Are You Ready For Winter?

Summer is winding down.  There is a crisp feeling in the air.  A feeling of things coming to an end to make way for new beginnings.  The summer heat is almost over and fall is right around the corner.  In the Midwest they call this, "Indian Summer".  We are teased with a few chilly days enveloped by a warm day here and there.  As we rummage through our closets we grab a jacket or sweatshirt and begin to dress in layers again.  I see more smiles, caravans to football games, people lounging outside coffee shops in the evening and a more relaxed feel as people walk to and fro.


This past weekend I realized that it wasn't quite so easy to grab for my favorite sweatshirt because it was packed tight in a container.  I didn't feel like taking the extra effort to find it so I grabbed a jean jacket instead.  I looked at my son and said, we need to go through our clothes and start packing the summer clothes soon.  It's not exactly an enjoyable way to spend the evening but a very necessary one.  After all of this time, I decided two weeks ago to get a small storage unit.  I don't like having too much "stuff" and would just prefer to get rid of it in lieu of putting it in storage.  However, I decided that it was easier to get through our home if we weren't tripping over each other to avoid storage tubs in our hallway (we live in a loft apartment).  So, I budged and took out a unit small enough to store some items over the winter.


Not long after, my customers began dropping by to take their winter clothes out of storage.  I didn't feel quite so alone.  I ran to the store and bought an extra storage container (never pack items in boxes or trash bags if you can help it).  I still need to grab some sachets to pop inside as well (sachets are great to keep clothes smelling nice and fresh).  When we are preparing for auctions, I sometimes gasp when I open the door and see trash bags and boxes strewn about with clothes hanging out.  News seasons bring pollen, dust and other undesirables more often than not (unless your area has hard freezes prior to the first day of winter).  This can get into your clothing and cause even greater problems.  If they have been in bags or boxes, you most definitely would not want to wear them without washing first.  My suggestion always is to pack clothing into plastic storage containers.  These are also easy to label (you can get cheap peel-off labels at any dollar store) so you know what is in the container as well.


Now, what about electronics?  With the changing of any season comes that dreaded word (unless you live in the desert) "moisture".  It may hit 28 at night and 50 during the day.  Drastic temperature changes almost always create moisture.  With that being said, are you storing electronics?  If so, you may want to consider a climate controlled unit if at all possible.  If not, I would suggest insulating your electronic items with as much absorbent padding as possible.  You can purchase egg crate mattress pads and cut them up to fit and wrap around your electronics for insulation and maybe the pad will absorb some of the moisture. 


This isn't fail-proof, though.  Read the question from a reader and answer from electronics guru, Dave Taylor at http://www.askdavetaylor.com:  


"Every year I have a problem trying to figure out where to hide Christmas presents and this year I've finally decided to just leave them in a box in the trunk of my card. My only concern is the cold weather. Can cold mess up digitalcameras, iPods, etc?"


"Dave's Answer:I asked the folks at DriveSavers for their input on this issue, since they make their money recovering data from damaged drives and gadgets, and here's what they reported back to me:
Oh yeah, that's a serious problem, one that I have been thinking about myself since I realized that I couldn't leave my own iPod in my car on nights when it gets below 32F, which we've definitely been experiencing in the last week or so here in Colorado. 
"Winter’s cold temperatures can certainly damage hard drives and electronic gadgets. This holiday season, expensive presents with built-in hard drives like new game systems, personal computers and MP3 music players require extra protection from the cold. DriveSavers, experts at data recovery, warns that hard drives can be damaged when the temperature drops below freezing."
Their advice to you is:

• Don’t keep gifts of electronic devices hidden in car trunks, especially: laptops or desktop computers, digital cameras, MP3 music players, game systems or hard drive-based video recorders.
• If your hard drive-based gifts experience extreme temperatures (below 30 degrees), allow them time to warm to room temperature before operating them.
• If you receive a new personal computer, be sure to backup all the files on your old computer before startier them to the new one.
• As an added precaution, always use surge protectors or battery backup systems to protect your new electronic devices. This will prevent damage from power spikes or surges, common during the winter.

Michelle Armstrong
Manager
Star Storage
816-765-7300

You Found WHAT?!? Why nobody wants Harry (or, things left behind in abandoned storage units)

Being the only employee for a storage facility can get rather lonesome at times.  I do a lot of research and reading during the week trying to find ways to improve marketing and sales.  Our default rate is (gladly) very low in comparison to many facilities and our sales aren't too shabby, either.  So, those "lonely" times can be very beneficial.  But now, I have a guest who has been keeping me company since the last auction.  We'll call him "Harry".  The day after our last auction, one of the bidders came inside and plopped a large canister on my desk and said, "You may want this".  Lo and behold I saw the label attached to it and it was the cremated remains of someone who had been stored in a unit.

As shocking as this may be to some, it happens.  I was floored that someone would even leave remains inside of a unit let alone abandon it with them inside.  So, I set out on a quest to find the owner.  My B.A. focused on strong skills in historical research so I had hoped I could track her down.  I knew it wouldn't be easy because I already apply those same research skills in finding customers who have defaulted on their units (refer back to "low default rate" comment in the first paragraph, pats self on back).  Gladly our bidder returned the next day with paperwork to help with my search.  I was able to piece together a car accident and the fact that this was a spouse of the unit owner.  The accident was out of state as was the crematorium.  The spouse?  Well, still nowhere to be found.

So, I contacted the fine people at MSSOA (Missouri Self Storage Owners Association) who contacted their attorney who then said, "Don't Sell It!"  I had to chuckle after hearing this.  I understand the implications of selling something this personal but I'm quite uncertain there would be a buyer in that market to begin with...if there even is a market for selling cremated remains? He then suggested calling the police. However, that thought had already come to mind so I had beat him to the punch.  I called the local police department who passed me around a few times and then concluded they had no area for remains and I should contact our attorney.  Hmmmm......

I then called a local funeral home and the woman on the other end was completely baffled.  She said she would research it if I would email her the information.  As of today's writing, Harry is still with us.  Last week we had a large event we worked and because it was a shortened work-week, I decided to wait out word from the local funeral home.  First day of the week is always very busy so today, I decided to contact the crematorium listed on the side of the box.  They, too, have no idea what to do with Harry.  I sent the information to them but they are pretty certain they won't be able to do anything with the remains, either.

So, I sit back and envision taking a road trip with Harry to disburse his remains.  I ponder if he was a lover of water.  Should I travel to the ocean and spread the ashes into the wind as we bid him adieu with tears in our eyes?  "Ahh, that Harry, what a wonderful navigator of the seas! Spending his final days rescuing orphans from evil lands afar.  What an honorable man!"  Or perhaps he ventured to kingdoms in foreign lands?  "An avid climber, Harry once carried his wife, the love of his life, on his back as he effortlessly climbed to the peaks of Mt. Everest!" Or perhaps he was as simple man who loved to read while surrounded by trees in the forests of Northern California.  "As Harry finished the last page of Great Expectations, his pipe emitting the soft scent of cherry tobacco, he reflected upon his own life.  As he did this, a small sparrow flew down and perched upon his lap. Harry was a good man and lived a blessed life."

As I look up and see the time that has passed, I wonder in all actuality if Harry is having fun wherever he may be.  I wonder where his wife is and hope that she is doing well and perhaps just suffering from partial  amnesia (since I still cannot imagine why someone would leave remains behind for no good reason).  If that is the case, perhaps she is also wondering where Harry is as well.  Maybe she thinks he is still atop Mt. Everest searching the skies for his lovely wife ("Helloooo down theyah!"). Realistically, though, I know in my heart Harry was forgotten, left behind, abandoned like the other items in the unit.  As I continue to give time to do more research,  I still have a glimmer of hope of finding his family.  I believe Harry deserves this.  In the meantime, I hope I am good company for him.  I tend to be almost as quiet as Harry most of the time but not quite as reserved, thank God.


UPDATE ON HARRY:  Thank you to the Jackson County Coroner's office for picking Harry up and reuniting him with his son.

Michelle Armstrong
Manager
Star Storage
816-765-7300

My How Time Flies - Organization And Time Management

I woke up this morning and on my mind was the pile of items on my to do list for work.  Holidays are always nice but we generally pay for it the week after.  And Murphy's Law took effect this week as well.  When I left work on Saturday, the printer wasn't working well.  It was smudging every letter that needed mailed out, important letters, too.  I put in a work order to our computer tech who was also busy over the holiday weekend.  I still hoped in the back of my mind it would be fixed when I came in on Tuesday.  Maybe through osmosis it would fix itself.  I will tell right you now, the use of osmosis is never a reliable plan.


When I came in Tuesday morning, I contacted our computer tech again.  He couldn't come in until Wednesday evening to fix the printer.  It wasn't faring well and neither was I.  Murphy's Law: we have a show we are working this weekend to bring more revenue to our business.  And, I have 2000 coupons to be clipped and ready to pass out at the gate Saturday.  Not panicking yet, I figured he would come in and be able to fix the printer without a hitch.  Murphy's Law: not only could he not fix it, but it stopped working immediately after he tried.  The part we needed was not close and there was only one available at that location. No other store in the city carries this part.  I ordered it to be sent Next Day to us.  The confirmation showed that it would arrive probably Saturday.  I called, their Next Day Air orders aren't placed until the 3rd business day.  I cancelled the "next-day" order.  I came in early and traveled to pick up the part this morning, at a store that opens when our store opens. Murphy's Law.  


So, what happens when Murphy's Law strikes and severs your schedule and adds to your weekly tasks (during a short week, I might add)?  You take another look at your priority list and rearrange it as best as possible.  You then take the proverbial deep breath and ask yourself what has to be done first in order to accomplish the rest of your items.  In my case, a working printer.  So, I came in early today and readied the office for opening, placed a sign on the door letting my customers know an approximate time I would return, gathered the bank deposit and and began writing our weekly blog, which is a little behind schedule.  Take a step back this week and think about the last time Murphy's Law took affect in your business and reflect on what you did to get through that time.  Right now I am taking it a step at a time and laughing a little (it truly is the best medicine, you cannot be sad and laugh at the same time).  So, as I rethink my priority list for the week I first decide what is the most important factor and that is properly functioning equipment.  And with that in place now (we won't go into the rest of that little fiasco), I am able to continue with my list. 


 Several years ago I was on the human resources management team at a fairly large financial institution.  One of my duties was managing the critical performance evaluation system.  I trained management on the proper way to administer an evaluation.  I believe these evaluations are critical to help improve any company.  Well, when it was time for my evaluation, I received a good one with the exception of one area, time management.  My desk area reflected my time management skills (or lack thereof) as well.  I decided after my evaluation I was going to change how I managed the time I spent at work and learn to prioritize.  It seemed archaic at first, I took out a notebook and listed all of my duties and then I put them on the computer so I could develop a system to check items off as they were accomplished.  It took time to get the process down to an art and now, 10 years later, I carry this with me on the job and at home as well (still failing on the home-front more often than not). I have my "A, B, C List" and I keep a filing system as well.  The owner and I share the same thought that leaving Post-It notes and stacks of paper lying around just doesn't look good to customers.  Also, time is money, disorganization means it could take twice as long to find what you need when you have a customer walk in the door.  


Entrepreneur Blogger, Carol Rice, has a list of 8 very important items to keep your business away from disarray .  

1. Don't designate tasks verbally. It's too easy for something to get lost in translation, and then you've got no documentation of what you wanted done.
    
2. Set and manage due dates. When people are given tasks but not timeframes, things tend to never get done.
    
3. Organize your policy info. Important information about your business should be in one, convenient location where everyone can easily find it.
    
4. Simplify procedures. If you have too many different procedures -- or it takes too many different steps to accomplish a task -- they may become easier to ignore. Workers may begin making up their own, more expedient ways of doing things instead.
    
5. Set email limits. Many people constantly check email, interrupting tasks that require sustained concentration. Experiment with shutting it down for most of the day, or get workers to set their email to only 'ding' them every few hours.
    
6. Think files, not piles. This applies to both your computer desktop and your office desk. Papers left around loose tend to get lost.
    
7. Get buy-in on policy changes. Staff can easily go off the rails when you want to change how the business does things. Make sure you explain why the change will make their lives better. At one newspaper where I worked, they fed us Jolly Rancher candies while they explained why we would be happier if our weekly story deadline was half a day sooner. It worked.
    
8. Monitor progress. As the owner of a small hardware-store chain once told me, "People do what you inspect -- not what you expect." 

You can read the rest of her blog here:  http://www.entrepreneur.com/blog/220053

Paul Wellstone said that "Successful organizing is based on the recognition that people get organized because they, too, have a vision".  Keep in mind we are in the self-storage business. We should be sending a message that it is exciting to become organized. I know that having a storage unit enables many of our customers to organize their small and large businesses as well as their homes. We have homeschooling families who use storage for their children's books and assignments from previous years.  Our climate controlled units serve as a wonderful means for off site storage for small businesses using electronics as well as documents. Get to know your customers when they walk through the door.  Get a feel for their needs. 


I have shared the story of my ultra-organized Mom (refer to first blog) with others and it has hopefully been an inspiration to people.  I am quite certain she is the reason plastic storage container companies are still in business.  Recommend large plastic storage containers to your customers to help them become more organized and talk to them about labeling as well (and show some excitement for pity's sake, organizing should make anyone feel good).  Most of all, let the customer see how organized you are as you calmly reach into a labeled file for the document that you need or as you direct their eyes to the specials posted on the walls or the toy and sticker bin when they walk in with their children.  Make it fun and easy for everyone involved.

The end result of becoming organized means your day either goes more smoothly or when Murphy's Law hits, you are organized enough to handle it.  So what's keeping you?  Turn over a new leaf today, create that priority list, grab a handful of files to label and the document shredder and get organized before Mr. Murphy comes knocking.

Michelle Armstrong

Manager

Star Storage

816-765-7300