All businesses / Self storage units

Fingerprint: capital · hours · speed to income · margin · ceiling. The dashed line is mid-scale.

Start a self storage units: the real numbers

Renting space by the month. Below is what it actually costs, how long before money arrives, and the part most guides leave out.

Startup capital

€40,000–€150,000

Hours / week

5–20

First income

~20 wks

Net margin

55%

Saturation

medium

Realistic ceiling

€600–€4,000+

This ceiling is not a wall

The figure above is what this earns in the shape described — you, running it. Past that it keeps going, but by hiring people or adding units, not by you working more hours. That is a different job from the one you would be starting, and worth knowing before you start it.

What nobody usually tells you

Once full, one of the most genuinely passive businesses that exists: people pay monthly for years and rarely visit. The barrier is real though — land, planning and units mean serious capital before a single euro comes in.

The route, in five steps

  1. Start with 10-20 containers on leased land, not a building
  2. Check planning permission before signing anything
  3. Price monthly with no long contract — that is the appeal
  4. Automate access so you are not driving out at 8pm
  5. Fill to 80% before adding more units

What you'll need to buy

These are the categories every self storage units pays for in the first month. We break down what each one actually costs at this size on the tools page.

site or buildingcontainer unitssecurityinsuranceaccess system

Does it hold up for you?

These numbers are the average case. Whether this business clears your target depends on your capital, your hours and how long you can wait — put them in and see.

Run my numbers → See the tool stack