A lot of marriages are put to the test at some point in a couples’ life. For Josh and Melissa Huff, co-founders of Lighthouse Storage Solutions, it happened almost immediately. After dating for less than a year, the couple decided to marry in early 2020. Not only was it a big change for them, but they were also merging two families (Josh has three daughters and Melissa has one son, both from previous marriages).
The honeymoon was barely over when the world shut down. COVID entered the United States like a bull in a china shop, forcing the newlyweds into lock down before the ink was even dry on the marriage license.
“It could’ve gone south very quickly,” laughs Josh. “Fortunately, that’s not what happened. In fact, it was a blessing being so close to one another and our kids during such a turbulent time.”
That wasn’t the only bright side to the situation. “It was also during quarantine that Melissa introduced me to the world of self-storage,” says Josh.
Melissa had begun her self-storage journey in 2008 working as a facility manager. After nearly 10 years in management, she transitioned to the role of VP of Operations for a third-party management company. “I was running 35 self-storage facilities across three states,” says Melissa. “I also was serving as the director of both the Tennessee and Louisiana Self Storage Associations, and helped write and advocate for new laws surrounding self-storage, like the Tennessee State Lien Law that allows storage facility owners to advertise any sale of a tenant's personal property in a commercially reasonable manner. I still maintain both of these roles today.”
During the COVID quarantine, the couple was forced to share space in their home office. Again, this closeness was a blessing in disguise. “That’s when I started becoming interested in self-storage,” explains Josh. “I’d listen to Melissa talking about the business with clients, see the type of work she was doing… I already had years of experience in marketing, and thought, maybe there’s a place for my gifts in the self-storage world.”
He began by working on side projects for Melissa, and assisting with marketing for the state associations she was overseeing. But he saw other opportunities on the horizon, and so he started Lighthouse Storage Solutions. “At first the business was geared more towards self-storage vendors, but it quickly expanded to owners/operators as their needs grew, and especially as the pandemic eased,” says Josh. “A number of facilities that had been doing unprecedented levels of business suddenly found themselves struggling, so began looking at ways to help them with marketing, web design, and drone photos and video.”
A month later, Melissa joined the team, making it a full-service operation to ‘guide owners on a clear path towards their desired destination.’
“That was an interesting dynamic,” Josh says. “I’d been working for her, and now she was working for me. But we quickly found our lanes and stayed in them, to be true co-founders of the business. And it works out really well, because our two skill sets don’t really overlap, so we don’t get in each other's way!”
Josh explains that while he focuses on marketing and the customer-facing aspects of client businesses, Melissa is on the backend, offering self-storage consulting, employee training, procedure manuals, and business valuation and optimization services. She is also a prolific speaker, often taking the stage at state and national shows to discuss the industry. “I love speaking at industry events and contributing to industry publications,” says Melissa. “And I am always happy to talk with owner operators and managers about their business. Self-storage really is a passion.”
If it sounds like their plates are full, you don’t know the Huffs! This dynamic duo is also involved in webinars and podcasts. Melissa co-hosts the Gabfocus Webinar with Tommy Nguyen, the co-founder of StoragePug, and the Gabfocus Self Storage Podcast with Josh, covering topics from self-storage law to increasing occupancy, and always with other experts on hand. “The podcast also grew out of COVID,” says Melissa, who was looking for ways to communicate with others and educate those new to the industry during lockdown. “Now, it’s a monthly event with a different focus and a different guest each time.”
The couple says to brainstorm topics, they’ll listen in on topics of conversation at trade shows and industry events, solicit clients for ideas, and lurk in online self-storage groups to see what people are talking about. “The hunt for the next topic is almost as fun as putting on the show itself,” says Melissa.
Lighthouse Storage Solutions continues to grow, with a roster of clients that would make any marketing firm envious. But for this couple, success is just the icing on the cake.
“I couldn’t be happier with the ways things turned out, God has truly blessed us,” says Josh. “The work is great, but working together is even better. Our jobs take us all over the country, and we always make time for fun on those travels.”
“We’re a team, in business and in life,” adds Melissa. “We celebrate every win together.”
One of the more unique services that Lighthouse Storage Solutions offers in drone video. Josh, an FAA-licensed drone pilot, travels the country to take aerial photos and video of self-storage facilities that owners can use on their websites and promotional material to highlight their property from above.
“Drone photos and video are valuable tools to tell the story of your self storage facility, and to give operators a way to showcase their properties to potential tenants,” says Josh, who along with his wife Melissa regularly features drone videos at the company’s trade show booths to get people excited about them.
He says that other facility owners also like to watch the videos, as it gives them a way to create a wish list for their own property. “They can easily see how other facilities are laid out, the landscaping, color and design options, and more.”
Josh says that while some owners may be tempted to create their own drone videos, he recommends they use a professional. “The FAA license is no joke,” he explains. “To get it, you learn about regulations for flight, weather patterns, safety around buildings and people. It’s really like learning how to fly a small plane.”
“If you don’t know what you’re doing with a drone, don’t do it,” he advises.
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Brad Hadfield is the web manager and news writer for Modern Storage Media.