Hello and welcome to the Self Storage Investing Home Study Course.  You might have guessed, I’m Scott Meyers and for nearly two decades, I’ve been a student of self-storage – how to find it, fund it, finance it, and even flip it.

In all those years, I’ve never stopped learning, but you need to understand this:  Once upon a time, I was right where you are today…

I purchased home study courses, I paid mentors, I studied the industries and the demographics, I did dozens – hundreds – of simulations at my dining room table and my desk.

Ultimately, I found there is only one way to succeed:  I had to actually do a deal!

That’s what this course is all about – taking you far, far away from your comfort zone and becoming NOT a student of self-storage, but an actual investor in self storage.

I’d consider it a failure if you invested your time and energy in this course, only to find yourself a “theoretical” investor.

Now, will you buy a facility in the next 12 weeks?

Honestly?  I doubt it.  Some simple math tells us both that’s nearly impossible unless you are putting an LOI on a facility today.

But in the end, when you complete this Home Study Course, you will have the knowledge and access to the tools and the team to be able to easily move from theory to reality.

From student to investor.

So let’s talk about a little housekeeping, shall we?

As you’ve no doubt already seen, the Home Study Course is broken into seven modules.  We originally designed the course to be 12 weeks, giving you two weeks for each Module.  You’ll also notice, Module 7, Converting and Developing Self Storage Assets – is classified as a “bonus.”

Why?

Well, converting and developing other real estate into self storage facilities isn’t something we enter into lightly.  There are a host of variables – which you’ll learn – but in the end, we don’t recommend you, as a student, jump into that end of the self storage pool that quickly.

Let’s learn to crawl, then walk, then run, then we can start swimming in the deeper waters.

Deal?

Okay!

Let’s go back to the syllabus – each of those two week Modules is broken into a “home” Session – where you’ll be learning the materials and the subject matter – and a “field” Session.

You guessed it!

You’ll get to take field trips.

Oh, you’ll still have lessons that week here in the program, but part of your homework – yes, I said homework – will be meeting with other investors, real estate agents, bankers, owners and operators of self storage facilities local to you, and building your own personal network of people in your area who can support your growth and your success, just as we are doing within the program or at the live events we run every year – the Self Storage Academy, the Self Storage Developers Academy, and the Private Money and Syndication Summit.

Obviously, we’d like to see you join us at ALL of these, because our business is coast-to-coast and having “real time” data from students is one of the most valuable pieces of information we can ever have.

Got it?

Great.

Now, each of these Modules will have a test.

Yes, a test.

It’s not going to be a hard test, but we’ve designed it to make sure you didn’t check Facebook while I’m sharing something critical.

We’ll also be asking you to share things about yourself, especially as you begin to develop your own ideas, strategies, and even financing systems.  As you’ll learn, we’ve got experts on staff to help you as you explore things like Syndications and even “self-funding” your investments.

…But we can’t ensure you get all the information you need unless we have some information, too.

Next, even though this is an “introduction” there are still some critical things in this video.

The Self Storage Investing Home Study Course Reading List comes immediately to mind, so let me touch on that…

Personally, I love reading and I love reading things that allow me to expand my mind and create more success in my life and business.

First things first – you have access to the newest version of the Home Study Manual.  It’s a critical part of your education, and even though we are not going to follow it page-by-page, you need to take the time, before we get started in Module One, to actually read it.

Please.

Your success – or lack thereof – depends on it.  We’re going to move very quickly in the next 90 days, so having a functional understanding of the material as we begin to cover it will be critical.

There are some other books that are worth your time, too.  I know many of you have read these, but the facts remain – they are incredibly powerful books that teach important lessons regarding your success.

The Little Book of Thinking Big, Richard Newton

The Go Giver, Bob Burg and John David Mann

The E-Myth Revisited, Michael E. Gerber

The 4 Hour Work Week, Tim Ferriss

The Time Breakthrough, Dan Sullivan

How to Gain an Extra Hour Every Day, Ray Josephs

You absolutely MUST read the Home Study Manual first, but each of the others can be filled in as you go through the rest of the course – and not in any particular order.

Now, I’m saying that and by doing so, I’m making a huge assumption…  I’m assuming you have already begun to develop what Michael E. Gerber calls your “entrepreneurial mind.”

Have you?  Do you believe you can be paid NOT for the sweat of your brow or your experience, but for the assets you own?

Do you believe – truly believe – in passive income?

If not, then you might want to go ahead and read The E-Myth Revisited first.

If you aren’t 100% sure you can commit to building a system that can make you wealthy instead of a job that only wears you out mentally and physically, then please, I want you to focus on that first and foremost.

I’ll believe in your until you believe in yourself, but knowing is far more powerful than hoping.

Let’s keep moving, because I have a lot to share with you…

You’ll also notice that each Session has links in the sidebar – resources, tools, downloads, and so on.  In some cases, they stand alone and don’t need any real explanation.  In others, such as the Valuator, we’ll be dedicating an entire Module to your education on this valuable tool – it is literally the first step in understanding if a deal has any real value in it, so knowing how to use it is critical!

Another key part of each Session is the videos that are a part of the curriculum.  Each of these has been selected because they offer critical insight into the subject material of the Sessions.  We’ve shortened them up from the originals, but it’s still imperative you watch them all the way through.

Not only will each one be building on the material you’ve already covered, it will be laying the groundwork for the next Sessions and Module.

The important thing in all this is to remember, this is a journey, not a race.  My team and I have drawn you a clear map and I’m going to be your guide on this path, but you have to do the work, too.

I’d recommend you try to set aside time on specific days each week to go through the curriculum and to orchestrate the field trips.  I’d also recommend that you dedicate a journal, binder, or even a note-keeping app on your tablet to be able to document your homework, any advanced questions you might have, and any “ah-ha’s” that are triggered as you do the work.

…And finally, I want you to remember to have fun in this process.  No one was born knowing how to make a fortune in self storage investing, we ALL had to learn it.

My team and I have built this system to take the stress out of the process I went through to become successful, so take your time, learn the material, and NEVER hesitate to reach out to the team if you have any questions.

I’m Scott Meyers and I’ll see you in the next Session!