New, Thank You for this opportunity. Dreaming about this for sometime.

Hi @Dave DeMink and everyone . I’m getting some conflicting advice and would really appreciate insight from those of you who have actually closed on a self-storage facility. I’m hearing two different approaches: One side says to identify a deal, complete enough initial underwriting to determine that it fits your criteria, submit the LOI, get it accepted, and then begin raising or securing the capital. The other side says to establish your capital structure and investor base first, whether through a fund or another vehicle, and then aggressively pursue deals. The reasoning is that once an LOI is accepted, the clock starts. Due diligence, financing, legal, inspections, and everything else begin moving quickly, and that may not be the ideal time to also start figuring out where the equity is coming from. As a longtime business owner, the idea of committing to a transaction before having a clear path to the capital feels somewhat backwards to me. At the same time, I understand that investors generally want to see an actual opportunity before committing capital. For those of you who have successfully closed self-storage acquisitions, how did you approach this on your first few deals? Did you build the investor relationships and capital pipeline first, find the deal first, or develop both simultaneously? I’m especially interested in what worked in the real world, not just what works on paper. Thank you. I appreciate the insight.

It’s easy to get caught up watching others succeed and wondering why things aren’t clicking for you—seeing some people skyrocket while others burn out. But success isn’t about them; it’s about playing YOUR game and staying consistent. In this week’s Monday Mindset, I break down the three paths people take—burnout, burnup, or burn on—and why the ones who keep burning on are the ones who win. If you’ve ever felt stuck or frustrated watching others get ahead, this is for you. 🎧 Listen in now and ask yourself—are you burning out, burning up, or burning on? 💬👇 https://www.skool.com/storageace/classroom/6d0a121a?md=539b9b828677407a91ba47ad4248fa5f #MondayMindset #SelfStorage #PlayYourGame #BurnOn #StorageAce

Sorry I missed Power Hour, I'm sure Dave has some dynamite ideas to share. We're on our last night in Athens visiting the Acropolis and Parthenon

So I was all excited to jump on the power hour and found out that he's only doing them on Tuesdays now which is fine and it makes sense but I wanted to share our location and it's all because of storage. I want to take a moment to think Dave for all the help that he's given me to help me achieve some of my goals!