Joe Downs sits down with Sydnie Wilda, operations and property management expert at Anytime Storage, a hands-on operator who has managed both boat and RV facilities and self-storage, including facilities within Joe's own portfolio. 

The conversation delivers a field-level breakdown of the two most overlooked opportunities in storage investing right now: underperforming mom-and-pop self-storage facilities sitting 30% below market rents, and boat and RV storage operations being run like oversized 10x10 units. 

With 600,000 new boats and RVs sold annually against only 25,000–30,000 new storage spots added each year, the supply gap is real, but Sydnie reveals why the operational gap is the bigger opportunity, and exactly how to close it. 

Storage investors at every stage need this episode.

Listen For:

4:08 Why do self-storage operators consistently mismanage boat and RV facilities when they cross over?

6:26 How does access failure at a boat and RV facility damage tenant retention in ways self-storage simply cannot?

10:31 What does Sydnie Wilda actually see when she walks into an underperforming mom-and-pop storage facility?

14:05 How do bad Google profiles, below-market rents, and missed insurance revenue represent fixable management problems?

24:52 Where does Sydnie Wilda see herself in five years, and what is she doing today to make it happen? 

CONNECT WITH GUEST: SYDNIE WILDA, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER | ANYTIME STORAGE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

LinkedIn | Instagram | Website 

CONNECT WITH US

Joe Downs on LinkedIn

Belrose website | Belrose email | Belrose LinkedIn

That's the crisis at the center of this episode. 

Joe Downs sits down with Adam and Kirby Leiby, a sales professional and homeschooling mom with zero prior storage experience, who purchased Lemon Springs Self Storage in Sanford, North Carolina for $625,000 in August 2025. 

Less than a year later, the 96-unit facility is at 70% occupancy and climbing, year-one projections are hit, and deal number two is already in their sights. 

Their story is a masterclass in one of the most valuable skills in self-storage investing: telling the difference between a market that doesn't want you and an operator who simply stopped trying. 

If you've ever wondered whether you have what it takes to close a distressed deal, this episode is required listening.

Listen For:

1:10 How did two career professionals with zero storage experience decide to buy their first self-storage facility?

7:33 What does secretly shopping a 10-mile radius around a storage facility actually reveal about the market?

12:26 When occupancy drops to 40% mid-contract, how do first-time storage investors decide whether to walk or close?

15:40 What is the single moment Adam and Kirby Leiby decided to push through and close the Lemon Springs deal?

22:43 What does a storage investor's five-year portfolio vision actually look like in practice and what are you doing today to get there?

CONNECT WITH GUEST: ADAM & KIRBY LIEBY

Website | Adam's LinkedIn | Kirby's LinkedIn | Adam's Instagram | Kirby's Instagram | Adam's Facebook | Kirby's Facebook | Facebook Page 

CONNECT WITH US

Joe Downs on LinkedIn

Belrose website | Belrose email | Belrose LinkedIn

That single question is at the heart of this episode and for guest Christin Blunk, it wasn't hypothetical. When her husband Rod was diagnosed with stage four cancer three days before Christmas, their income stopped cold.  

What followed transformed their life with 20 years of residential real estate experience into self-storage investors generating $12,000 per month in passive cash flow…on less than 15 hours of management per month.  

Joe Downs sits down with Christin to unpack how she and Rod found and financed two self-storage facilities in Kentucky using conventional bank financing, no SBA, no private equity, with a combined investment of under $200,000 and built a portfolio now tracking toward $3.75–$4 million at exit. 

If you've been sitting on the fence about self-storage investing, this episode is your wake-up call.

Listen For:

7:13 How did a stage four cancer diagnosis completely change the way Christin Blunk thinks about income and self-storage investing?

12:24 Why did Christin spend a full year educating herself before buying her first self-storage facility, even with 20 years of real estate experience?

17:14 How did Christin finance her first self-storage acquisition using conventional local bank financing with just 20% down?

22:49 What did Christin discover during due diligence on her second self-storage deal, and how did she turn 40 non-paying tenants into an advantage?

34:36 What does Christin Blunk say to the storage investor who has all the information they need but still hasn't pulled the trigger?

CONNECT WITH GUEST: CHRISTIN BLUNK

Warriors 2 Wealth Website | Warriors 2 Wealth YouTube | Christin's Instagram | Christin's LinkedIn 

CONNECT WITH US

Joe Downs on LinkedIn

Belrose website | Belrose email | Belrose LinkedIn