Autonomous self-storage, built from zero to one

• Tech-first, autonomous self-storage business
• Named, positioned and branded from inception
• Fully unmanned site with transparent pricing and online booking
• Smart access enabling move-in without human interaction
• £1m funding secured through business plan and investor narrative
• Shortlisted for Independent Storage Facility of the Year

Hexa is a tech-first self-storage business designed to challenge a traditionally opaque industry.
I was involved from inception to launch, naming the business, defining its positioning, creating the brand, and shaping the end-to-end customer experience. The aim was to remove friction, remove gatekeeping, and build trust through clarity and technology.
The result is a fully unmanned facility with transparent pricing, online booking, and smart access – allowing customers to book, move in, and manage their storage without human interaction.

Self-storage has historically relied on hidden pricing, enquiry-led sales processes, and manual onboarding. This creates friction for customers and unnecessary overhead for operators – and doesn’t align with how people expect modern services to work.
There was an opportunity to rethink storage as a self-serve product: fast, transparent, and genuinely easy to use.

I led brand and experience across the project, translating a complex operational model into a clear, investable story, and ensuring it landed consistently across every touchpoint.

• Named the business and defined its market position
• Created the brand identity and visual system
• Wrote the business plan and investor narrative that secured £1m in funding
• Designed and launched the website and online booking journey
• Shaped tone of voice and customer communications
• Worked alongside the build team on access, security, and customer flow
• Acted as brand guardian across digital, physical, and operational touchpoints

Hexa was conceived as a design-led technology first alternative to traditional self-storage.

Key principles

• Transparent, published pricing
• Online booking and same-day move-in
• Smart access using PINs and Bluetooth locks
• A site that could operate without staff
• A brand that felt confident, modern, and trustworthy

Hexa became the first site in Europe to launch using OpenTech Alliance smart locks, enabling a genuinely autonomous customer journey.

Hexa was designed to operate without on-site staff while still feeling safe, premium, and straightforward.

• A booking journey built around clarity and trust
• Self-serve access and intuitive on-site experience
• Latest-generation smart monitoring and smart lock systems

From identity and messaging to UX and on-site touchpoints, every decision was made to keep the experience frictionless.

• Launched November 2024
• Reached 72% occupancy within 10 months
• Zero debtors over 60 days
• Shortlisted for Independent Storage Facility of the Year

Zero-to-one brand building, where strategy and delivery sit side by side.

Rather than treating brand as an output, the work focused on creating a clear, usable system. One that could support decision-making, scale with the business, and hold together across digital, physical, and operational touchpoints as the company grew.