Escape the Income Roller Coaster and Build a Business That Actually Gives You Freedom with Alex Pardo
In this episode of The PETE Podcast, host John Nolan sits down with Alex Pardo, founder of Storage Wins, to talk about his journey from 14 years in single family wholesaling to building a self-storage portfolio — and why he never looked back.
Alex shares the real reasons he walked away from a nine-person wholesaling operation in South Florida, why single family rentals didn't give him the freedom he was looking for, and how a chance encounter in a mastermind opened his eyes to the self-storage asset class. He breaks down exactly how to manage facilities remotely without employees, what makes a good storage market, and why storage is more of a business play than a traditional real estate project.
He also gets personal — sharing his biggest professional mistake, a $130,000 IRS bill he didn't see coming, and the hard lesson he learned about abdicating financial responsibility. If you're a residential investor curious about storage or just looking for a smarter path to freedom, this episode is worth the full listen.
Episode Highlights
[0:35] – Introduction to Alex Pardo and Storage Wins
[0:53] – The shared jiu-jitsu connection and what the sport teaches about life and business
[2:18] – Why personal growth and professional growth are inseparable
[3:08] – Designing a business that supports your life — not the other way around
[3:29] – What made Alex walk away from a thriving wholesaling business after 14 years
[4:13] – The concept of playing the movie forward and why it drives big decisions
[5:18] – The income roller coaster of wholesaling and why Alex got tired of it
[5:57] – Why single family rentals didn't deliver the freedom Alex expected
[6:19] – How coaching someone in a mastermind introduced him to self-storage
[7:02] – Using Covid as the catalyst to finally unwind the single family business
[7:44] – Why property management didn't solve the rental headache problem
[8:31] – What a rental portfolio is actually good for — and what it isn't
[9:25] – How to properly underwrite a rental with vacancy, CapEx, and maintenance baked in
[10:37] – Why single family skills transfer directly into self-storage
[11:19] – The two areas where storage underwriting is genuinely different
[12:32] – The filters Alex used when choosing his next business — and how storage checked every box
[13:30] – The three-pronged remote management system for storage facilities
[14:19] – How Alex managed 104,000 sq ft in four facilities in under two hours a week
[14:53] – What a boots-on-the-ground team member actually does — and what it costs
[16:16] – Where to find reliable boots-on-the-ground contractors (including a tip on firefighters)
[17:08] – Gated vs. non-gated facilities and when it matters
[18:10] – Alex's biggest mistake: buying his first storage deal in the wrong market
[19:19] – The market demographics that matter most when evaluating a storage deal
[21:22] – What storage renters are really looking for: convenience, cleanliness, and security
[21:58] – Why self-storage is an unusually sticky product with long average tenancy
[23:16] – The pain of disconnect: why most renters just keep paying rather than move out
[24:42] – Why Americans' consumption habits make storage recession-resilient
[25:01] – Alex's first-ever in-person Storage Wins retreat at a Key Largo beach house
[26:05] – The concept of vision stacking and how to combine business and life goals
[27:44] – What happened at the retreat: deals made, connections formed, and an NFL legend introduced
[29:36] – What genuinely drives Alex — wanting to see people win
[31:02] – Alex's biggest professional mistake: abdicating all financial responsibility to a bookkeeper
[33:07] – Getting a $130K IRS bill in 2009 with no money to pay it
[33:47] – How Alex paid off the IRS and $40K in credit card debt over three years
[34:29] – The difference between delegating and abdicating — and why it matters
[35:36] – Parting advice: speed of implementation is the real multiplier
[36:25] – Where to follow Alex and find the Storage Wins podcast and YouTube channel
5 Key Takeaways
Design the business around your life — not the other way around. Alex's shift to storage wasn't just about a better asset class. It was about building something that fit the life he actually wanted.
Your single family skills are more transferable than you think. Marketing, acquisitions, owner conversations — they all translate directly into storage. The learning curve is smaller than most people expect.
Market selection is everything. You can be an exceptional operator and still fail in the wrong market. Demographics, median household income, and supply-demand ratios matter as much in storage as they do in residential.
Storage is a sticky product. With an average length of stay north of two years, tenants tend to stay and pay — making it far more predictable than most real estate strategies.
Never abdicate financial responsibility. Delegating your books doesn't mean you're off the hook. The success or failure of your business ultimately sits with you.
Closing Remark
Whether you're burned out on single family, curious about a new asset class, or just looking for a business model that can run without you, Alex Pardo's story is proof that the pivot is worth it — as long as you go in with the right plan, the right market, and the right mindset.
Make sure to rate, follow, share, and review The PETE Podcast so more investors can find the strategies that actually change lives.
