Ryan Gibson used to fly planes for Delta and other airlines, but found himself unemployed early in his career when one small-scale airline went belly up. Realizing he needed stable job security, he carved out a new calling in real estate. Here’s how he grew a storage unit empire as the president of Spartan Investment Group and all the crazy things he’s discovered inside his facilities.
What inspired you to invest in real estate? “At 21 years old, I was living my dream as an airline pilot. I thought I had made it. Six months later, I was out of a job—my airline went bankrupt. That was my wake-up call. Your career, your paycheck, your security, it can all disappear in an instant. That’s when I started thinking about passive income and set out to build something that couldn’t be taken away from me based on a bad quarter or a corporate decision.”
How did you break into real estate? “In 2014, I teamed up with my former neighbor to launch Spartan Investment Group, focusing on self-storage real estate—an asset class that’s stable, scalable, and built for long-term wealth. In a decade, we’ve grown into 150 employees and more than 30,000 self-storage units covering 4+ million square feet across 14 states. Our success has been fueled by the support of our robust investor network—5,000 investors and counting—that has helped us raise over $450M+.”
Do you watch the reality show Storage Wars, and is it true to life? “There are several elements in Storage Wars that are spot on. Self-storage operators do hold auctions, but the show plays them up, builds the suspense of what’s behind the doors, stages bidding wars with an auctioneer to create some conflict, and ends with a big reveal, where the highest bidder either wins the jackpot or inherits junk. Some facilities still put on this production, but in reality, most auctions today take place online. There are several websites where operators auction off unclaimed units. What you’re able to see beforehand can vary. You may be able to glimpse what’s inside through photos, but it could also be a unit where everything is boxed up, and you don’t know what you’ll get. So the unknown of what’s inside and the fight to be the top bidder are all very real.”
Do you ever end up with unclaimed storage, and what do you do with it? “We end up with unclaimed storage all the time; 99.9% of the time, the contents end up being donated or taken to the dumpster if it’s not in good condition. But you can’t just take people’s things. You have to jump through several hoops. In one instance, a customer passed away. We reached out to their spouse to see what they wanted to do with their things. She said, ‘Just get rid of it, I don’t want it.’ Sounds simple, right? Nope! We had to obtain the death certificate and verify her legal authority to permit us to take control before we could even touch the contents of the unit. So while people do abandon storage, you have to be careful and ensure you have the legal authority to dispose of it.”
Let’s Make a Game Plan
Boost your investment game with expert real estate insights. We'll keep you up to date on everything you need to know to be the smartest real estate investor you can be.
What are some of the wildest things you’ve seen inside units? “We’ve seen all sorts of crazy things at our facilities, including a collection of jars filled with teeth. One day, at one of the first facilities we ever purchased, our manager was doing a routine walkthrough and spotted a door, just slightly open. He heads in to investigate and finds another door—but this one’s got a sign reading ‘Knock hard if you need me.’ Naturally, he bangs on it, and out pops a customer in his bathrobe. Turns out, this guy had built a full-on apartment inside the storage unit! He rigged up the sprinkler system for water, had a grill he’d wheel out into the hallway like it was his patio, and even invited friends over to hang out. We were shocked but impressed by his setup.”
What advice do you have for others who want to follow in your footsteps? “The self-storage industry has faced challenges. A major milestone was the launch of our construction and property management subsidiaries, which allowed us to take full control of every aspect of our business—from acquisitions and development to property and asset management—enabling us to operate and scale more effectively. After investing in 100+ real estate deals, I’ve learned to anticipate that something will always go wrong. The market shifts. The numbers don’t pencil out. No matter how much due diligence you do, there’s always a risk you didn’t see coming. As a real estate investor, you have to remember the goal isn’t to avoid every mistake. That’s impossible. The goal is to make sure you don’t make the same one twice. That’s why I document everything: what worked, what didn’t, and what to watch out for. Use those experiences to learn and evolve your strategy, and you’ll be in a great position to succeed when the next opportunity comes along.”