Nick Huber: From 400k Followers to $52m Deal
Serial entrepreneur Nick Huber turned a grueling college moving startup into a self-storage real estate empire. By mastering remote work and offshore labor, he cut payroll costs by 70%, lifted sales conversion rates by 35%, and built a defensible operating moat. Chronicling his playbook on Twitter earned him 400,000 followers, and he used that influence to acquire and grow Somewhere.com for $52m.
Nick Huber built his career in the trenches. His first company, Storage Squad, offered pickup & delivery services to college students—a logistically intense, physically demanding business that gave him a crash course in operations. After scaling it across dozens of campuses, he shifted his focus to self-storage real estate. He launched Bolt Storage, eventually growing it to 63 properties and over 15,000 units.
Instead of hiring exclusively in the US, Huber leaned into offshore talent. His team now spans Colombia, South Africa, Egypt, and the Philippines. He runs his real estate private equity firm on just $1.5 million in annual payroll, where his same-sized competitor spends $5 million. Moving his sales team to South Africa increased conversion rates from 32 percent to 41 percent. His remote-first model does more than reduce expenses; it improves output.
Sharing those insights publicly became its own asset. Through transparent threads and tactical breakdowns, Huber built a loyal Twitter audience of 400,000 followers. He generated copious leads for Support Shepherd (later rebranded to Somewhere.com) an offshore recruiting agency that he used to build his own team. His tweets became one of the company's largest customer acquisition channels.
In 2024, he acquired majority control of Support Shepherd, now rebranded as Somewhere.com, in a $52 million transaction. He structured the deal with a mix of equity (in part sourced via social media influence) and a creative seller note, raising his personal stake to nearly 40%. Interestingly, larger investors in his cap table pay a lower carry (20%) than the retail investors (30%). The company now anchors his global hiring thesis and marks his boldest move yet.
Check today's new episode of the Minds Capital Podcast.
Keep reading
24 Add-Ons in 24 Months
Luis Reyes, an exited SaaS founder, is building a fire safety market leader in Spain through full-time focus on operations and rapid M&A with 24+ acquisitions in just 24 months. Assembling a mosaic of micro-targets, the platform now generates €8m in EBITDA, with industry-leading efficiency stemming from Luis' consulting background and AI-first mindset. Fun fact (or maybe not so fun...): Luis grew up in rural Mexico and got his first pair of shoes at age 5.
20x MOIC After Decade-Long Hold
David Acharya has been an independent sponsor since the great financial recession. His most notable deal, a 9.5-year investment in experiential marketing firm Impact XM, delivered an extraordinary 20x MOIC. Along the way he navigated a smooth separation from former partners, and today he chairs the Independent Sponsor Alliance, a 55-member peer network shaping best practices in the industry.
Carving Out an 8x MOIC in 3 Years
Doug Song reflects on 25 years of experience as an independent sponsor, having co-founded Prodos Capital in 2003. He explains how Prodos views co-sponsoring as a strategic path to scale, enabling experienced sponsors to take on more deals while supporting emerging talent. Doug also discusses the growing role of capital placement agents and family offices, and emphasizes why getting the first deal right is the single most important step in building a lasting independent sponsor career.
