The Interview
SAM KENNARD
OWNER/CEO KENNARDS SELF STORAGE
With Rob Langton - Ready Media Group
BUILDING FOR GENERATIONS: INSIDE THE ENDURING EMPIRE OF SAM KENNARD
Taking the Reins Early Stepping into leadership at 24 is no small task, particularly in a family business where expectations run high and legacy looms large. But for Kennard, it was less about proving himself and more about stewardship. “There’s a responsibility that comes with it,” he explains. “You’re not just building for yourself — you’re building for the next generation.” This mindset would go on to define his approach to growth. While many businesses chase rapid expansion, Kennard focused on sustainability - building systems, processes, and a culture that could endure beyond any single leader. From Eight Sites to an Empire Over the next three decades, Kennards Self Storage transformed from a small family operation into a dominant player in the self-storage sector. But the growth was anything but accidental. Kennard emphasises that success came down to operational discipline - a phrase he returns to repeatedly throughout the conversation. In an industry that can appear deceptively simple, execution is everything. “Self-storage is a detail business,” he says. “It’s about consistency, systems, and doing the basics exceptionally well, over and over again.” This meant investing heavily in staff training, customer service, and site management. It also meant resisting the temptation to overextend during boom periods —
In an era defined by rapid growth, quick exits, and fleeting business trends, Sam Kennard stands apart. As the driving force behind Kennards Self Storage, Kennard has spent more than three decades quietly building one of Australia’s most formidable and enduring property-backed enterprises - not through hype, but through discipline, patience, and an unwavering commitment to long-term thinking. What began as a modest family operation has evolved into a $3 billion-plus real estate portfolio spanning more than 125 storage facilities across Australia and New Zealand. Yet, as Kennard reveals in this rare and deeply reflective interview, the story behind the numbers is far more instructive than the scale itself. A Family Foundation The Kennard story is, at its core, one of legacy. Long before self-storage became a recognised asset class, the Kennard family was already immersed in business. Sam grew up surrounded by entrepreneurial thinking - not as an abstract concept, but as a lived experience. “It wasn’t something I chose later,” he reflects. “It was always there.” That early exposure shaped not only his comfort with business, but also his philosophy. Unlike many founders who stumble into leadership, Kennard’s journey was one of gradual immersion. By the time he formally joined the family business at 21, he already understood its rhythms, its customers, and its challenges. At the time, the company operated just eight storage centres — a solid but unremarkable footprint. Within three years, Kennard was running the business.
4 – April / May 2026
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