Tom Flannigan

Self Storage Advisor. I broker, own, manage, develop, and invest in self storage. I also like to play pickleball and travel Latin America.

[Tom Flannigan @StorageTom]

@Storage_Venture Pricing units effectively tends to be the most important component of management yet is often overlooked. Doing discounts and ECRIs as you suggest will provide a massive benefit

[Tom Flannigan @StorageTom]

@Storage_Venture Send it

[Tom Flannigan @StorageTom]

@DaneMooreNBA @ESPNAssignDesk Legendary response, good on ya Dane

[Tom Flannigan @StorageTom]

Bookmarking this for sure

[Kevin Dahlstrom @Camp4]

A kick in your butt for the new year:

(Yes, I’m talking to you 🫵.)

There’s a trap that keeps many people from getting what they want out of life.

I call it “fake work”.

We pretend that we don’t know how to obtain what we desire. So we…

read self-help books
listen to podcasts
join masterminds
bookmark posts on X
attend workshops
buy online courses
“grab coffee”
hire coaches
create elaborate plans

There’s nothing wrong with any of those things…

⚠️Which is precisely why they can be dangerous. ⚠️

It feels like progress, but it’s not. It can become a sneaky form of procrastination. And it comes at a real cost: for many, it adds up to hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars.

As the saying goes, “Success is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration.” Too many people are stuck on the 1%.

🦵Here’s the kick we all need for 2026:

YOU ALREADY KNOW WHAT YOU NEED TO DO.

So stop doing fake work and do the actual thing.

Take a baby step. And then another. Don’t stop.

Walk the way and the way will appear.

I’ll end with a quick personal example:

When I lived in Texas, I joined the local climbing club. I was new to the sport and very eager, so I attended all the meetups. What I found was people who talked a lot about climbing… but didn’t do much actual climbing. I called them “theoretical climbers”.

Real climbers are found on the rocks... who knew?

Don’t be a theoretical…

entrepreneur
fit person
wife/husband
traveler
[INSERT THING YOU WANT TO BE]

Now stop reading this self-help post and go do the thing!

[Tom Flannigan @StorageTom]

@redwood_ryan_a Keep at it Ryan. You’ve earned respect by sticking to your principles and you will succeed in the long run.

[Tom Flannigan @StorageTom]

And this is how we are going to kill our industry. Guys the revenue mgmt systems are great but we gotta set the limit at less than 830% rate increases.

[Tom Flannigan @StorageTom]

Buyers: I don't look at properties without a list price.

RE Tax Assessors: Provide the list price so we can jack up the property taxes.

It's clear why not posting the list price publicly is better, yet many buyers still complain.

[Tom Flannigan @StorageTom]

Self-storage at its best. Concrete drive lanes, climate-controlled units, large units, fenced, gated. Next to a grocery store and near a Starbucks.

[Moses Kagan @moseskagan]

A bit of business etiquette:

Before sending any document for e-signing, send an email explaining what the document is, why you need it signed, & attaching the document itself as a pdf.

[Tom Flannigan @StorageTom]

I feel personally attacked by this post. Can we, the self storage community, get this post removed and ban all of those damn minimalists?

[Blake Burge @blakeaburge]

Underrated life advice: Own fewer things. Every item you buy is an item you manage. Physically or mentally. Clutter isn’t just in your closet. It lives in your head. When you lessen the load, you free your attention for what matters. Less stuff = less stress. Period.

[Tom Flannigan @StorageTom]

@blakeaburge The best of both worlds: Enjoy your stuff and just keep it in storage. There are many convenient self storage locations available near you that offer very affordable monthly rates.

[Tom Flannigan @StorageTom]

Buy a facility @ $70/SF and sell them each off at $100/SF, sounds great right? Nope!

I’ve seen people try to do this and it’s a money losing disaster. You have to set up an HOA to cover things like mowing and utilities. The HOA rigmarole + all the Title work + time to do each sale = terrible business model.

[Tyler Bindi @TripleNetTyler]

The difference between the top real estate owners in the world and everyone else?

Speed

Earlier this year I sent a perfect deal to a client that owns 300+ properties and is busy beyond belief

Thirty minutes later they emailed back with an offer

Recently I found a similar opportunity for a smaller owner I work with that only has a couple buildings

I sent it over, and explained why it was perfect for them

Then we spent the next month going back and forth over email

By the time they made a decision, a larger group had already bought it

Speed wins

[Tom Flannigan @StorageTom]

@UScannainvest Thanks!

[Tom Flannigan @StorageTom]

@UScannainvest I know nothing about the medical combo licenses. We just got a retail license and there is no medical requirement, that’s what I thought you meant

[Tom Flannigan @StorageTom]

@aaronvalue @UScannainvest Not capped. However, this rollout has been incredibly slow and tedious. We got granted a license a fee weeks ago and may just sell it bc the regulatory environment is so difficult

[Leyla @LeylaKuni]

state of the private real estate fundraising:

[Nick Huber @sweatystartup]

The most valuable trait of an entrepreneur:

A sense of urgency.

Most people walk slow, think slow, move slow, make decisions slow.

They lolly gag around life.

No energy. No excitement.

Those people never end up making it happen.

They end up working for the man, clocking in at 9am and clocking out at 5pm.

Doing the absolute bare minimum to get paid next Friday and not get fired.

Never making moves to chase additional opportunities and never taking a stab at entrepreneurship.

[Tom Flannigan @StorageTom]

If you are consistently texting and tik-tok-ing throughout the work day, you are not serious about your career.

[Tom Flannigan @StorageTom]

During the GFC, self storage outperformed all other CRE sectors. While most sectors saw significant annual losses, self storage facilities posted a 5% gain in 2008. This resilience was due to factors like people moving and downsizing, requiring storage, leading to stable or even increased occupancy and the sector's ability to quickly adapt pricing to market conditions.

[Tom Flannigan @StorageTom]

This is great news for CRE, especially for the most interest-rate-sensitive sector: self storage.