Before serving as founder and CEO at Cedar Creek Capital, sporting a high-performing YouTube channel and No. 1 self-storage podcast, becoming an Instagram influencer and bestselling author of Growing Wealth in Storage, AJ Osborne was hospitalized for months while recovering from a rare disease that left him paralyzed.
At just 33 years old, Osborne was a quadriplegic. To make things worse, he was terminated from his position at a lucrative brokerage firm while stricken to a hospital bed. Had it not been for timely self-storage investments he had made over the course of his career, he would have been left to figure it out and make difficult decisions with a wife and four children at home.
"My wife didn't have to leave our children with a babysitter while having to pick up a job as her husband is hooked up to tubes in the hospital," Osborne recalled. "She just went on with a normal life and took care of our kids, making sure they were happy. We didn't lose our house and I wasn't worried about paying the bills."
As the holidays approached, he made a vow to himself that he was going to get out of the hospital and make things happen rather than waiting. That is when life motivated him to step into the self-storage private equity sector on a full-time basis. He created Cedar Creek Capital, not because he felt he had to, but because he wanted others to have the ability to participate in a financial system that essentially saved his family and secured them a thriving financial future.
"I didn't know if I was ever going to be able to get out of a wheelchair, so I said to myself that I'll just teach people about investing in self-storage," he said. "We founded Cedar Creek Capital so that people could find financial freedom via a private equity company. I figured I would just let people invest with us to participate in the same success and financial security that I have."
Cedar Creek Capital
A vertically-integrated real estate private equity firm, Cedar Creek Capital specializes in the acquisition, management and development of self-storage investments and facilities. With a portfolio that amasses over $300 million in assets, the firm continues to present investors with numerous and exciting investment opportunities.
"Self storage is one of the most misunderstood assets in the world, primarily because it's the newest commercial real estate asset," said Osborne. "People are really interested in this asset class, particularly young people. It can be truly hands-off and has high cash flow."
The firm maintains 'Impact', 'Freedom' and 'Progress' as its core values, while Osborne and Co. have built a sturdy, dependable, devoted and exciting team around them to help investors find optimal and recurring financial success.
"Success isn't built on an island," stated Osborne. "To accomplish your goals, you need an amazing team."
The BIRD Investment Model
Cedar Creek Capital applies both mid-level risk growth assets and low-level risk stabilized assets, each contributing to the firm's 'BIRD' model, which offers investors the maximum possible return, with minimal downside potential.
Per the BIRD model, Cedar Creek Capital will 'Buy' under-performing assets. This 'Increases' revenue through rate management, proprietary technology and operations, all while 'Reducing' risk through financing into non-recourse loans and taking their principle out. When it comes time for the team to 'Do' it again, they take out the returned principal and repeat.
"We don't roll out investors when we are buying an asset, so they are investors for life," stated Osborne. "This helps us ensure long-term equity and income for investors while returning their principal and profits in just 3-6 years."
All above efforts help investors find comfort in investing with Cedar Creek Capital, whose vertical integration creates synergy across all of its investments. This is because the firm owns the property management teams that run their facilities, and all their assets too. Additionally, it owns all the software utilized in running the facilities, as well as the media distribution network that supports its portfolio management and growth.
The Future of Investing is Now
While investing in the self-storage sector is on the rise, the average age among investors is dropping. More young people are getting involved in the industry than ever before, which spells for fruitful future success.
"A lot of people are starting to believe that this is, indeed, a superior real estate asset investment and has held its equity and seen its cash flow margins skyrocket," Osborne said. "So as young investors began looking at this asset class, they began to see its potential and wanted in."
Quite frankly, investing in self-storage is a proven method to generate passive income, as well as an opportunity to ensure long-term income and wealth creation. The low risk and hands-off approach makes it enticing for investors, while Cedar Creek Capital is there to guide investors through the entire process, making it a win-win scenario.
About AJ Osborne
AJ Osborne, CEO of Cedar Creek Capital, is the leading expert and voice in the self-storage industry with the No. 1 bestselling book and top rated and listened to self-storage podcast. He has been featured on top real estate podcasts and is the go-to resource for self-storage investment advice across social media platforms, including YouTube. Accredited investors can find more information here: https://www.cedarcreekwealth.com/
