How can you change up your work routine in order to get more tasks done during the day? If you have felt yourself slipping into distractions at the workplace, here are 4 ideas to help you have a productive, happy day at work. Use a site blocker Avoid the temptation of going on websites that are time sinks. Use a site blocker to block these...

Compensation packages are a critical component to the success of any business, and the pay-for-performance model is a popular option. In general, it can be an excellent tool for shaping the performance and behavior of self-storage facility managers. However, as with most things, there is also risk to be considered. Before implementing a...

Meeting with your employees a few times a year is a great way to catch up and make sure everyone is on the same page. It is equally important to be able to meet with everyone individually and help set up goals and objectives that can be used to measure their performance. You want to be like a coach supporting your employees’ professional growth....

One of the characteristics top businesses share is a culture that encourages managers to grow as leaders within the company and the community. Excellent managers are reflective of the overall leadership of the organization and their value of developing people. The reverse outcome resulting from a heavily micro-managed culture could be analogous...

For your insurance clients with valuable collections, burglary should be a real concern. One of the principle causes of loss is theft. In addition to the proper collectibles coverage, the insured should try to minimize the risk of loss due to burglary. Even though some points may seem obvious, many times the most basic measures are ignored. There...

The holiday season is a joyful time, but it can also be stressful. The combination of holiday expenses and obligations, foul weather, cold and flu season, financial pressures, and end-of-year work deadlines can get the best of anyone at one time or other. With that in mind, this is an excellent time to create increased awareness among your...

Until a few years ago, the self-storage industry operated without a high level of attention from the general public. That all ended with the arrival of the reality television show Storage Wars and other programs that followed. Lien sales have always been one of the more negative aspects of the industry, but they did not garner widespread scrutiny...

If you own a self-storage facility, it's virtually inevitable that you will wind up making an insurance claim at some point. Whether it’s property damage, theft, bodily injury or a lien auction, there are unique risks involved in operating such a facility. If you do file a claim, there are a few things you should keep in mind. Document All...

Do you know what the perfect account looks like for you? Some agencies will take any new client. Others look for specific characteristics. Your ideal customer may be within a specific niche, of a certain revenue size, or require a specific level of monthly service “touches.” Whatever it is, the most successful agencies usually define what their...

As an independent agency principal, it can feel like a real challenge to maintain and grow your business. The challenges come in many forms: soft markets, direct insurance sales competitors, and changing government regulations to name a few. To counter this, it’s important for agents to have at least a general plan for moving forward. New...

The self-storage industry is one of the fastest growing areas of the commercial real estate industry. Not only has there been a rapid expansion in the recent past, there is also a real demand from the public to support it, and many self-storage facilities are independently owned. Consequently, there is a solid opportunity for independent agents...

Ladders are a commonly used tool at self-storage facilities. Owners and managers can minimize potentially unsafe ladder usage by initially choosing the right ladder. Choosing the Right Ladder Portable step ladders, straight ladders and extension ladders are probably the most commonly used ladders at self-storage facilities. Here are a few safety...

This article addresses steps that self-storage business owners may take to prepare for storm season. The second article in this two-part series will discuss actions to take in the aftermath of a storm and filing a claim. The Atlantic hurricane season extends from June 1st through November 30th. With over 7,000 self-storage facilities located in...

Social media has become so prevalent that it is sometimes hard to remember when it wasn’t part of our daily lives. But it just takes a quick glimpse at the tenth-anniversary celebration going on at Facebook, a social media titan with 1.23 billion monthly active users, to realize that the rise of this wide-reaching, culture-changing phenomenon has...