February 4, 2026 • 23 mins
Chris Walls, President and CEO of Go Mini’s. Go Mini’s, is an innovative portable storage company offering a unique approach to the industry—using territories instead of physical locations, significantly reducing overhead costs. This flexible model not only benefits franchisees but also allows them to serve customers more effectively and efficiently!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 3 (00:00):
So I grew up. I'm a beach kid.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
I grew up on the Jersey Shore, so about a
block from the Atlantic Ocean, right on an island that
had four towns in it, which included Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Speaker 3 (00:10):
Moved away from there.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
I went to school there through high school and moved
went out to Ohio to go to college at the
University of Dayton. I went to law school in Pennsylvania
at Widner University School law out in Harrister.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
All right, I know you're not in law right now,
because we're here to talk about go mini, So tell
us about And this is always a great stuff because
you know, I always told my kid who just graduated
from college now she's working in New York as a filmmaker.
The college is for you to decide what you want
to do. And if you change it and over and
over and over, that's okay. That's cool because we're trying
to find out what we want to do. So tell
(00:42):
me how you got from going from law into what
you're doing now, because you've got a great resume.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Thank you very much. I'm very fortunate, honestly.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
You know, when I went into law, I had worked
for a couple of years decided that's what I wanted
to do. I thought I wanted to do that in
undergrad but after working, I decided, so I went back.
I was twenty six when I started, so I had
a little different approach to it.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
But I practiced law for about ten years. I was
a litigator for about ten years.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
And I had an acquaintance of mine that was also
a lawyer that kind of got out of the law
of business and was an entrepreneur and he was going
to take a company public, and we were pretty good
friends and had worked together a little bit earlier in
different cases and things. He says, you know, I need
somebody to help me take this company public.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
Why don't you help me?
Speaker 1 (01:24):
And I'm like, well, I know nothing about doing that.
You're smart, you'll figure it out. And I went into
the corporate side and kind of got out of litigation.
And I really liked the business world, and I really
liked the idea of having one client that you were
really trying to advocate for and get things done. And
I liked it, and lo and behold I would do Basically,
I started with him, and then I took an operational
(01:45):
role with him, and then the next thing. You know,
we had another startup and I took an operational role
in that I usually start out as a lawyer and
morph into operational roles. So I've been general counsel of
a public company. I've been the CEO of the public company.
I've been president of divisions. I've done all kinds of
different things. But again, usually it starts with the legal side,
(02:05):
and I just find the foundation of having that law degree.
It's really really helpful. And the idea that I was
a litigator before. I understand that nobody wins really when
you go into litigation, it's really a last resort. So
you try and find a way to settle cases and
get things done and continue on with your business.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
So, you know, I've been exposed. I've been in so
many different industries.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
I've been in the optical space, healthcare space, software, stage building,
you name it. I think one of the things that
I think law school taught me was pursue your intellectual curiosities.
You can really learn anything if you put your mind
to it, read about it, ask the experts that are
in that business, and six months to a year you
(02:49):
probably know more than some people that have been in
that business for fifteen or twenty years, and that's the
part I really like, and then trying to change some
things up so I've made you know, when I've come
into companies, a lot of times they have been in
great shape and I've been able to do some things
that improve their lot, so to speak, and turn things
around a little bit, and then move on to my
(03:09):
next job. You know, when you look at it, I've
been with Go Mini's about five years. My ten years
usually somewhere between five to seven years or so, and
it's like, okay, time to move on to the next thing.
Not ready to move on from Go Minis just yet.
But it's kind of what I like to do. And
I'm not getting any younger, as you can tell. But
it's fun. I just I enjoyed it. I was like,
you don't really know anything about that. Let me figure
(03:31):
that out and how can I help.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
I think it's great. It's kind of part one of
the story. And as you can see, folks, it wasn't hyperbole.
Chris has a very cool resume. It's very diverse, a
lot to think. So you talked about that resume and
all the wonderful things you do, so I can see
why Go Minis was interested in you. Why were you
interested in joining them as president and CEO?
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Chris Well, you know.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
The company was about five years ago a bit of
a crossroads and that they had been a dealership model
when they first started in O two. They turned into
a franchise in two thouh twelve and they were growing,
but they had kind of hit a few roadblocks. And
what I love about the business it's a little bit
old school. It's a pretty simple business. It's a it's
a portable storage container that people can that we can
(04:12):
bring to you.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
It solves a problem for folks.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
It's much more efficient than you know, your regular self storage,
and it's on site. So it really is a very
practical tool. And it doesn't take a lot of employees
to run this business. You know, my largest franchisee has
five five employees and most of the my franchise's have
two maybe three employees. And so it's a very simple
(04:38):
business to run and it's fun, you know, from the
standpoint of your solving problems. You know, a lot of
people will call you when fortunately there's been a local disaster,
maybe a flood or something like that. So you get
to help your local community, which is great. You know
other folks are you know, when people move, it's one
of the most stressful things you can do, and this
is just a solution for you.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
You don't have to do it all in a day.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
We rent these containers monthly and if you're if you
want to move across town or now across country, we
just started with a cross country moves. We dropped the
container off in your driveway. You can take weeks to
load it up, take your time and go along with
your life and spend a couple hours, you know, on
the weekends or maybe in the evenings loading it up,
and then.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
It's picked up. You put your put your lock on it.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
It's picked up, delivered acrosstown or across the country, and
when you get there, it's waiting for you and you
can take your time on the on the other side
of when unloading everything. So it's a simple business that
solves solves a problem, and I think that's always a
good combination and that was one of the things that
attracted me to it.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
Quite frankly, Chris, let's circle back.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
What's submission statement of the company.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Disial statements to help people move more efficiently and more effectively,
I like you.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
It is simple, like the business, and you know, I
don't want to assume, but I know of other companies
that do what you do and I don't. I imagine
it's also probably a very competitive landscape. And with that said,
there are people that had to differentiate yourself from your competition.
So well as you talk to clients, whether they're future
or current clients, how are you doing that at differentiating yourself?
Speaker 1 (06:06):
A couple different ways. The first one is we offer
three sizes of containers. We have a twelve foot container,
a sixteen foot container, and a twenty foot container and
that's the length, and they're all eight by eight.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
Most of our.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
Competition, in fact, up until maybe the two years ago,
no one had a twenty foot container, And it's like, well,
what's how's.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
That a differentiator?
Speaker 1 (06:26):
Well, I don't know about you, but if I'm trying
to fill up a sixteen foot container, I couldn't tell
you what.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
Do I need to fill that up? And what it
takes to fill that up.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
Now, we have calculators on our website that help you
do that, but you're never as good as that, and
also how efficient are you packing it? So it's very
simple to say, well, geez, I might if I get
a twelve or sixteen, I might need two containers. Let
me just get the twenty and that way I don't
have to worry about being so compact and get it done.
So that is a big differentiator for us. The other
thing that's different that differentis differentiates us is are two
(06:59):
big A competitors used to be franchised and they used
to be locally owned and operated and they've be gone corporate.
And you know, I didn't realize that that was such
a big deal until you start talking with other people
in the community and they have one eight hundred numbers.
Speaker 3 (07:13):
And you call down to Florida, Well.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
You may be in the northeast and we just had
a flood, and they don't know anything about what's going
on in your neighborhood. And with us, when you call
our one eight hundred number, you're immediately routed to the
local Gomanese franchise e. And oftentimes you may get the
owner's cell phone and he may say he may know
he may be dealing with the same tragedy or disaster
that you are, and he's very empathetic to that say
(07:37):
oh yeah, you're up there on the hill where the
river overflowed as banks. I can be there seven am
tomorrow morning for you where if you call some of
our competitors, you know, hey, we're booked up for two weeks.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
Can't get it to you.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
You know, our guys are going to they're in the community,
they're donating containers to the local sports teams. They're doing
that sort of thing, which we encourage. They know that
this is their reputation, this is their business. You're not
calling it a corporate entity. So that's I think there
are two big differentiators.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
So, Chris, you've done something that I think is very unique,
and I'd like you to expound on it. When I
talk in this series, we do ask about competition and
how you differentiate yourself from that, but you and the
company have taken a next level on your menu about
us is our competition And I think this is highly unusual,
(08:23):
and I'm saying this in the most positive way, very unique.
That you are super transparent, and i'd like you to
talk about that more because I think in today's climate,
and you know, you get what you pay for and
competition that you're in, transparency is everything, and you hit
it and direct on.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
Can you talk about that police.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
I think it's fascinating.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
Absolutely, you know, from our perspective.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
You know, we're the third largest portable storage company that
I say, no one's ever heard of.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
Is we build our brand even though we've been around
for a while.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
There's the eight hundred pund gorilla out out there that
I won't name, and a lot of times when they
get so big, you know, you lose a lot of
that local touch, you lose a lot of the customer service.
And we hear that day in and day out, and
that's what we're really try and do. So look, we
know people are shopping price, people are shopping service, so
they're out there. They're going to find our competitors anyway,
(09:10):
and we want to make it easier for them. Why us,
Well why not? You know, why us instead of them?
Speaker 3 (09:15):
Are?
Speaker 1 (09:15):
You know, our containers are all steel and for the
longest time they our competitors were not. They were made
of something else and their water, their airs are weather tight.
So you know, we had some some of these differentiators
and we wanted people to understand that because in today's
day and age, you're not always going to get that
phone call and have the opportunity to explain to people.
(09:37):
You know, what really happens is they go on the website,
they go on to you know, their search engine, and
they'll see, hey, there's three different companies. They'll click, they'll
see price, and maybe that's all. They're like, hey, we're
just going to go through that, and sometimes, you know,
prices and everything. Sometimes it's about what kind of service
am I get? What kind of container is it? Is
it quality? What are other people saying about that? So
we thought it was really important to put that right
(09:58):
out there and in front so that people know and
then hopefully they give us a call so we can
explain them, walk them through why we're different and why
we're better.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
Well on the fewer.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
I appreciate you doing that, and I think that people
appreciate this once again in this landscape today, transparency is
absolutely everything, and you hit it head on and I
think that's very cool. So I'm glad you talked about that.
You have mentioned about franchise ease, and I would like
to kind of drill down this because you're in the
business of being in business with other people. Now, this
is your brand, so there's a criteria with that. Can
(10:27):
you go over that how you would go about to
being a franchise at least to the starting steps of that.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
Sure. Sure.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
So the first step is if you want to go
to our website. We have a franchise development website at
goominis dot com. There you can click if you're interested
in doing that, and you'd get our FDD, which is
the Franchise Disclosure Document, which is this one hundred and
fifty one hundred and seventy five page tomb that nobody
likes to read, but it's got everything in there and
tells you what to do.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
You know this business, our containers are.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
They're not inexpensive, so it's capital intensive business, which does
keep some comp editors out, but the containers last for
a long time. You can get bank financing and we're
SBA approved for example, and they will finance a good
business plan, and several of our franchisees are finance for
the SBA. But they were loaning before COVID. They were
loaning for twenty years on our containers. So you know
(11:17):
the bank is going to loan on a twenty year note.
They know that those containers are going to last a
lot longer than twenty years and We have containers that
have been in service since two thousand and two that
are still being used today. So we're very, very proud
of that. Folks that are interested go to the f
to day they figure that out. We'd let them talk
to our franchisees. They really understand what the business is
(11:39):
and they're motivated. I would like to say, rule follower,
but creative. They'd be a good candidate for us. You know,
we don't want the true entrepreneur who thinks that, wow,
I have the best ideas ever, because a lot of
times they don't, like we've already been through a lot
of things.
Speaker 3 (11:56):
You know, we're on the eighth generation of our.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
Containers, so you know, we continually improve them, and you know,
we don't need folks that come out and say what
we're going to do it this way?
Speaker 3 (12:04):
Is like no, no, no, we have a system. You
kind of need to follow the system.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
We will listen to improvements, absolutely, because we're constantly trying
to improve, but at the same time, we're doing things
the way we're doing for a reason, and we want
people to follow that system and move along with us
becoming a franchising. What we always say is that you know,
you're in business for yourself, but not by yourself. You know,
we've made a lot of mistakes, so you don't have
(12:29):
to and that's the really franchising.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
Has become quite popular.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
What's really interesting about franchising with with go Minis and
portable storage is we don't you're not required to have
a warehouse.
Speaker 3 (12:43):
You just need a fence secure yard.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
When you continue to grow, you add containers and you
can just add, you can stack them, you can do
different things, so your growth opportunities are really almost limitless.
And in terms of if you had a fixed storage facility,
you may have three hundred units done. After three hundred units,
very very difficult to expand those For us, if you
have three hundred containers and you want four hundred, it's
(13:06):
really just a fact of ordering another hundred containers from
us and going out there and getting those rented. And
we offer We have an operations team that helps folks
become more efficient, make sure that they're using our sales
scripts and doing things the right way. And we have
a marketing department that helps you with your social media,
your digital marketing, and your old school knocking on the
doors marketing. Giving you a collateral the handout and that
(13:27):
sort of thing of trade shows and that sort of thing.
So we've developed a nice i think value package for
our franchisees over the last five years during my tenure.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
I'm very proud of that. Quite frankly, well, it.
Speaker 2 (13:38):
Sounds very thorough, Chris, and I should tell people, and
we'll give the website at the end of our interview
for those who haven't already googled it up and got
on go Minis. But there is an investment tab and
also available territories. I mean, it's very thorough about what
you're offering all the future franchise ease, Chris, So I
really appreciate that, and I think people to get on
the website will do that too. I did want to
(13:59):
ask you about current challenges in the industry.
Speaker 3 (14:01):
What are they right now?
Speaker 1 (14:04):
We're the business environment is a little difficult. Interest rates
are up, real estate has been has slowed down. I mean,
there are some pockets of activity, but has slowed down dramatically,
which was a big driver for us over the last
few years. So we've had to retool a little bit
and our franchisees have you know, was a little bit
(14:26):
easier to get business because there were so many people
looking for our services. Now there are less people looking
for our service, there's a little more competition out there,
so they have to.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
Go back to the drawing board a little bit and say, Okay, what.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
Am I not doing or what did I get away
from when business was so good? And what we found
is a lot of people were not going out and
making the in person sales calls introducing themselves. I'm the
local business owner. I know you're the local business owner.
So that's the biggest challenge. As we've retooled, and we've
done a pretty good job of that. In twenty four
and twenty five, we're really going to focus on that,
you know, getting our business coaches out there to help
(14:58):
folks go out and canvas the area and let people
know that they're there. So that's that's one big, big challenge.
Another challenge, which is relatively new, are these tariffs, because
our containers do come in from overseas and there looks
like they may be subject to teriffs, which is going
to increase the price of our product, which is difficult
in a competitive environment. And some of our competitors, who
(15:20):
are much larger than us, have been discounting their services
dramatically so that you know it's you know, it's business
and you have to be competitive, and you know, I
always say we don't. You know, you don't always compete
on price. One of the things that we do very
well is service our customers. And you know a lot
of our commercial customers want that container. They're like, they're
(15:43):
not as concerned about price. They hey, I need this
container at seven am at this job site.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
Will you be there? And day in and day out.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
Our franchisees deliver on time when they're supposed to, and
that goes a long way. So people are, you know,
not running to the next guy because of maybe twenty
dollars a month cheaper that sort of thing.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
You know, I think we can close a book on
the competition too. With some final thoughts on this part
of the interview, Chris, And that's when you're not always
a top dog. I think you and I can agree,
whether it's sports or business, it makes you that more
extra hungry. And we talked about your transparency, We talked
about pricing, but you're talking about customer service and passion
for what you do with the franchisees. And I can
(16:20):
tell that as you're talking about this business with go
minis that those are all encapsuling on this business model,
would I be correct?
Speaker 3 (16:28):
Absolutely?
Speaker 2 (16:30):
Yeah, Well let's do this. I want to talk about
a great story. And I know you probably have hundreds
of great stories of franchisees or maybe something that was special.
This is why we get up every morning, but is
there something that sticks out that was very unique? And
you said, you know what, this is why do what
we do. This is why we work with great franchise
out there is there a special story you could share
with our listeners.
Speaker 3 (16:50):
You know?
Speaker 1 (16:51):
Uh, we had a franchisee that came out of the
military and we offer a veterans discount and he was very,
very motivated to be successful. And he asked me, he said,
you know, I just started, but you know, I'd like
to get involved with Habitat for Humanity And I said, okay, great.
He goes, they're going to have a golf tournament. But
you know he's a new franchisee. He's a little tight
(17:14):
on cash. He said, is there any fund? And I said,
you know what, we'll fund your participation in that golf tournament.
And it turns out that he ended up he went
ahead and did that he made a lot of friends
in the organization. We met some I actually went down there.
I'm not a golfer, by the way, but I went
down there and we met folks that Habitat for Humanity
had built homes for, which was very enriching. And then
(17:36):
it turns out he ended up on the board of
directors of the local Habitat for Humanity and now when
they build a house, he donates a container or two.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
And you know, he was.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
Instrumental at one build where he went and donated a container.
Saw that it was a bunch of marines, which he
was a former marine, and he went and he bought
them all lunch and brought it back and sat down
and had a nice lunch with him. And it's just
very rewarding. It's like, it's nice to be able to
have people go out into their local communities, make a living,
enjoy what they're doing, and give back to the community.
(18:08):
And we have story after story Toys for Tots where
local franchises do that, Hey there was a fire and
a family lost everything, and hey, we're going to do
a collection site for them that We're going to use
a go Mini to put that stuff in there. We
have a story after story like that, and I think
that's probably the most enriching thing about helping run this company,
(18:28):
and it is very very rewarding about giving back well.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
And also to your point, I think as people carry
your brand, they're also carrying your values and they're paying
it forward, which I think makes probably you very happy.
And it's a very special thing that not everybody does.
So I appreciate you sh sharing that story. I did
want to talk about some more charity and when it
comes to philanthropic and charity work for you, whether it's
with the company there where you're at, or what you
(18:53):
like to do personally, what do you like to be
part of.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
You know, with two things we did this year with
the company, we usually gave a little gift at Christmas
time to say thank you for your hard work to
all our franchisees and our vendors. We decided to go
a different path and we made a donation on behalf
of all of the go Mini's family, both vendors and
franchisees to Tunnels to Tower Foundation, which is a memory
of Steven Siller, who is the New York City firefighter
who ran through the tunnel heading back into New York
(19:21):
City to help his fellow firefighters, and they've morphed into
a foundation that helps veterans, that helps first responders, that
people that get in trouble, maybe they take care of
a mortgage for them or along those lines.
Speaker 3 (19:36):
Very very quality organization. And I'm a Northeast guy.
Speaker 1 (19:39):
I grew up in New Jersey and now live in Connecticut,
and my family are firefighters and.
Speaker 3 (19:46):
Police officers in New York City.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
So they don't just help in New York City, but
that's where it started. They help all over the country.
So that's one thing we're very proud of that we
did this year, and we're going to continue that into
the next year as well.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
Whether we pick a new charity or we.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
Stick with the same one, we'll make that decision as
a group as to what people want to do and
try and get input from folks. And then on the
personal side, my father was very very active in his
local church where I grew up down in New Jersey,
and he was a very strong proponent of Catholic education,
which from the product of sixteen years of Catholic school
as he was and his brothers, his five brothers, and
(20:25):
my mother and her brother and we ended up going
to the same Catholic high school, and he decided that
he would try and help people because tuition some kind
gets expensive, and it was important to him that he
started a bit of a scholarship foundation at the local church,
and when he passed away about twelve years ago, they
named the scholarship fund after him. And I'm very proud
(20:46):
of that, and I donate to that, and all our
family donates that and other folks every year and they
send anywhere from half a dozen to a dozen scholarships
out to help people get a quality education.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
Group. So that's what I do on a personal level
as well. Very cool.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
Thanks for sharing well, Chris, let's do this. I really
enjoyed the conversation, but I don't want to get some
final thoughts from you. Just recap what we have talked
about and for our listeners are being introduced maybe to
the company and go Minis for the first time.
Speaker 3 (21:15):
Just some final thoughts. The floor is here, sir. Oh,
thank you very much. You know we are very proud.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
When I walked in the door five years ago, I
heard a familiar refrain from a lot of my franchises.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
What am I getting for my royalties, what value am
I getting?
Speaker 1 (21:30):
And what I've preached to all of our team is
we have to deliver value every day, all the time
to our franchise ease because they're asking me a question,
what are we getting from the franchise or And I'm
very proud that we've been able to deliver more value
than they've ever gotten since the company started. And that's
reflected in we do anonymous third party franchise satisfaction Franchise
(21:55):
Ease satisfaction surveys, and when I first joined, we weren't
doing the satisfaction wasn't very high. In the second year
that we did it, after we've made some changes, our
satisfaction rate went up significantly, and we just did one
in twenty twenty four and we've maintained that satisfaction rate
and we're above the national average for satisfaction for franchisees
(22:16):
all over the country. So very very proud of that,
and it's hard work. We do it every day and
we continually try to add value. And we do that
with a couple of core values, two of which are
integrity and trust. And you know that we want to
make sure that we're acting with integrity when we deal
with every franchisee in our customers and that they trust
that we're going to do the right things for them
(22:37):
and make sure that everything is done above board and
the right way. And I think we've earned that trust
over the five years that have been here and I'm
very proud of that. We're always looking for new franchisees,
budding entrepreneurs, love to have people investigate us and love
to talk to them directly.
Speaker 3 (22:55):
If they have questions that sort of thing. You can
reach us at gomitties dot com.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
There's a franchise development tab which I think you just
found as well, and I'm happy to do that.
Speaker 3 (23:04):
And I think it's a fun business. Uh it's it's not.
It's hard work, but you are out in your community.
Speaker 1 (23:12):
You are making a difference in a lot of ways
by and you know, maybe it's small to some folks,
but you're donating containers to good causes when you see that.
You control your schedule, and quite frankly, if you do
it the right way, you can build a nice little
business that you can leave to a child, or you
could sell in the marketplace, which we have a lot
of people to do that. So it's a it's a
(23:33):
very I'm very proud of what we what we built,
and what we're continuing to build, quite frankly, and we're
constantly changing and constantly improving.
Speaker 2 (23:40):
Chris A really enjoyed our conversation. Continue success. Thank you
so much for joining us on CEOs. You should know great.
Speaker 3 (23:46):
Dennis, thanks so much, really appreciate it.
So I grew up. I'm a beach kid.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
I grew up on the Jersey Shore, so about a
block from the Atlantic Ocean, right on an island that
had four towns in it, which included Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Speaker 3 (00:10):
Moved away from there.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
I went to school there through high school and moved
went out to Ohio to go to college at the
University of Dayton. I went to law school in Pennsylvania
at Widner University School law out in Harrister.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
All right, I know you're not in law right now,
because we're here to talk about go mini, So tell
us about And this is always a great stuff because
you know, I always told my kid who just graduated
from college now she's working in New York as a filmmaker.
The college is for you to decide what you want
to do. And if you change it and over and
over and over, that's okay. That's cool because we're trying
to find out what we want to do. So tell
(00:42):
me how you got from going from law into what
you're doing now, because you've got a great resume.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
Thank you very much. I'm very fortunate, honestly.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
You know, when I went into law, I had worked
for a couple of years decided that's what I wanted
to do. I thought I wanted to do that in
undergrad but after working, I decided, so I went back.
I was twenty six when I started, so I had
a little different approach to it.
Speaker 3 (01:02):
But I practiced law for about ten years. I was
a litigator for about ten years.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
And I had an acquaintance of mine that was also
a lawyer that kind of got out of the law
of business and was an entrepreneur and he was going
to take a company public, and we were pretty good
friends and had worked together a little bit earlier in
different cases and things. He says, you know, I need
somebody to help me take this company public.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
Why don't you help me?
Speaker 1 (01:24):
And I'm like, well, I know nothing about doing that.
You're smart, you'll figure it out. And I went into
the corporate side and kind of got out of litigation.
And I really liked the business world, and I really
liked the idea of having one client that you were
really trying to advocate for and get things done. And
I liked it, and lo and behold I would do Basically,
I started with him, and then I took an operational
(01:45):
role with him, and then the next thing. You know,
we had another startup and I took an operational role
in that I usually start out as a lawyer and
morph into operational roles. So I've been general counsel of
a public company. I've been the CEO of the public company.
I've been president of divisions. I've done all kinds of
different things. But again, usually it starts with the legal side,
(02:05):
and I just find the foundation of having that law degree.
It's really really helpful. And the idea that I was
a litigator before. I understand that nobody wins really when
you go into litigation, it's really a last resort. So
you try and find a way to settle cases and
get things done and continue on with your business.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
So, you know, I've been exposed. I've been in so
many different industries.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
I've been in the optical space, healthcare space, software, stage building,
you name it. I think one of the things that
I think law school taught me was pursue your intellectual curiosities.
You can really learn anything if you put your mind
to it, read about it, ask the experts that are
in that business, and six months to a year you
(02:49):
probably know more than some people that have been in
that business for fifteen or twenty years, and that's the
part I really like, and then trying to change some
things up so I've made you know, when I've come
into companies, a lot of times they have been in
great shape and I've been able to do some things
that improve their lot, so to speak, and turn things
around a little bit, and then move on to my
(03:09):
next job. You know, when you look at it, I've
been with Go Mini's about five years. My ten years
usually somewhere between five to seven years or so, and
it's like, okay, time to move on to the next thing.
Not ready to move on from Go Minis just yet.
But it's kind of what I like to do. And
I'm not getting any younger, as you can tell. But
it's fun. I just I enjoyed it. I was like,
you don't really know anything about that. Let me figure
(03:31):
that out and how can I help.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
I think it's great. It's kind of part one of
the story. And as you can see, folks, it wasn't hyperbole.
Chris has a very cool resume. It's very diverse, a
lot to think. So you talked about that resume and
all the wonderful things you do, so I can see
why Go Minis was interested in you. Why were you
interested in joining them as president and CEO?
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Chris Well, you know.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
The company was about five years ago a bit of
a crossroads and that they had been a dealership model
when they first started in O two. They turned into
a franchise in two thouh twelve and they were growing,
but they had kind of hit a few roadblocks. And
what I love about the business it's a little bit
old school. It's a pretty simple business. It's a it's
a portable storage container that people can that we can
(04:12):
bring to you.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
It solves a problem for folks.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
It's much more efficient than you know, your regular self storage,
and it's on site. So it really is a very
practical tool. And it doesn't take a lot of employees
to run this business. You know, my largest franchisee has
five five employees and most of the my franchise's have
two maybe three employees. And so it's a very simple
(04:38):
business to run and it's fun, you know, from the
standpoint of your solving problems. You know, a lot of
people will call you when fortunately there's been a local disaster,
maybe a flood or something like that. So you get
to help your local community, which is great. You know
other folks are you know, when people move, it's one
of the most stressful things you can do, and this
is just a solution for you.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
You don't have to do it all in a day.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
We rent these containers monthly and if you're if you
want to move across town or now across country, we
just started with a cross country moves. We dropped the
container off in your driveway. You can take weeks to
load it up, take your time and go along with
your life and spend a couple hours, you know, on
the weekends or maybe in the evenings loading it up,
and then.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
It's picked up. You put your put your lock on it.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
It's picked up, delivered acrosstown or across the country, and
when you get there, it's waiting for you and you
can take your time on the on the other side
of when unloading everything. So it's a simple business that
solves solves a problem, and I think that's always a
good combination and that was one of the things that
attracted me to it.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
Quite frankly, Chris, let's circle back.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
What's submission statement of the company.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Disial statements to help people move more efficiently and more effectively,
I like you.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
It is simple, like the business, and you know, I
don't want to assume, but I know of other companies
that do what you do and I don't. I imagine
it's also probably a very competitive landscape. And with that said,
there are people that had to differentiate yourself from your competition.
So well as you talk to clients, whether they're future
or current clients, how are you doing that at differentiating yourself?
Speaker 1 (06:06):
A couple different ways. The first one is we offer
three sizes of containers. We have a twelve foot container,
a sixteen foot container, and a twenty foot container and
that's the length, and they're all eight by eight.
Speaker 3 (06:17):
Most of our.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
Competition, in fact, up until maybe the two years ago,
no one had a twenty foot container, And it's like, well,
what's how's.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
That a differentiator?
Speaker 1 (06:26):
Well, I don't know about you, but if I'm trying
to fill up a sixteen foot container, I couldn't tell
you what.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
Do I need to fill that up? And what it
takes to fill that up.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
Now, we have calculators on our website that help you
do that, but you're never as good as that, and
also how efficient are you packing it? So it's very
simple to say, well, geez, I might if I get
a twelve or sixteen, I might need two containers. Let
me just get the twenty and that way I don't
have to worry about being so compact and get it done.
So that is a big differentiator for us. The other
thing that's different that differentis differentiates us is are two
(06:59):
big A competitors used to be franchised and they used
to be locally owned and operated and they've be gone corporate.
And you know, I didn't realize that that was such
a big deal until you start talking with other people
in the community and they have one eight hundred numbers.
Speaker 3 (07:13):
And you call down to Florida, Well.
Speaker 1 (07:16):
You may be in the northeast and we just had
a flood, and they don't know anything about what's going
on in your neighborhood. And with us, when you call
our one eight hundred number, you're immediately routed to the
local Gomanese franchise e. And oftentimes you may get the
owner's cell phone and he may say he may know
he may be dealing with the same tragedy or disaster
that you are, and he's very empathetic to that say
(07:37):
oh yeah, you're up there on the hill where the
river overflowed as banks. I can be there seven am
tomorrow morning for you where if you call some of
our competitors, you know, hey, we're booked up for two weeks.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
Can't get it to you.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
You know, our guys are going to they're in the community,
they're donating containers to the local sports teams. They're doing
that sort of thing, which we encourage. They know that
this is their reputation, this is their business. You're not
calling it a corporate entity. So that's I think there
are two big differentiators.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
So, Chris, you've done something that I think is very unique,
and I'd like you to expound on it. When I
talk in this series, we do ask about competition and
how you differentiate yourself from that, but you and the
company have taken a next level on your menu about
us is our competition And I think this is highly unusual,
(08:23):
and I'm saying this in the most positive way, very unique.
That you are super transparent, and i'd like you to
talk about that more because I think in today's climate,
and you know, you get what you pay for and
competition that you're in, transparency is everything, and you hit
it and direct on.
Speaker 3 (08:38):
Can you talk about that police.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
I think it's fascinating.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
Absolutely, you know, from our perspective.
Speaker 1 (08:43):
You know, we're the third largest portable storage company that
I say, no one's ever heard of.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
Is we build our brand even though we've been around
for a while.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
There's the eight hundred pund gorilla out out there that
I won't name, and a lot of times when they
get so big, you know, you lose a lot of
that local touch, you lose a lot of the customer service.
And we hear that day in and day out, and
that's what we're really try and do. So look, we
know people are shopping price, people are shopping service, so
they're out there. They're going to find our competitors anyway,
(09:10):
and we want to make it easier for them. Why us,
Well why not? You know, why us instead of them?
Speaker 3 (09:15):
Are?
Speaker 1 (09:15):
You know, our containers are all steel and for the
longest time they our competitors were not. They were made
of something else and their water, their airs are weather tight.
So you know, we had some some of these differentiators
and we wanted people to understand that because in today's
day and age, you're not always going to get that
phone call and have the opportunity to explain to people.
(09:37):
You know, what really happens is they go on the website,
they go on to you know, their search engine, and
they'll see, hey, there's three different companies. They'll click, they'll
see price, and maybe that's all. They're like, hey, we're
just going to go through that, and sometimes, you know,
prices and everything. Sometimes it's about what kind of service
am I get? What kind of container is it? Is
it quality? What are other people saying about that? So
we thought it was really important to put that right
(09:58):
out there and in front so that people know and
then hopefully they give us a call so we can
explain them, walk them through why we're different and why
we're better.
Speaker 3 (10:05):
Well on the fewer.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
I appreciate you doing that, and I think that people
appreciate this once again in this landscape today, transparency is
absolutely everything, and you hit it head on and I
think that's very cool. So I'm glad you talked about that.
You have mentioned about franchise ease, and I would like
to kind of drill down this because you're in the
business of being in business with other people. Now, this
is your brand, so there's a criteria with that. Can
(10:27):
you go over that how you would go about to
being a franchise at least to the starting steps of that.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
Sure. Sure.
Speaker 1 (10:33):
So the first step is if you want to go
to our website. We have a franchise development website at
goominis dot com. There you can click if you're interested
in doing that, and you'd get our FDD, which is
the Franchise Disclosure Document, which is this one hundred and
fifty one hundred and seventy five page tomb that nobody
likes to read, but it's got everything in there and
tells you what to do.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
You know this business, our containers are.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
They're not inexpensive, so it's capital intensive business, which does
keep some comp editors out, but the containers last for
a long time. You can get bank financing and we're
SBA approved for example, and they will finance a good
business plan, and several of our franchisees are finance for
the SBA. But they were loaning before COVID. They were
loaning for twenty years on our containers. So you know
(11:17):
the bank is going to loan on a twenty year note.
They know that those containers are going to last a
lot longer than twenty years and We have containers that
have been in service since two thousand and two that
are still being used today. So we're very, very proud
of that. Folks that are interested go to the f
to day they figure that out. We'd let them talk
to our franchisees. They really understand what the business is
(11:39):
and they're motivated. I would like to say, rule follower,
but creative. They'd be a good candidate for us. You know,
we don't want the true entrepreneur who thinks that, wow,
I have the best ideas ever, because a lot of
times they don't, like we've already been through a lot
of things.
Speaker 3 (11:56):
You know, we're on the eighth generation of our.
Speaker 1 (11:58):
Containers, so you know, we continually improve them, and you know,
we don't need folks that come out and say what
we're going to do it this way?
Speaker 3 (12:04):
Is like no, no, no, we have a system. You
kind of need to follow the system.
Speaker 1 (12:07):
We will listen to improvements, absolutely, because we're constantly trying
to improve, but at the same time, we're doing things
the way we're doing for a reason, and we want
people to follow that system and move along with us
becoming a franchising. What we always say is that you know,
you're in business for yourself, but not by yourself. You know,
we've made a lot of mistakes, so you don't have
(12:29):
to and that's the really franchising.
Speaker 3 (12:33):
Has become quite popular.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
What's really interesting about franchising with with go Minis and
portable storage is we don't you're not required to have
a warehouse.
Speaker 3 (12:43):
You just need a fence secure yard.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
When you continue to grow, you add containers and you
can just add, you can stack them, you can do
different things, so your growth opportunities are really almost limitless.
And in terms of if you had a fixed storage facility,
you may have three hundred units done. After three hundred units,
very very difficult to expand those For us, if you
have three hundred containers and you want four hundred, it's
(13:06):
really just a fact of ordering another hundred containers from
us and going out there and getting those rented. And
we offer We have an operations team that helps folks
become more efficient, make sure that they're using our sales
scripts and doing things the right way. And we have
a marketing department that helps you with your social media,
your digital marketing, and your old school knocking on the
doors marketing. Giving you a collateral the handout and that
(13:27):
sort of thing of trade shows and that sort of thing.
So we've developed a nice i think value package for
our franchisees over the last five years during my tenure.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
I'm very proud of that. Quite frankly, well, it.
Speaker 2 (13:38):
Sounds very thorough, Chris, and I should tell people, and
we'll give the website at the end of our interview
for those who haven't already googled it up and got
on go Minis. But there is an investment tab and
also available territories. I mean, it's very thorough about what
you're offering all the future franchise ease, Chris, So I
really appreciate that, and I think people to get on
the website will do that too. I did want to
(13:59):
ask you about current challenges in the industry.
Speaker 3 (14:01):
What are they right now?
Speaker 1 (14:04):
We're the business environment is a little difficult. Interest rates
are up, real estate has been has slowed down. I mean,
there are some pockets of activity, but has slowed down dramatically,
which was a big driver for us over the last
few years. So we've had to retool a little bit
and our franchisees have you know, was a little bit
(14:26):
easier to get business because there were so many people
looking for our services. Now there are less people looking
for our service, there's a little more competition out there,
so they have to.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
Go back to the drawing board a little bit and say, Okay, what.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
Am I not doing or what did I get away
from when business was so good? And what we found
is a lot of people were not going out and
making the in person sales calls introducing themselves. I'm the
local business owner. I know you're the local business owner.
So that's the biggest challenge. As we've retooled, and we've
done a pretty good job of that. In twenty four
and twenty five, we're really going to focus on that,
you know, getting our business coaches out there to help
(14:58):
folks go out and canvas the area and let people
know that they're there. So that's that's one big, big challenge.
Another challenge, which is relatively new, are these tariffs, because
our containers do come in from overseas and there looks
like they may be subject to teriffs, which is going
to increase the price of our product, which is difficult
in a competitive environment. And some of our competitors, who
(15:20):
are much larger than us, have been discounting their services
dramatically so that you know it's you know, it's business
and you have to be competitive, and you know, I
always say we don't. You know, you don't always compete
on price. One of the things that we do very
well is service our customers. And you know a lot
of our commercial customers want that container. They're like, they're
(15:43):
not as concerned about price. They hey, I need this
container at seven am at this job site.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
Will you be there? And day in and day out.
Speaker 1 (15:50):
Our franchisees deliver on time when they're supposed to, and
that goes a long way. So people are, you know,
not running to the next guy because of maybe twenty
dollars a month cheaper that sort of thing.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
You know, I think we can close a book on
the competition too. With some final thoughts on this part
of the interview, Chris, And that's when you're not always
a top dog. I think you and I can agree,
whether it's sports or business, it makes you that more
extra hungry. And we talked about your transparency, We talked
about pricing, but you're talking about customer service and passion
for what you do with the franchisees. And I can
(16:20):
tell that as you're talking about this business with go
minis that those are all encapsuling on this business model,
would I be correct?
Speaker 3 (16:28):
Absolutely?
Speaker 2 (16:30):
Yeah, Well let's do this. I want to talk about
a great story. And I know you probably have hundreds
of great stories of franchisees or maybe something that was special.
This is why we get up every morning, but is
there something that sticks out that was very unique? And
you said, you know what, this is why do what
we do. This is why we work with great franchise
out there is there a special story you could share
with our listeners.
Speaker 3 (16:50):
You know?
Speaker 1 (16:51):
Uh, we had a franchisee that came out of the
military and we offer a veterans discount and he was very,
very motivated to be successful. And he asked me, he said,
you know, I just started, but you know, I'd like
to get involved with Habitat for Humanity And I said, okay, great.
He goes, they're going to have a golf tournament. But
you know he's a new franchisee. He's a little tight
(17:14):
on cash. He said, is there any fund? And I said,
you know what, we'll fund your participation in that golf tournament.
And it turns out that he ended up he went
ahead and did that he made a lot of friends
in the organization. We met some I actually went down there.
I'm not a golfer, by the way, but I went
down there and we met folks that Habitat for Humanity
had built homes for, which was very enriching. And then
(17:36):
it turns out he ended up on the board of
directors of the local Habitat for Humanity and now when
they build a house, he donates a container or two.
Speaker 3 (17:44):
And you know, he was.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
Instrumental at one build where he went and donated a container.
Saw that it was a bunch of marines, which he
was a former marine, and he went and he bought
them all lunch and brought it back and sat down
and had a nice lunch with him. And it's just
very rewarding. It's like, it's nice to be able to
have people go out into their local communities, make a living,
enjoy what they're doing, and give back to the community.
(18:08):
And we have story after story Toys for Tots where
local franchises do that, Hey there was a fire and
a family lost everything, and hey, we're going to do
a collection site for them that We're going to use
a go Mini to put that stuff in there. We
have a story after story like that, and I think
that's probably the most enriching thing about helping run this company,
(18:28):
and it is very very rewarding about giving back well.
Speaker 2 (18:32):
And also to your point, I think as people carry
your brand, they're also carrying your values and they're paying
it forward, which I think makes probably you very happy.
And it's a very special thing that not everybody does.
So I appreciate you sh sharing that story. I did
want to talk about some more charity and when it
comes to philanthropic and charity work for you, whether it's
with the company there where you're at, or what you
(18:53):
like to do personally, what do you like to be
part of.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
You know, with two things we did this year with
the company, we usually gave a little gift at Christmas
time to say thank you for your hard work to
all our franchisees and our vendors. We decided to go
a different path and we made a donation on behalf
of all of the go Mini's family, both vendors and
franchisees to Tunnels to Tower Foundation, which is a memory
of Steven Siller, who is the New York City firefighter
who ran through the tunnel heading back into New York
(19:21):
City to help his fellow firefighters, and they've morphed into
a foundation that helps veterans, that helps first responders, that
people that get in trouble, maybe they take care of
a mortgage for them or along those lines.
Speaker 3 (19:36):
Very very quality organization. And I'm a Northeast guy.
Speaker 1 (19:39):
I grew up in New Jersey and now live in Connecticut,
and my family are firefighters and.
Speaker 3 (19:46):
Police officers in New York City.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
So they don't just help in New York City, but
that's where it started. They help all over the country.
So that's one thing we're very proud of that we
did this year, and we're going to continue that into
the next year as well.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
Whether we pick a new charity or we.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
Stick with the same one, we'll make that decision as
a group as to what people want to do and
try and get input from folks. And then on the
personal side, my father was very very active in his
local church where I grew up down in New Jersey,
and he was a very strong proponent of Catholic education,
which from the product of sixteen years of Catholic school
as he was and his brothers, his five brothers, and
(20:25):
my mother and her brother and we ended up going
to the same Catholic high school, and he decided that
he would try and help people because tuition some kind
gets expensive, and it was important to him that he
started a bit of a scholarship foundation at the local church,
and when he passed away about twelve years ago, they
named the scholarship fund after him. And I'm very proud
(20:46):
of that, and I donate to that, and all our
family donates that and other folks every year and they
send anywhere from half a dozen to a dozen scholarships
out to help people get a quality education.
Speaker 3 (21:00):
Group. So that's what I do on a personal level
as well. Very cool.
Speaker 2 (21:03):
Thanks for sharing well, Chris, let's do this. I really
enjoyed the conversation, but I don't want to get some
final thoughts from you. Just recap what we have talked
about and for our listeners are being introduced maybe to
the company and go Minis for the first time.
Speaker 3 (21:15):
Just some final thoughts. The floor is here, sir. Oh,
thank you very much. You know we are very proud.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
When I walked in the door five years ago, I
heard a familiar refrain from a lot of my franchises.
Speaker 3 (21:27):
What am I getting for my royalties, what value am
I getting?
Speaker 1 (21:30):
And what I've preached to all of our team is
we have to deliver value every day, all the time
to our franchise ease because they're asking me a question,
what are we getting from the franchise or And I'm
very proud that we've been able to deliver more value
than they've ever gotten since the company started. And that's
reflected in we do anonymous third party franchise satisfaction Franchise
(21:55):
Ease satisfaction surveys, and when I first joined, we weren't
doing the satisfaction wasn't very high. In the second year
that we did it, after we've made some changes, our
satisfaction rate went up significantly, and we just did one
in twenty twenty four and we've maintained that satisfaction rate
and we're above the national average for satisfaction for franchisees
(22:16):
all over the country. So very very proud of that,
and it's hard work. We do it every day and
we continually try to add value. And we do that
with a couple of core values, two of which are
integrity and trust. And you know that we want to
make sure that we're acting with integrity when we deal
with every franchisee in our customers and that they trust
that we're going to do the right things for them
(22:37):
and make sure that everything is done above board and
the right way. And I think we've earned that trust
over the five years that have been here and I'm
very proud of that. We're always looking for new franchisees,
budding entrepreneurs, love to have people investigate us and love
to talk to them directly.
Speaker 3 (22:55):
If they have questions that sort of thing. You can
reach us at gomitties dot com.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
There's a franchise development tab which I think you just
found as well, and I'm happy to do that.
Speaker 3 (23:04):
And I think it's a fun business. Uh it's it's not.
It's hard work, but you are out in your community.
Speaker 1 (23:12):
You are making a difference in a lot of ways
by and you know, maybe it's small to some folks,
but you're donating containers to good causes when you see that.
You control your schedule, and quite frankly, if you do
it the right way, you can build a nice little
business that you can leave to a child, or you
could sell in the marketplace, which we have a lot
of people to do that. So it's a it's a
(23:33):
very I'm very proud of what we what we built,
and what we're continuing to build, quite frankly, and we're
constantly changing and constantly improving.
Speaker 2 (23:40):
Chris A really enjoyed our conversation. Continue success. Thank you
so much for joining us on CEOs. You should know great.
Speaker 3 (23:46):
Dennis, thanks so much, really appreciate it.
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