 9 of the Self Storage Lab podcast, Kyle, Mason, and Rodolfo discuss the varying management styles in the self storage industry and…
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ChatGPT Update! Things are moving fast
Cool Use Cases or Examples Lease summaries Prompt Engineering Real time Ad Generation based on your product following, research, and search behavior Create instant copy and formatting for a website How Self Storage can leverage GPT-powered tools How swivl is taking advantage of this technology…
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Omnichannel Communication
Long gone are the days when customers only had one or two options for interacting with a company. Today’s customers move freely through digital and analog channels, using telephones, web chat, social media, and others to make purchases, find solutions, initiate returns, and more. In today's...
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ChatGPT & Generative AI
We spend a majority of the today’s show nerding out about ChatGPT’s technology in general, discuss some philosophical questions, use cases, and it’s limitations. If you want to get right to the meat of how this affects the self storage industry - fast forward to 50m30s The rest of the following...
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Reputation Management
In today’s business landscape, your online presence and reputation is mission critical to helping you stand out in the sea of competitors. Reviews are one such way to stand out. If you give an unparalleled customer experience, your customer’s won’t keep it a secret. They will share it! Reviews…
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Email Marketing
Even with facility occupancy at all-time highs this year, operators should be exploring fresh ways to market their facilities. Even in a booming market, you can build momentum and capitalize on the steady demand. By embracing new Email Marketing concepts, you can stay ahead of the curve, engage…
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Business Intelligence & Analytics
Today, we dive into the numbers that make your business run. We will dive into the new buzzword every operator is talking about, Business Intelligence (BI), why attribution is so important, data privacy, and how to setup an infrastructure to measure the right data. What we cover: BI is becoming...
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Websites - Your Digital Storefront
As the first tru episode of our podcast, we wanted to dive into one of the most, maybe even THE MOST important tool an operator can use to ensure they have an Online Presence. Your Website. Your digital Storefront. The rise of digital marketing has created different touch-points for customers to...
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Who we are, what this is, and why we're doing it
Welcome to the first episode of The Self Storage Lab. Today we dive into who we are, what this podcast is about, and why we're doing this. For more information about what we do at swivl, check out our website: tryswivl.com Also, be sure to check out the Operator's Blueprint: tryswivl.com/blueprint
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Introducing The Self Storage Lab
Join us for our brand new show, The Self Storage Lab–a new podcast deconstructing how operators are adapting to today’s technology-driven landscape and how it might impact your business. In the age of hyper-informed, store-anywhere customers, your business needs to be always on, data-driven, and...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Join us for our brand new show, The Self Storage Lab–a new podcast deconstructing how operators are adapting to today’s technology-driven landscape and how it might impact your business.In the age of hyper-informed, store-anywhere customers, your business needs to be always on, data-driven, and customer-centered.Whether you’re a thousand location operator or looking to get into self storage with your first property, nerd out with us as we help you decide what’s best for your business.tryswivl.comtryswivl.com/blueprint
HOSTED BY
swivl
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Self Storage Lab have?
Self Storage Lab currently has 47 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Self Storage Lab about?
Join us for our brand new show, The Self Storage Lab–a new podcast deconstructing how operators are adapting to today’s technology-driven landscape and how it might impact your business.In the age of hyper-informed, store-anywhere customers, your business needs to be always on, data-driven, and...
How often does Self Storage Lab release new episodes?
Self Storage Lab has 47 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Self Storage Lab?
You can listen to Self Storage Lab on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Self Storage Lab?
Self Storage Lab is created and hosted by swivl.
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