How Can a Business Storage Unit Help a Tumbling Coach Stay Organized?

A business storage unit can help a growing coaching business stay organized by providing additional room for eligible training equipment, merchandise and supplies outside the coach’s home or vehicle.

For longtime Public Storage customer Lain Lee—known to clients as Coach Lain—a storage unit in the San Francisco Bay Area became a dedicated place to organize the equipment, merchandise and training tools used in his tumbling and mental-performance coaching business.

Key Takeaways

• Coach Lain uses business storage for eligible training equipment, merchandise and supplies.
• Moving business items out of his vehicle gave him a dedicated place to keep them organized.
• Public Storage rentals are month-to-month, allowing businesses to adjust as storage needs change.
• Climate-controlled storage, Drive-Up Access and 24/7 Access are available at select locations.
• The Public Storage app can manage payments, rental information and property access details.
• At participating properties, customers can use the app to open gates, doors and elevators.
• A storage unit cannot be used as an office, workspace or business address.

Business Storage at a Glance

Features, unit sizes, access options and availability vary by facility.

How Does Coach Lain Use a Business Storage Unit?

As Coach Lain’s schedule became busier, so did the trunk of his car.

“When I started becoming busier on a weekly basis, I noticed that I was starting to lug a lot of training equipment in the trunk of my car,” he recalls.

As the business grew, he also began selling merchandise and acquiring additional training equipment. Keeping everything in his vehicle no longer gave him the organization he needed.

“I wanted a dedicated space for everything,” he explains. “With Public Storage being so close to me, it was really convenient to upgrade my personal storage unit into a business storage solution.”

His storage unit provides a central place to store eligible:

• Tumbling and training equipment
• Coaching tools
• Merchandise
• Event supplies
• Packing materials
• Business inventory

Keeping these categories together makes it easier for him to track what he has and retrieve what he needs for training sessions, clinics and events.

Who Is Coach Lain?

Coach Lain is a Bay Area–based tumbling and mental-performance coach who works with athletes, coaches and gym owners.

His services include:

• In-person performance training
• Mental-performance training
• Tumbling events
• Staff and community training
• Skill reviews
• Books and journals
• Online resources

Coach Lain primarily built his business around helping cheerleaders develop tumbling technique, confidence and mental-performance skills.

He participated in cheerleading in his youth but initially followed a different career path as a graphic designer. After years of working at a computer, he began looking for a way to connect with people more directly.

His younger sister’s experience with mental blocks in competitive cheerleading led him to explore the relationship between fear, discomfort and physical performance.

“I’d experienced creative blocks, and I thought there had to be some sort of connection between the mind and body,” he recalls.

That interest eventually developed into a coaching business focused on helping athletes understand the mental side of performance along with physical technique.

Why Did His Growing Business Need More Storage?

Growth often brings more equipment, supplies and inventory.

For Coach Lain, the shift happened gradually. Training tools accumulated in his car, merchandise added another category to manage and an expanding schedule made organization increasingly important.

A business storage unit gave him a consistent place to store eligible items instead of packing and unpacking his vehicle throughout the week.

The additional space helped him:

• Separate business equipment from personal belongings
• Group similar supplies together
• Keep merchandise in one location
• Reduce the amount of equipment stored in his vehicle
• Prepare for clinics, training sessions and events
• Track what the business already had before ordering more

“As someone who has to wear 17 to 20 hats running a business, knowing your storage is taken care of is one less thing to worry about,” he says.

How Can Storage Help a Small Business Stay Organized?

Business storage can provide additional room for eligible inventory, supplies, equipment, event materials and merchandise.

An organized storage system might include:

Clearly Labeled Zones

Divide the unit into categories such as:

• Training equipment
• Merchandise
• Event supplies
• Shipping materials
• Seasonal inventory
• Frequently used items

A Simple Inventory

Record:

• Item name
• Quantity
• Container number
• Location within the unit
• Date added
• Restocking needs

A basic spreadsheet or phone-based inventory may be enough for a smaller business.

Frequently Used Items Near the Front

Place equipment or supplies needed regularly near the entrance. Less frequently used items can go toward the back.

Sturdy Containers

Use containers suited to the items being stored. Label more than one side so contents remain identifiable when boxes or bins are stacked.

A Walkway

If the unit size allows, leave a walkway to reach items farther inside without moving everything stored in front of them.

A storage unit can hold eligible business belongings, but it cannot be used as an office, storefront, workshop or business address. Customers cannot conduct business activities or meet clients inside the unit.

What Public Storage Features Can Help Business Customers?

The right features depend on what the business stores and how frequently those items need to be accessed.

Month-to-Month Rentals

Public Storage rentals are month-to-month, allowing businesses to adjust storage plans as inventory, projects or equipment needs change.

Multiple Unit Sizes

Businesses can compare unit sizes based on the amount of eligible inventory, merchandise, supplies or equipment they plan to store.

The Public Storage Size Guide can help estimate the amount of space needed.

Climate-Controlled Storage

Climate-controlled units are designed to help maintain more consistent temperature or humidity levels than standard storage.

More than 90% of Public Storage properties—4,300 of more than 4,600 facilities—offer climate-controlled units.

Climate-controlled storage may be worth considering for eligible electronics, textiles, furniture, merchandise and other items that can react to changing conditions.

Drive-Up Access

Drive-Up Access allows customers to pull a vehicle directly up to a ground-level storage unit for easier loading and unloading.

More than 45% of Public Storage properties—2,200 locations—offer Drive-Up Access.

This feature may be useful for businesses moving multiple containers, equipment or larger eligible items.

24/7 Access

More than 2,400 Public Storage facilities offer 24-hour access.

Availability, access hours, entry methods and requirements vary by property. Check the individual facility listing before renting.

Online Rental

Customers can choose an available unit and complete the Public Storage rental online.

Public Storage App

The Public Storage app allows customers to:

• Pay their storage bill
• Set up AutoPay
• View rental details
• Check property access hours
• Manage account information
• Manage multiple storage units
• Find storage support

At participating locations, customers can also use the app to open gates, doors and elevators.

For Coach Lain, app-enabled entry helped remove another small task from an already busy schedule.

How Has Coach Lain’s Business Continued to Grow?

At the time of his original Public Storage interview, Coach Lain had recently completed a Tumble Tour that included stops from Stockholm to Saskatoon.

His business has continued to offer services for athletes, coaches and gym owners through in-person training, mental-performance coaching, tumbling events and online resources.

Having a dedicated place for eligible equipment and merchandise became one part of the organization supporting that work.

For Coach Lain, needing additional storage also represented something larger: the business was growing beyond what could fit conveniently inside his car.

Watch Coach Lain’s Story

FAQs About Business Storage

How can a business storage unit help a small business?

A business storage unit can provide additional room for eligible inventory, merchandise, equipment, supplies and event materials outside a home, office or vehicle.

What can a business keep in a storage unit?

Eligible items may include inventory, training equipment, merchandise, event supplies, furniture, tools and packing materials. Review Public Storage policies before renting because prohibited-item rules apply.

Can you run a business from a storage unit?

No. A storage unit cannot be used as an office, storefront, workshop, business address or place to meet customers. Business activities cannot be conducted inside the unit.

Are Public Storage rentals month-to-month?

Yes. Public Storage rentals are month-to-month, allowing businesses to adjust as storage needs change.

Is climate-controlled business storage available?

Yes. More than 4,300 Public Storage facilities offer climate-controlled units. Sizes and availability vary by location.

Does Public Storage offer Drive-Up Access?

Yes, at select locations. More than 2,200 Public Storage facilities offer Drive-Up Access units.

Can business customers use the Public Storage app?

Yes. Customers can use the app to manage payments, rental information and account details. At participating locations, the app can also open gates, doors and elevators.

Does Public Storage offer 24/7 Access?

Yes, at select locations. More than 2,400 facilities offer 24-hour access. Availability and requirements vary by property.

Learn more about business storage with Public Storage, or find a Public Storage location near you to compare available unit sizes and features.