In this episode, I sit down with Alex Pardo, a self-storage magnate who transitioned from a thriving wholesaling and house-flipping career to building wealth through self-storage facilities. Alex shares his raw and honest story of realizing he’d built a stressful business that left him feeling stuck, and how he used Profit First principles to regain control of his finances and peace of mind — both in business and at home with his wife.

We unpack what it really takes to pivot into self-storage, why he believes it’s one of the most overlooked but recession-resistant assets available to investors, and how Profit First helped him save aggressively for big capital expenses. Alex also discusses who should consider investing in storage, what makes a deal profitable, and how adopting a disciplined money system strengthened his marriage and overall life satisfaction.

Timeline Summary:

[0:00] – Welcoming Alex and swapping Monopoly stories that reveal his competitive edge.

[1:59] – Alex’s first exposure to Profit First through Mike Michalowicz’s books and why it felt like a lightbulb moment.

[5:00] – How implementing Profit First let Alex save for a $100K+ CapEx budget, giving him confidence to move forward with major facility improvements.

[8:00] – How Alex and his wife adopted Profit First at home with dedicated accounts for vacations, Christmas, and giving — creating harmony in their marriage.

[12:52] – What led Alex to ask himself the crucial question that sparked his exit from the wholesaling rat race.

[14:35] – Why he calls scaling his wholesaling business “irresponsible growth” and how his experience taught him to value peace over profit.

[16:02] – His initial fears about moving into self-storage, and the surprising ways his wholesaling skills carried over perfectly.

[18:18] – A look back at whether he regrets leaving wholesaling given the hot post-Covid market, and why he doesn’t.

[21:04] – The powerful “play the movie forward” exercise Alex uses to make big decisions with intention.

[23:06] – His success story of acquiring, stabilizing, and selling a 638-unit storage portfolio — and why he only needed 1-3 good deals per year to move the needle.

[25:23] – Why self-storage can be semi-passive after stabilization, and how Alex spends just 1-2 hours a week managing hundreds of units.

[27:04] – Breaking down the three phases of acquiring a storage facility: marketing and analysis, financing and due diligence, and maximizing operations.

[29:03] – Why self-storage is recession-resistant: the unique psychology of people downsizing but unwilling to part with their stuff.

[32:05] – The differences in operating expense ratios between storage (30-40%) and multifamily (45-55%) — and why this margin creates more breathing room.

Key Takeaways:

1. Asking yourself tough questions — like whether you’d want to be doing the same thing a year from now — can change your entire trajectory.
2. Profit First isn’t just for business; applying its principles at home can bring couples closer and build long-term stability.
3. Your existing real estate skills may translate seamlessly into self-storage — don’t underestimate how much you already know.
4. Location and demographics are critical; a rough market can mean higher break-ins and delinquencies, even in storage.
5. Storage can provide high cash flow with lower management demands than single-family or multifamily rentals — making it ideal for those seeking freedom.

Links & Resources

• Learn more about self-storage investing and get free training from Alex at https://storagewins.com
• If you want to keep more of what you make with Profit First, visit https://simplecfo.com

"Our favorite way to buy real estate is to learn how to buy rentals without banks, without using your credit, and this is the strategy we've been using now for eight years."

In this episode of Profit First for REI podcast, we interviewed Joe and Jenn Delle Fave on the show. Joe and Jenn are real estate investors, coaches, and the duo behind the Creative Finance Playbook—a YouTube channel where they share the wonders of non-traditional financing for real estate.

Listen as they share their experiences with Profit First and what it feels like working with a CFO. They also talked about learning to buy rentals without banks and credit cards, how to get leads, and more! Enjoy the show!

Key Takeaways:

[01:05] Introducing Joe and Jenn Delle Fave
[03:21] Jenn's experience with Profit First
[05:26] Surprising things working with a CFO
[12:19] Learn how to buy rentals without banks
[18:16] How does marriage help them on the financial side of things?
[22:20] How do I get leads?
[25:35] Connect with Joe and Jenn Delle Fave

Quotes:

[03:48] "A CFO is for anyone looking to get their financials in order, and take that stress off of you as an entrepreneur because there are a lot of other things you can be doing, and should be doing with your time."

[14:19] "The key [in real estate] is to have a strategy that isn't depending on the rates of banks and things like that..."

[22:31] "This was probably my biggest challenge, and I've noticed this is a lot of folks' biggest challenge: How do I get leads?... We've found a free method. It costs zero dollars to do... by using Facebook groups."

Connect with Joe and Jenn:

Website: https://creativefinanceplaybook.com/

Tired of living deal to deal?

If you are a real estate investor or business owner who is tired of living deal to deal and want to double your profits, head over here to book your no-obligation discovery call with me. Either myself or someone from my team will hop on a short call with you to get clear on your business goals, remove any obstacles holding you back, and map out a game plan to help you finally start keeping more of the money you work so hard to make. - David