Self Storage Lab

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 family-owned facility and evolved into one of the most beloved tech brands in self storage. From his early days as a pre-med student to becoming a bootstrapped founder serving over 2,000 facilities nationwide, Tommy’s story is one of grit, humility, and relentless optimism.In this episode, we explore:The journey from agency life to SaaS and how StoragePug found its niche.Lessons from bootstrapping—why taking the long road built a stronger culture.Balancing product discipline with customer-driven innovation.Competing (and thriving) in a crowded proptech ecosystem.How fatherhood reshaped Tommy’s leadership, time, and definition of success.If you’ve ever wondered how to scale a business without losing your soul—or how to stay customer-obsessed while saying “no” to the wrong ideas—this conversation is a masterclass in building with heart.(00:02:11) From Vietnam to Knoxville—Tommy’s immigrant story and the inflection points that shaped his path.(00:09:01) Helping small operators compete head-to-head with REITs.(00:13:16) Are we a product company or a service company? Defining the StoragePug identity.(00:20:38) Bootstrapping in a world of venture-backed startups—and why it worked.(00:28:34) What Tommy believed as a first-time founder (and doesn’t anymore).(00:36:23) The three-part framework for deciding which features to build.(00:41:06) When to kill a product—and why sunk costs don’t matter.(00:47:21) Staying focused in a crowded landscape of new tech.(00:54:56) Why small operators can’t afford to look “small” online anymore.(00:57:47) AI as augmentation, not replacement—and what’s next for StoragePug.(01:07:24) How becoming a dad changed Tommy’s priorities and leadership style.Frameworks & PhilosophiesBootstrapping over venture fundingValue–difficulty–longevity product frameworkFounder restraint and long-term thinkingCustomer empathy as a superpowerTools & RitualsProductboard for prioritizationSlack as a company nerve centerGmail star system for sanityTime blocking and “out the door by 5:10” ruleFavorite Nuggets“Not every team member will row as hard—and that’s okay.”“If everyone in the industry copies each other, the typo repeats.”“Our software is used by our clients’ customers, not our clients.”“Turns out StoragePug didn’t need my 100% obsession to thrive.”🔗 More from Tommy & StoragePug:storagepug.comFollow Tommy on LinkedIn

SummaryIn 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 views on money and investment. Faraz elaborates on his early ventures in real estate, the transition to self-storage, and the operational control that comes with it. He emphasizes the significance of data-driven decision-making, remote management strategies, and ensuring quality in operations. The discussion also touches on pacing growth, building a customer-centric culture, and the importance of personal well-being and inspiration in entrepreneurship.Chapters(00:00) The Leap from Tech to Self Storage(02:53) Understanding Upbringing and Risk(05:49) Early Ventures in Real Estate(08:55) Transitioning to Self Storage(11:57) Operational Control in Self Storage(15:00) Navigating a Competitive Market(17:38) Data-Driven Decision Making(20:56) Remote Management Strategies(23:31) Ensuring Quality Control(26:30) Pacing Growth and Optimization(30:33) Identifying Cracks in Growth Strategies(32:45) Tech and Systems for New Operators(35:37) Operational Focus and Team Dynamics(37:40) Customer Experience and Team Training(45:05) Balancing Work and Personal Life(48:22) Sources of Inspiration and Learning(51:06) Rapid Fire Questions and InsightsSound bites"I don't need Google anymore.""Data is going to be a huge edge.""YouTube is a university."Keywordsself storage, entrepreneurship, risk management, real estate, operational control, data analysis, remote management, customer experience, growth strategies, personal development

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 unpack where we really are in the AI timeline, why some businesses are pulling back from their GenAI experiments, and how to distinguish between what’s hype and what’s actually working in the real world.Whether you’re an operator trying to make sense of “AI-powered” products or a team leader wondering how to onboard your staff into an AI-native future, this episode offers both clarity and a reality check.In this episode, we explore:Why 42% of firms have abandoned most of their GenAI pilots—and what’s still worth chasing.The difference between AI-powered, AI-native, and agentic platforms (and why it matters).Where AI workflows are actually helping self-storage operators today—from collections to customer onboarding.How Swivl’s AI architecture blends deterministic and non-deterministic models to do real work—at scale.If you’re tired of the hype and want the real roadmap for implementing AI in your business, this episode is for you.In this episode we discussed:(00:00:20) Blink-182 is old now? Let’s feel that existential crisis together.(00:01:30) The “trough of disillusionment”—why GenAI pilots are stalling in enterprise.(00:04:00) Transformers are 8 years old—so what’s really new about today’s AI?(00:07:30) Why OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google are spending billions on basic research.(00:09:30) AI isn’t magic—it’s a systems engineering problem.(00:10:45) Most “AI” is machine learning—and that’s a good thing.(00:12:30) AI-powered vs. AI-native vs. agentic: breaking down the marketing speak.(00:16:30) Why consumer expectations are driving product branding more than features.(00:18:00) Swivl’s 32-model system and what it means to be AI-native.(00:20:00) Multiverse of agents? What’s real, what’s branding.(00:23:00) Operator and Rabbit: why AI agents still fall short for real tasks.(00:25:00) Why Swivl’s AI helps operators—not just consumers.(00:28:00) OpenAI Connectors—live HubSpot integration and use cases.(00:30:30) Apple Notes x GPT: the small UX wins that make a big difference.(00:32:00) What is MCP (Model Context Protocol) and why does it matter?(00:34:00) Human team analogies for AI agents—building your own AI company org chart.(00:36:30) Your iPhone camera is the best real-world example of agentic AI.(00:39:00) Will users ever care how AI works? Nope. They’ll care if it folds laundry.(00:41:00) Deterministic vs. non-deterministic models: when to use which.(00:43:00) How Swivl uses both: empathy-driven recommendations + reliable pricing logic.(00:46:00) Why Apple and Amazon haven’t cracked full AI assistants yet.(00:49:00) Real talk: banks and airlines would have done this already if it worked.(00:52:00) What’s next from Swivl—collections agents, onboarding tools, and more.Mentioned in This Episode:Internal Tools & InnovationsSwivl’s stacked lobe system: 32 integrated AI modelsAI-assisted voice agents for collectionsOnboarding agents for new customersHubSpot and data platform connectors via ChatGPTIndustry InspirationOpenAI connector architectureApple Notes x GPT integrationMCP: Model Context Protocol for agent-to-agent commsThe Economist & IBM reports on GenAI performanceFavorite NuggetsAI native = born into a future where GPT is your first study partnerDeterministic models for billing, availability, and complianceNon-deterministic for empathy, tone, and creativityAgents aren’t replacing humans—they’re augmenting them with precisionMiscellaneous MentionsSally Sue (our favorite customer persona)Baseball analogies and Santa mode GPTThe joy of talking about octopuses with an LLMWant to learn more about what AI can do for your facility? Check us out at tryswivl.com or Schedule a demo!

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 three people building with it every day. Matt Engfer, co-founder and CEO of Cubby, moderates. He's joined by Mason Levy, co-founder and CEO of swivl, and Austin Rockman, who leads AI at White Label Storage. Between them: machine learning backgrounds, millions of customer conversations, and a lot of hard-won opinions on what works and what's just slop.The conversation moves through three arcs: where AI adoption really stands today, how these teams are applying it inside their own operations, and a closing "what's next" look at where self storage goes from here.What they get into:How to actually drive adoption inside an organization, and why it usually starts with one or two people who "get the joke"Training teams seat by seat, and installing shared skills so people start with a good experience instead of a rabbit holeThe deployment problem nobody warns you about: who gets access, to what data, and where the thing you built actually livesCommunication preferences as the highest-leverage setup step, and why the fundamentals of good work haven't changed even as the tools haveKeeping AI output honest: human review, QA, and avoiding the "it's the coolest thing ever" trap before it's actually goodReal applications in storage, from pricing and collections to review solicitation and field maintenance routingClean, structured, well-labeled data as the thing that still makes or breaks everythingMCPs and connectors explained in plain languageTalking to your models: dictation, cognitive load, and the new social norms of whispering to your computerIf you're just getting started with AI or already deep into building internal tools, this panel offers an unusually honest, in-the-weeds look at the state of play from three people who are living in it.A few ideas worth stealingThe fastest way to spread AI adoption is to find the one or two people already using it well, then productize what they built for everyone else.Don't wait for perfect data to start. The definition of "economic occupancy" can get refined while you're already making progress.Spend real time up front on how you want your AI to communicate with you. It pays off across every session after.The fundamentals of being good at your job haven't changed. The tools have. Curiosity is still rule number one.Structured, well-annotated data is still the whole game. Bad data in, bad data out.Featured on this panelMason Levy, co-founder & CEO, swivl. Matt Engfer, co-founder & CEO, Cubby. Austin Rockman, AI lead, White Label 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 brings two guests from StorageMax, Mississippi's largest self-storage operator, spanning 39 locations across three states with a lean 48-person team. Nick Newcomb stepped into the CEO role in late 2024 after joining the family business in 2013 and rising through COO. Shannon Wolfe runs training and development, joining in 2019 from the coffee world just before COVID reshaped the industry. Together they break down how a lean operator stays coherent at scale, even as AI handles more of the customer-facing work.In this episode, we explore:Why StorageMax runs with no district managers, and how a siloed, specialty-based structure replaced the traditional modelThe CEO transition, learning to delegate, and the "ISMADAT" spreadsheet (Improving StorageMax One Day At A Time)The acquisition playbook: broker and off-market deals, long-term-hold relationships, and a two-month runway to StorageMax standardsFirst impressions as strategy, from deep-cleaning every vacant unit to the back lip of the doorWhat breaks first when you grow: software integrations, not peopleAncillary revenue done right, and how an RV campground near an AWS data-center campus became the primary business at that siteBuilding an AI-literate team: safe-practices training, AI to enhance roles rather than replace themPersonal tech stacks, from Claude in Excel and vibe-coded dashboards to reMarkable tablets and SuperhumanWhy the manager who got poached by a competitor asked for a repaved driveway, not a raiseThe bait-and-switch rate problem and what it costs the industry's reputationIf you've ever wondered how a lean team competes with the REITs, when specialization beats the jack-of-all-trades manager, or how to bring AI into an operation without losing the human touch, this episode delivers a candid, operator-level look from two people building it in real time.In This Episode We Discussed(00:00:00) Two guests, one lean operator: intros and backgrounds(00:03:02) Monday mornings and how a small corporate team divides the work(00:05:32) The CEO transition and learning to delegate(00:08:35) Building the siloed structure and why no district managers(00:10:12) What breaks first when you scale(00:12:00) The acquisition playbook and turning a facility into StorageMax(00:18:04) Ancillary revenue, RV campgrounds, and the data-center effect(00:22:37) Investing in people and the repaved-driveway story(00:27:19) Personal AI tech stacks and how the team actually uses AI(00:39:09) Training an AI-literate team without losing the human touch(00:48:35) Biggest surprises and the bait-and-switch rate problem(00:51:50) Rapid fire: Monday opens, curb appeal, lunch spots, sports, and unmanned mythsKey Themes & TakeawaysSpecialize Instead of Cloning ManagersOne manager wearing every hat never masters sales. StorageMax replaced district managers with specialists in training, quality control, and personnel, borrowing the logic operators usually reserve for call centers.AI Enhances Roles, It Doesn't Replace ThemThe message to the team is explicit: lean into new tools, but they exist to take work off your plate, not to take your job.Do Right by Your PeopleThe best team members care about their customers. Sometimes retention isn't about money; it's about paving the road they've been apologizing for.Favorite Nuggets"Unmanned properties do not exist.""Improving StorageMax one day at a time.""You can't get a first impression back the second try.""If you're single-sentence prompting, you're doing it wrong."🔗 More from StorageMaxLearn more at the StorageMax website.Connect with NickConnect with Shannon