Shon Bennet on the amazing growth of GoStoreIt and what's happening in Storage that made it possible

I sit down with Shon Bennett, Director of Business Development at Go Store It, for a deep dive into the evolving world of third-party self-storage management .

Shon spent 14 years at Extra Space Storage, beginning behind the counter as an assistant manager before leveraging a decade of operational field experience to join their corporate third-party management division . Two years ago, Shon took a leap of faith to join COO Bo Agnello and help scale Go Store It into a national powerhouse .

In this episode, Shon breaks down how Go Store It navigated the prolonged industry down-cycle and expanded its footprint to about 250 owned and managed locations . We examine the structural shift happening in third-party management, where mega-REITs are hitting concentration limits in primary markets and passing on tertiary assets, leaving a massive runway for tailored operating models . Shon also explains his philosophy on PropTech, using software and AI as targeted "NOS" rather than building an entire operation around shiny tools, and analyzes why customer retention and length of stay have become the ultimate revenue drivers when existing tenant rates significantly outpace discounted move-in pricing .

Key Takeaways From This Episode: The Operational Foundation: Why starting as an on-site store manager provides an unmatched foundation for high-level third-party client reporting and asset oversight .

The Mid-Market Opportunity: How Go Store It builds customized operating models that blend centralized call centers with remote or hybrid staffing for facilities that don't fit REIT formulas .

Disciplined Tech Adoption: Why operators must pinpoint their exact operational friction points before buying software, avoiding the trap of chasing every shiny vendor on the trade show floor .

The Power of Retention: Why safeguarding tenant relationships and maintaining physical asset standards drives higher yields than continually replacing churned renters at deep move-in discounts .

Culture and Team Building: How assembling a high-caliber leadership team alongside Bo Agnello, Andrew Jones, and Mike Linquata accelerated Go Store It's 3PM expansion .

Whether you are evaluating third-party management options or seeking operational clarity in today's shifting storage market, Shon's field-tested frameworks offer an indispensable guide .

Connect with Thaddeus Campbell (S3 Partners):

Email: thaddeus@s3.partners

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsthadcampbell/